Wedding

The Greek Aisle

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Who Ate the Baklava?

This was set on the beautiful Island of Corfu, Greece. There was not much of a plot because the gorgeous photography of not only the countryside, but the picturesque little seaside town held center stage. And The Food. Many scenes took place in a family restaurant or in the kitchen and the director and his crew took full advantage to make sure plenty of time was spent celebrating all manner of Greek cuisine. The only thing missing was the Baklava. Now usually the lack of action and tomfoolery might be considered a negative in a Hallmark movie, but in this case, I didn’t miss it. As I usually don’t. There were no silly and frustrating episodes of characters acting stupidly or unreasonably to create tension and stretch out 60 minutes of movie to fit 84 minutes of airtime. It was just a nice peaceful romance between two nice people in a beautiful setting.

Georgia, along with her partner and friend Rose, owns a small newly established marketing company which helps businesses with promoting and branding. A letter arrives and it turns out that our heroine is in danger of forfeiting her inheritance of a Greek property that she had used to secure a business loan. She’s had a year to go to Greece and sign the papers, never went, and this letter is her last warning. Now she has just 5 days to secure her assets. Her loan is coming due shortly and she needs to sell the property to pay it off, or else. Did I say there were no dumb plot devices to move the plot forward and create tension? I take that back. But after these first 5 minutes, we’re good. Her partner hustles her off to Greece and Georgia bravely chooses a pair of loose-knit white pants with horizontal red stripes for her traveling outfit. My alternate title for this review was “Pants of Courage.” She had spent a summer on Corfu with her late aunt and hung out in a little Greek taverna where she made friends with Elena, the owner, and her son, Alex. It is her first stop once she gets to her aunt’s seaside home town and she scores a feta salad and Moussaka. She quickly learns that Alex, now a police officer, is the co-inheritor of her aunt’s estate. Georgia must not only have ignored all the letters from her aunt’s lawyer, but not even opened them. But no squabbling, motive for murder, or enemies-to-lovers here. Even Alex’s jealous girlfriend, Cassandra, turns out to be his pet cat. Alex happily agrees to buy Georgia out of her share but first, to avoid the red tape of Greek laws against foreigners, they have to get married. The happy but (99% sure) platonic couple play out their romance against the stunning Corfiot landscape with a few little side plots to keep things interesting and the pace chugging along. Luckily, the 5 day trip is extended to a month and Alex’s police duties are extremely undemanding. Extremely.

**Spoilers**

In order to afford to buy out Georgia, Alex has to secure a position as a detective that he is being considered for. Alex is kind of endearingly shy and awkward and schmoozing to promote himself is not his thing. Luckily, it is Georgia’s thing, and she goes to town advancing Alex’s cause amusingly and sometimes cringingly (Whoo Hoo! my Husband is such a great cricket player and therefore what a great detective he would make!!). The couple needs to put up a good front so that the head of the detective agency (and the authorities) do not find out the marriage is fake. After a dinner that Georgia arranges at their beautiful home (I want it), Alex is offered the job. Being an honest guy, and against all of the usual Hallmark rules of communication, he puts everything out on Front Street and tells his new boss the whole truth. Also against all of the usual rules, his boss appreciates his honesty and Alex still gets the job. In a similar break from Hallmark business-as-usual, when the guy in charge of making sure Alex and Georgia are not trying to pull a fast one with their marriage shows up, all goes smoothly. Instead of having to jump through hoops and being put through the harsh interrogation they were expecting, the guy just gives them their papers and some Koufetas as a wedding gift. He explains that it has been obvious to the whole town that the marriage is loving and authentic. It was very sweet. Georgia also has some happy news from Rose  about an important client, and even establishes a business opportunity on Corfu by helping Elena with a cooking school. And Rose was very understanding when Georgia decides to stay in Corfu and help run their business remotely in order to explore her relationship with Alex.

