A Beautiful “Like” Story?

After erring on the side of kindness in determining a star rating for quite a few Hallmarks lately, last night’s, or in my case, this early morning’s Hallmark is finally (Finally Finally!) one I can wholeheartedly get behind with a 9-star rating. It would have been a 10 but it stumbled slightly at the end.  The script was not only well-written but free of gimmicks and cheap and easy jokes. Now don’t get me wrong: I love a cheap and easy joke as much as the next person, and humor is almost always a component in my most favorite Hallmarks. This one had its funny moments, but the humor flowed naturally from the well-written plot, the characters, and the acting of its cast. It starred a brown-haired Kim Matula who has never been less than great in any of the Hallmarks I’ve seen her in, and Aaron O’Connell. I had never been a particular fan of his as a leading man, although he was hilarious in Made for Each Other as “The Wrong Guy First”,  but I say “had” never, because he was perfect in this one: both in his individual performance and his strong chemistry with his leading lady. In this one, the relationship was the thing, not the banter and wisecracks.

Emma works for an Art Gallery and is unapologetic in hankering after a family of her own with a nice stable guy, not the flakey artsy types she usually encounters.  “I want art on my fridge, as well as on the walls”.  She lives with her sister and her husband in a very large New York apartment. Emma’s relationship with her sister has a lot of heart and is another positive facet amongst many in this movie. They figure out that she needs to meet someone, not in Art, but in a solid profession like Finance. Meanwhile, Conrad, a successful finance guy, is also frustrated in love. He seeks that instant spark, that love at first sight thing, like his parents had. Pay attention when he shares how his parents met.

While on the train to the financial district, they each meet likely prospects that are not each other. The how and why of night owl Emma getting on a train to Wall Street at the ungodly hour of 7am in hopes of meeting a man is an example of the organic nature of the type of humor in this movie. They both have an instant connection with their “meet-cutes” but, due to a power outage, they both are parted from their prospective soulmates before they can exchange details. Conrad puts an ad in a local Missed Connections column and when Emma sees it, she thinks it is about her and meets Conrad. They are both disappointed, but they get to talking and have a great rapport right from the beginning. Since Conrad had learned that the woman he is looking for is involved in the Art Scene, and Emma is looking for a down to earth guy in a profession like Conrad’s, they agree to help each other. Emma will try to find Conrad’s mystery woman, and Conrad will find Emma some date material among his colleagues. (Emma’s train guy falls by the wayside, never to be seen or heard from again.)

They spend time together and become friends. They enrich each other’s lives and have conversations. They go to events together and have fun. Conrad meets Emma’s friends and her sister. Emma goes on a  blah date with one of Conrad’s friends. By this time they are half in love with each other. But at the point where Emma admits that to herself and is ready to make her move with a similarly smitten-but-doesn’t-know-it Conrad she finds, by pure chance, Conrad’s mystery woman. I really should stop there to avoid any more spoilers, because this is a real turning point in the movie. I will just say that it doesn’t follow the obvious path. The love story takes a detour that adds heart, depth, and complexity. We learn that a shared sense of humor is important in a relationship. 

The happy ending is achieved with the help of a bagel truck, which is an example of why this movie really shines. Because you actually had to be paying attention back in the beginning when Conrad was telling his parents’ love story to get the significance. I mentioned the ending took this down a star. After building up the suspense, the chemistry, and the longing that these two shared, it kind of sputtered at the climactic moment. In some movies, ending with an “I really really like you” or even just an “I like you” is enough. But not in this one. We know they liked each other, for heaven’s sake. They were friends and never had a harsh word, or a stupid misunderstanding. They owed each other (and us!) full fledged “I love you”s! They were earned. It was just a clunker of a wrong note. What was the writer thinking? We know what they meant, and at least she will be following him to Tokyo. I guess that’s something.  Not to mention The Count of Monte Cristo.