Fixer Upper

Some years ago there was a movie called Under the Tuscan Sun with Diane Lane, Lindsay Duncan, and Sandra Oh, which I very much enjoyed. It, like this one, is about a woman disappointed and hurt by love who goes to rural Italy to recover, and ends up impetuously buying a small villa and restoring it to its former glory. In both movies, they slowly but surely become part of their communities, and there is romance, old people, and a pregnancy of a side character (sorry Sandra Oh, you stole the show. No offence intended) to deal with. Everything is set against the difficult but ultimately rewarding restoration of the old home. Of course, there are many differences, but this review is not a “Compare and Contrast” essay question so I will stop there. I’m just saying, if you enjoyed the quiet pace and captivating atmosphere of the older movie, you will probably like this one, if you like to watch Hallmarks.

Liara’s fiancé dumps her in the final stages of preparing for their wedding. They were going to go to Italy for their honeymoon because that is where her mother and late father met. Her mother convinces her to go on her honeymoon by herself and encourages her to try to visit the little town where she and Liara’s father fell in love. There was a pretty villa there that he had promised to buy for her one day. Bless their hearts. Young Love. Liara takes her mother’s advice and we have some beautiful shots of Rome. It hasn’t changed a bit. She meets a handsome American with dual citizenship (Kevin McGarry) helping his cousin in his bakery and she is surprised that his Nonna lives in the same little village that her mother visited. On a whim she decides to go there and sees advertisements for a group of old Italian villas that are on sale for 1 euro each. And what do you know but there is the same villa that her parents had always had a photograph of in a place of honor among them! She decides to buy it as a symbolic gesture for her Mom to fulfil her youthful dream. It’s only 1 euro, right? What could go wrong? Snicker. At some point she will re-sell it at her leisure since she doesn’t plan on living there. She is going back to Chicago tomorrow. What an idiot. As Leo, the handsome American, points out, she didn’t read the fine print. Or think this through at all. It turns out that she signed off on investing in completely renovating the building and she only has 3 months to complete it as she is an American and her visa will expire in 90 days. If she doesn’t follow through, she will be persona non grata throughout Europe.

90 days may not seem much time for restoring a dilapidated falling apart estate in a foreign country in real life, but it is an eon in Hallmark time. A similar daunting project was completed in Hallmark’s Tis the Season to be Irish in under two weeks. (Seemingly.) I really liked the relatively slower pace of this one. The restoration, the romance and Liara’s slow integration into the community was given time to develop which added an authenticity seldom seen in Hallmarks. The villa, which does not even have running water or electricity, is slowly (but fastly in the end) brought into shape with ex-lawyer and current contractor/handyman, Leo’s, help and results in an enviably beautiful home. She makes friends. In the process, Liara starts to struggle with the idea of returning to her career in Chicago and leaving the life she has found in Italy and her romantic relationship with Leo. Happily and mysteriously, Liara is in the enviable position of not having to consider money and how to get it in this movie. Also there is a donkey, olive trees, and she finds a letter from her father in a box of old mail. It all comes to a head when her ex finds her in Italy and wants to resume their relationship like nothing happened and a major real estate development firm shows interest in buying her property. 

One thing I really liked was what happened when her ex-fiancé showed up unexpectedly. Usually the new love interest will misinterpret some interaction between the ex-couple and go flouncing off in a huff, resulting in the big misunderstanding. That didn’t happen here. Instead, Leo starts to tell him off and almost punches him for what he did to Liara. Liara stops him and tells him off herself. He says “my bad” and goes away. No big last 15 minute romantic conflict!

Eloise Mumford who played Liara is a bit of a hit or miss with me. Comedy is not her forte. And there were some scenes in this movie which could have been played for more humor. Unfortunately, the actress’s resting face is “On the Verge of Tears.” Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn’t. Also I wish that Liara’s mother had been more involved in the story. She doesn’t come to Italy until all is settled as part of the epilogue. I would have liked to have seen her earlier helping with the renovation and healing from the death of her husband.

All in all there was a lot to appreciate in this one including the cinematography. It stepped outside the box in more ways than one. But, for me, it was missing that special spark that makes it a top tier Hallmark.