In short, the whole thing was very pleasant, nice, and just happy. Apostolis Totsikas, who played Alex was very appealing, Nikki Deloach was her usual likable (and very toned) self, and their romantic chemistry and kisses were on point. Andrew Walker, her usual co-star, should be jealous.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Hearts Around the Table: Kiki’s Fourth Ingredient.

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I Didn’t know Whether to Add Stars or Subtract Them.

**Spoilers**

Jenna and Andrew are getting married in 4 days. Will Kiki, the last foster child on the docket, be able to meet, get to know, and fall in love with some man, have a big conflict, and then make up with him all the while preparing to cater her sister’s 100 guest wedding out of a food truck? It won’t be easy, but it’s Saturday night on the Hallmark Channel, so the answer is “yes.”  We see the road forward when we are introduced to Andrew’s best man who just happens to be the executive chef and owner of one of the most well-established restaurants in town. He is played by Torrance Coombs, who has been in a Hallmark and similar movie a time or two. There was one I didn’t like, but one I really did. And it turns out that he was the best thing about this one. He brought a suave and sophisticated mature older-man vibe to the proceedings that I really liked. Even though he was supposed to be the same age as Andrew. Kiki is supposed to be somewhat younger, so it was OK. I bought it.

Kiki is rather prickly with Clay when they first meet and she finds out his status in the local restaurant scene. She understandably feels a lot of pressure to make things perfect for her sister and now feels that she and her food truck will be judged and found wanting. And unexpected problems and glitches do seem to be mounting up. And no wonder, because she seems to be doing everything as if she didn’t know she was going to be the caterer until yesterday. Clay is very nice and makes it clear he has nothing but respect for her talent, admires her spirit and creativity, and even envies her freedom to create and serve what she wants.  Mainly, he points out that she is so preoccupied by prepping for the reception that she is missing out on her sister’s wedding and her bridesmaid duties. Kiki conquers her “I-can-do-it-all-by-myself-itis” and she lets him advise and help her. Only one day to the wedding, and they even have time to help out a local food bank.

All proceeds as expected on the romance and professional front until the night of the rehearsal dinner, when all things go to hell in a handbasket. Clay warmly introduces his female friend and colleague, another prominent chef, to the group and praises her skills and her restaurant. He praises Kiki and introduces her especially, and the lady makes some subtle digs at Kiki and her food truck.  Kiki goes on high alert, insecurity rears its ugly head again, and she gets huffy and sneaks out of the dinner. At first I thought she was being overly sensitive and overreacted. But looking at the exchange again, I didn’t really blame her for getting her panties in a twist. But she shouldn’t have walked out of her sister’s rehearsal dinner. She missed all of the drama.

While the Clay and Kiki saga was going on, Angie, the foster mother, tracked down Jenna’s long lost father behind her back as a special treat for Jenna. In the middle of the dinner, in he walks, still in his work clothes. What was the normally wise and caring Angie thinking? Not surprisingly Jenna was not pleased that the father who abandoned her and her mother (It wasn’t my idea!) shockingly intrudes uninvited by her on her happy (except for Kiki) rehearsal dinner. He didn’t even know her mother had died 20 years ago, and that Jenna had been raised in foster care (And why not, may I ask, you Jerk? That $64,000 question never gets answered.) She even turns on Andrew, the fiancé, in her anger and disgust. Uh Oh, SpaghettiOs.

And things go downhill from there! It got very awkward. As awkward as I’ve ever seen in a Hallmark movie. In fact, it was such a trainwreck, I almost gave it extra stars for the entertainment value. I’ll try not to give a play by play, but it mainly involves Kiki chopping vegetables like a maniac in her food truck the morning of the wedding after firing all of her temps instead of being a help and support to her traumatized sister. Also, Jenna refuses to walk down the aisle without the stranger she met the night before at her side (Don’t ask about the change of heart, because I have no idea). She keeps her Groom and his Groomsmen standing awkwardly in front of all of the guests in the pews waiting for her to appear while dear old “Dad” is rounded up.  They stand there quietly panicking and being stared at in silence without even any organ music for at least 20 minutes. They have no idea what is going on! And don’t get me started on Josh’s honey walking down the aisle like a hotdog in the middle of it all to straighten his tie. And the baptismal font in the middle of the aisle which Jenna, Deadbeat Dad, and Angie have to dodge on the trip to the altar.

Anyway, just to wrap up, the wedding happens in spite of itself and Kiki and Clay declare their undying love after knowing each other for 4 actually 3, days during which a good chunk of that time she was mad at him. What was the fourth ingredient? Another question goes unanswered. Stars for Mr. Coombs and all the craziness.

Rating: 6 out of 10.

To Have and to Holiday

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Bad Dad

This movie. I really shouldn’t have liked anything about it. It starts out with the couple in question hanging out celebrating early Christmas in a luxurious apartment in midtown Manhattan that had to have cost at least $10,000 a month. The guy is in “marketing” and comes from a normal family so there is no way. It is very common in Hallmarkland that people live in homes that are way too expensive for their means but this was more absurd than usual. Later in the movie the guy actually comments that they are going to find a bigger place! They are in love and she is going home for Christmas to be with her family. They are serious about each other and when he suggests he go home with her (his parents are traveling) to meet her parents she joyfully jumps at the chance. And so it begins. Her mother is the mayor of the small picturesque town and her father is the pastor of a local church. Loved the mother. We know we are going to have trouble with the father because Celeste, our heroine, tells Jason, our hero that he has trouble with “change”. When they once got a new couch, it was 6 months before he would sit on it. I think that was supposed to be funny, but I found it very disturbing. When we see him talking to his assistant pastor who once dated Celeste, he confides that his daughter just gave up her apartment and quit her temporary job so he has every expectation that her Christmas visit will extend to infinity and beyond. He also invites him to come over that night, hoping that their romance will rekindle providing extra incentive to move back home.

When Celeste shows up with (surprise!) Jason, her mother welcomes him warmly, the father is polite but reserved. At dinner that night, the coolness continues (So where were you thinking of staying tonight, Jared?). When Celeste learns that her beloved church will be going through renovations, she is heartbroken because her dream had always been to be married in the building she grew up with. All of a sudden, Jason gets down on one knee to propose marriage so they can be married this very Christmas Eve in the church of her childhood memories even though they have only known each other for three months. In front of her parents he has just met without even a ring or any discussion with anyone. Jason is a person of impulse. Dad is not happy, but he remains calm. Mom is thrilled. Next on the agenda, if they want her Dad to officiate, is his “Marriage Boot Camp” that he puts all his prospective brides and grooms through to determine whether they know each other well enough to have a chance at a successful marriage. The series of challenges, games, tests, questions etc. that Pastor Dad puts the couple through sucks up most of the rest of the movie along with some wedding prep. Of course, Dad hopes that they will realize that they shouldn’t be getting married so soon and best case scenario, break up for good. But they pass them all with flying colors.

Now make no mistake. Pastor Dad was just awful throughout this movie. He was childish, petulant, overly possessive of his daughter, selfish, and rude. But he had enough flashes of reasonableness and niceness here and there to keep him from being a complete villain. So he didn’t ruin the movie for me. Honestly, he didn’t seem like much of a threat, because no one was on his side, including his very nice assistant pastor, especially when Jason’s sweet parents show up unexpectedly. His wife was certainly not and she was a force to be reckoned with.  Also that couch thing seems to suggest that he had some psychological problems that may have been beyond his control. Also, I kind of saw his point. Three months is too soon for marriage, especially considering how spur of the moment it was.  I thought the couple was really cute and I really liked both of them. The boot camp that was meant to drive them apart only made their relationship stronger. Liked that too and the increasing frustration of the Dad.  He finally crossed the line when he overheard his daughter accept a dream promotion in New York City from her old boss which meant that she definitely would not be moving back home. He really loses it at last and for some reason blames Jason which made no sense. What followed was a dressing down by both his wife and his daughter until he was thoroughly ashamed of himself.

The ending was kind of lame. Because he was so preoccupied with breaking Jason and Celeste up, he ignored a leak in the church ceiling, which caused the roof  of the church to partially cave in. The whole purpose of the quicky wedding was to do it in the church so now the wedding was off. Is it possible that Pastor Dad subconsciously ignored the leak so that this very disaster would happen? Hmmmm. Nah. Hallmark’s not that subtle. Having had a change of heart and all, in three days the good pastor “rallies the townspeople” and arranges for the wedding to take place in the local country club. A better ending would have been for them to get married in the church anyway with heavenly sunbeams shining through the accidental skylight upon the happy couple. Or even a light dusting of snow falling picturesquely around them. That would have been a lot more Hallmarky.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

Christmas With the Singhs

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Meet the Parents 2.0

Of course at the conclusion of this movie about the marriage of two young people almost derailed by their two competing cultures everything ends in happiness, peace, acceptance, and compromise. But is that really what it’s about? To my mind, it is more about a young modern Indian-American woman who has struggled to please her demanding and overprotective father all of her life, who finally stands up for herself thanks to her love for her Irish-American fiance and her desire not to lose her family while marrying her man.

Asha and Jake become reacquainted when he has to go to the emergency room where she is working as a Nurse Practitioner during the Christmas holidays. They had gone to high school together where Asha was the scholarly math whiz and Jake was a popular English major, homecoming king, and top athlete. He is currently a successful sports journalist. It is pretty much love at first sight in the emergency room, cue courtship and dating montage, which ends in a marriage proposal almost a year later at Christmas time. They are a sweet and likable couple played by Ben Hollingsworth and talented and beautiful Anuja Joshi as Asha. They are both excellent with great chemistry.

Now engaged, they are going back to their hometown to Meet The Parents. Trouble is foreshadowed by Asha’s  alarmed reaction to finding out that Jake did not receive Asha’s traditional father’s permission to ask for her hand in marriage. Yes, how could he not have known to do that, how could they not have met the parents before since they grew up in the same town, etc. But details details-I didn’t care. Also foreshadowing trouble with dear old Dad is Asha’s story that, pushed to be a M.D. all of her life, she had to pretend to fail the MCAT’s in order to keep the peace and pursue her real dream of Nursing. So we learn that, although bullied by her controlling  (but loving!) father, she is strong and has found a way to live her own life. Throughout the movie, Asha struggles with wanting to stand up to her father Samuel’s behavior despite her respect for his struggles and sacrifice. Anuja Joshi’s deft performance ensures we empathise with and understand her dilemma instead of being frustrated by her inability to put her foot down. When she introduces Jake to her otherwise warm and welcoming family, her father does not disappoint in the trouble and strife department. I will just summarize every micro and macro (mostly macro) aggression by just saying that he is rude and obnoxious to poor Jake at every opportunity.

When Asha is introduced to Jake’s divorced parents, there are challenges but nothing compared to what  Asha’s father inflicts on Jake and indirectly, Asha. The big conflict is about wearing or not wearing shoes in the family home. Both Jake Sr. and Molly are sometimes awkward, only a bit demanding, but always well-meaning. Our couple’s situation is surprisingly layered. Despite all of the stress, there is a lot of family warmth and humor in this movie. Jake’s Mom and Dad are a little quirky and very free and easy, while the Singhs are a large close family but immersed in tradition and structure. We learn, thanks to Jake’s father’s uncomfortable probing that the couple are not on the same page regarding having children. He is worried about that and doesn’t want them to make the same mistakes he and Molly made. It turns out that Jake’s mom is a former rival of Asha’s father in the town’s house decorating contest. He has won the prize many years in a row but only after Molly effectively abdicated her throne after her divorce from Jake’s Dad. She is now  the queen of the local Christmas Pageant instead. We see that there might be some social divide between the two as, when they meet some of their former school mates, they express surprise that the High School big shot and the under-the-radar Nerd are engaged. There is a financial gap between the two families as well, with the suburban Singhs apparently much wealthier than the more urban O’Briens.

 The Singh’s devout Christianity is an important part of this story. Their religion is unusual for Indians and has brought challenges both in India and in the immigrant community. Asha’s mother was raised Hindu but fell in love with her husband’s faith and converted. When Asha and Jake are late to church and the father’s traditional reading of the Christmas story his anger brings all of the tension and misunderstandings between the two families to a head. Samuel, his Christian spirit left by the wayside, verbally attacks Jake and his family. Jake stands up to Asha’s dad (finally) to defend his family, and Asha runs off to do some thinking. It is quite a scene, but nothing compared to what follows. I’ll just say that repentance and forgiveness are front and center, and Asha really steps up to the plate.

Manoj Sood is wonderful as Samuel, the head of the Singh family. I hated his attitudes and his behavior, but somehow couldn’t quite hate him. Okay, I did strongly dislike him. But he manages to convey warmth and love beneath his harshness to his beloved daughter’s fiance. At the end, his remorse and pain at his own behavior was touching and authentic. The actor’s range was truly on display. The whole cast was great, but the detailed multilayered script, packed with many subtle and revealing details, drama, humor, and warmth was the star. And the romance and mature relationship between the two lovers were pretty great as well.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

A Costa Rican Wedding

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Rescued

This movie is an easy target for grumpy reviewers because it features a lead girl who is a real ditz and clumsy to boot. Now clumsy is one thing. Done right it can be cute. And ditzy can also be cute. (Sadly too many female-centric movies to mention). But combine them together and things will get very irritating very fast. Here is one example out of a whole grab bag. Emily knocks our hero’s cell phone off the boat right before they are going to venture alone into dangerous waters (Clumsy). She doesn’t tell him what happened leaving them cut off from civilization on their expedition (Ditzy and Stupid). Together: insufferable. And I’m not even going to go into her self-hating obsession with her cheating ex-boyfriend. There. I’m done.

Emily’s best friend Phoebe has defied her mother’s dream of a traditional country-club wedding for her daughter and has opted for a beach wedding in beautiful Costa Rica. This was a source of drama I wish they had devoted more time to. Emily, being the maid of honor, has arranged for the accommodations and planned out the fun activities for the bridal party. Which is quite the head-scratcher as we are treated  to a retrospective of the various ways in which Emily’s ways have wreaked havoc in their lives. And the bizarre topper is that Phoebe has put Emily in charge of the priceless vintage wedding rings which are part of her family’s tradition and a legacy from her great grandmother. Guess what happens. I won’t tell you but it involves a jungle, a kleptomaniac monkey, and a volcano. I exaggerate for effect. A volcano is not actually involved but it is hinted at as a vague threat.

Costa Rica is really beautiful. I can see why so many Americans retire there. Going by this Hallmark movie, there doesn’t appear to be any of the grinding poverty so on display in other Central American countries. I enjoyed the scenery. Speaking of scenery, Christopher Russell plays Ryan, the groom’s best friend and the love interest for Emily, played by popular Rhiannon Fish. He is a tour guide there in Costa Rica who has already had to step in to upgrade the Emily-arranged accommodations for the party (why didn’t the bridal couple put him in charge to begin with?) Emily is offended, which is par for the course as relations between them have always been tense because she thinks he doesn’t like her and he thinks she doesn’t like him. When Emily absentmindedly leaves the priceless wedding bands in her pink backpack hanging from a tree branch on the edge of  the jungle and the backpack is stolen by the previously mentioned monkey, their adventure begins. Meanwhile, the rest of the wedding party and Momzilla are left to enjoy their Costa Rican dream wedding weekend while consumed by worry and fear for the maid of honor and the groom’s best friend apparently lost in the deadly jungle and mysteriously incommunicado.

I was prepared to really dislike this movie, but Rhiannon Fish did quite well with a character that was very grating on the nerves throughout most of the story.  And of course Christopher Russell’s impossibly handsome presence is always a port in a storm. I used to wish Hallmark would give him some roles that were more challenging, complex, and against his usual mensch-y good-guy type. And they have, rarely, but when the chips are down his calm and authentically nice (if vaguely amused) presence has saved many a Hallmark from disaster in my eyes. I appreciated the love and loyalty shared by Phoebe and Emily (despite Emily almost killing her with a smoothie on her first day in Costa Rica) And this one ended strongly with hapless Emily actually saving the day from a crushing blow, for once, not of her making. So this one, full of rescues of one sort or another, also rescued itself. I’m rounding up to a “7”, because I almost want to watch it (ahem Christopher Russell) again.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

Falling in Love in Niagara

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Or, How Socks and Golf Doomed a 3-year Relationship. But That’s a Good Thing.

This was very mediocre. First, it’s one of my least favorite types of Hallmarks where the plot and characters take second place to the setting. This type has its place in that they are very relaxing and give you something pretty to look at while  indulging in a little armchair sightseeing. But they can also be pretty dull and formulaic, and can come across as being paid for by the local tourism board.

My second beef was with the two main characters. They were not exactly role models for any young children that might have been watching with Mommy (or Daddy).  First, I will set the background to my forthcoming dumping on their characters and future prospects in life and love.

Maddie is a super-planner with more than a smidge of OCD  because of her sad chaotic childhood and bad parents. Every time she sees a group of 4 or more pens in a row she has to line them up and straighten them. We see her doing this at least 3 times. Maybe more,  but I wasn’t going to watch the whole movie again to count. She gets dumped by her boyfriend because of her controlling ways, but her loving and surprisingly well-adjusted sister talks her into going on her honeymoon anyway but with  her instead. There in Niagara, she meets Mike, her tour guide who’s is a fly by the seat of his pants kind of guy and her complete opposite. So naturally, they fall in love while he teaches her that life is more than itineraries and highlighters, and she turns his frown (bad breakup) upside down.

It started off pretty well and I have liked both Jocelyn Hudon and Dan Jeannotte in other things. They were fine, and the their banter was bright and energetic. However, Maddie got on my bad side right off the bat. She was just horrible to Jason, her fiance. I don’t know how they got past the first date let alone forged a 3 year relationship. First off, she threw  away his lucky socks after taking his laundry home against his wishes. Again. These are socks he has worn to every successful sales presentation since he was 20 years old. And he has one of his most important meetings the day she threw them out. He is actually pretty nice about it. But why would she do that? Surely she knew how attached to those lucky socks he was? If she didn’t know, that is just as bad. She doesn’t express any regret for her actions, but asks him what he wants to add to their honeymoon itinerary. He says he wants to find a golf course but she shuts that idea down immediately getting all twitchy about him wanting to play golf on their honeymoon. They meet later at a coffee shop. He is late because he failed to land the account without his lucky socks and is understandably not in the best of moods. She criticizes his lateness, has already ordered for him, and, last straw, nags him about putting his napkin in his lap. He breaks up with her, telling her that she  is too controlling, bossy, and not spontaneous. Now this guy is no prize. He had “bad boyfriend” vibes going on all around him, but such was Maddie’s neurotic and callous behavior, that I didn’t blame him one bit. She definitely had a long way to go on the road to mental health. So that was fine. Enter Niagara Falls and Mike the Tour-guide. And sure enough, it is not long before she is taking risks and being adventurous and is falling for Mike. And he has a major crush on her. They almost kiss. Almost, because while falling for Mike, she has been posting free-spirited fun-loving pictures of herself on social media with the sole purpose of getting Jason back. It works. He reaches out, she reaches back, and before you know it, he shows up in Niagara and they are engaged again. She has not changed, and has apparently learned nothing after all. Mike has been tossed aside like…a pair of old socks? And not only that, but she stands him up when she promised him faithfully to support him at his open mike night. See, Mike is not really a tour guide, he is an aspiring singer/songwriter and he wrote a song about her just for the occasion. He is so devastated by her betrayal that he blows the whole thing and walks off the stage.

So Mike. What kind of a guy is he? He has been sad, sulky, and a big baby ever since he was dumped by his girlfriend two years ago. He was given a job as a tour guide by his best friend, where we see his attitude has almost ruined her fledgling business. He probably should have been fired long ago. I don’t know what he would have done to keep him from destitution though, because he has no prospects, or, in my opinion, talent,  as a singer/songwriter. No large nest egg or other backup career is mentioned. And he has no backbone. When Madeleine behaves like a dirt-bag and stabs him in the back, instead of showing a little of the courage he has been preaching to her, he falls to pieces.

Anyway, Maddie dumps her fiance at the airport when she finds out he is going to play golf the next morning (she really hates golf). She returns to the Falls just in time to attend the wedding of some new friends along with her sister, Mike, and his nice boss/best friend. Her sister has had her own little plotlet as well. She ends up giving up her boring high-paying job to be a photographer (my least favorite Hallmark profession) just as Maddie is going to abandon her successful business (Taxes by Madeleine) featuring a spacious office complex and conference room with a beautiful view of San Francisco. She is moving to Niagara Falls to explore a possible relationship with poor Mike, who promises his boss to try harder to be a good tour guide.  

So happy ending? I don’t consider an ending happy unless there is a clear path to a successful future ahead for our temporarily joyful couple.

Rating: 4 out of 10.

Big Sky River: The Bridal Path

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Welcome to the Teenage Years

The first Big Sky River didn’t seem to be a likely candidate for a sequel. Everyone was all sorted out with a pretty seemingly trouble-free straightforward path forward to happily ever after. Especially when a little research revealed that the book this is based on is the third and last one in the series. Now there are a few Hallmarks that would make good fodder for a sequel ( Five Star Christmas and Ghosts of Christmas Always for two) but not this one. But they do manage to eke one out.

And it manages to be quite watchable thanks to the relationship challenges between Boone and Tara and their family dynamics. Also, the kid actors were all great. There is a halfway engaging side story between Tara’s BFF, the country star,  and her former professional partner who is now divorced. Emphasis on the halfway. Most of the drama and conflict come from raging teenage hormones and fragile emotions threatening to break out and run rampant at every turn. So the stakes are pretty low in the scheme of things. “This too shall pass,” and all that, you know. Tara’s stepdaughter Erin starts the ball ruling with an overreaction to her New York-based father’s thoughtless and clumsy remark at the gender reveal party for his due in 6 weeks wife. She is nice, in this one, BTW. He bursts out with joy that he has always wanted a boy which Erin interprets as “he never wanted” her and “doesn’t love” her. Kids! AmIright? On the boy side, Boone’s 11-year-old son is struggling with the upcoming changes to his life now that his Dad is  (finally) engaged to Tara. Not prone to tantrums, unlike Erin, he shuts down and is sad remembering his dead mother and being told they will be moving out of the only home he has ever known. Unfortunately, Dad seems to just want to not deal with his pain and instead of really talking about it and paying attention, just gives lip service. The younger son, by the way, by the way, is an oasis of calm and sense throughout. Sawyer Fraser is a charmer as Fletcher. Both Boone and Tara are also not immune to missteps along “the bridal path.” Boone forgets to pick up the kids while Tara is heavily immersed in parent-teacher conferences. He has to deal with a shutdown interstate but doesn’t even call. He just forgets. Although he apologizes, he really seemed to discount Tara’s distress (much like he discounts his son’s emotions) despite saying all the right words. On Tara’s side, when Boone rightly calls Princess Erin out for screaming at him disrespectfully and for maybe being a teensy bit spoiled, she overreacts giving him the ole “don’t yell at my daughter” routine which leads to a 1 or maybe 2 day break up. (Boone had to haul her friend Dawson in before a judge for breaking the law-don’t worry it’s not that bad).

Boone and Tara maturely heal the breach, and the almost break-up brings the kids to their senses. By the end of the movie, the little family is beginning to look like the Brady Bunch of the West. The reconciliation between Boone and Erin is very satisfying. I’ve never been a particular fan of Kavan Smith, because I prefer romantic heroes to be above average in height. But I do like him much more after his authentic good-humored performance in this one. Near the end, in lines that were obviously written in, his older son remarks to him “that he is almost as tall as you” and his younger son retorts, “That’s not saying much!” Kavan Smith responds laughlingly with an “Ouch!” Good for him.

Rating: 7 out of 9.

Aloha Heart

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Yes, It’s Another Destination Wedding.

**spoilers, I guess**

This was boring and tired. Taylor Cole, a loyal Hallmark mainstay, at least got a trip to Hawaii like Lacey Chabert and Ashley Williams. She doesn’t quite rate a trip to Europe apparently but Hawaii is a sign they place a pretty high value on her talents and standing. Unfortunately, they forgot to provide her with a decent script and a love interest with whom she had any chemistry. It’s not the actors’ fault. They were victims of Hallmark’s age-blindness that rears its head every so often. It usually results in a teacher/student or aunt/nephew vibe between the two leads rather than boyfriend/girlfriend. I have no complaints about the talent or appeal of the cast, most of which appear to be local talent and not part of the usual well-honed Hallmark squad.

Sara is a hard-working ecologist who is in Hawaii to be the maid of honor at a friend’s wedding. She is very judgey about the earth-friendliness of the resort starting off worrying about how lush and green everything is and if they have a water conservation plan in place. Her next source of discontent is having to wield an actual key to get into her room rather than electronic card entry.  I know, right? I mean who cares? The vessel of her scorn is the newly appointed manager of the resort, Manu. It is family owned and although he has been promoted to a manager, he is dominated, cowed, and marginalized by his endlessly critical parents. Their attitude and his reaction to their lack of trust in him only serve to emphasize the age difference between the two leads. The actor is probably somewhere in his late 20’s, but his character seems younger.

One of his goals is to make the resort more eco-friendly so he is on the same page as Sara in this regard. They are thrown together by that mutual interest and because Sara seeks his help trying to find a venue for the rehearsal dinner that the bride forgot to book. They pursue this goal with a singular lack of urgency even though the dinner is less than days and then hours away. Much is made (by Sara) of his gas-guzzling jeep which she can barely stand to touch without a lecture on emissions. In the hands of another actress, the character might have been unbearably obnoxious. Kudos to Taylor. Besides this and a pool desalinization crisis, nothing much occurs as far as drama or comedy is concerned. The last-minute search for a rehearsal venue could have been a source of suspense and tension, but as I said, they just don’t seem to care all that much, spending more time visiting a food truck, sightseeing, talking about the earth, making Leis, and weeding the garden at the resort.

The best part of the movie was when Manu stands up to his parents presenting them with his manifesto-like list of improvements he wants to make and they fold like a cheap beach chair. To set your mind at rest, the much anticipated Rehearsal Dinner and Wedding go off without a hitch. And the Reception looked pretty lively. Sara decides to extend her stay in Hawaii to get to know Manu better and they talk about going on an actual date. I reserve 1 to 2 stars for a special kind of bad. This one is a 3 or 4.

Rating: 3.5 out of 10.

The Wedding Contract

/ Rebekahrox / Leave a comment

Signing on the Dotted Line

I have always liked Becca Tobin in the movies I have seen her in and this was no exception. And I have really really liked Jake Epstein. He is good-looking, but with a nice normal guy-type vibe as well. They star together in this low-key Jewish-themed romance. Ms. Tobin has never looked lovelier. This one is a little different as the couple has a meet-cute, time goes by, Jake meets Rebecca’s close-knit family, and they are engaged to be married in the first 18 minutes. Rebecca teaches art, and we have a montage of pencil drawings of the couple having fun and such like to prove to the audience they have spent the necessary time together and they are a good match. And… it’s time to plan the wedding and bring home Jake’s single Mom ( I’m redecorating a Castle in Romania) from her world travels.

Of course, the mothers are…challenging. They have completely opposite tastes and lives. One likes lots of pizzazz and one favors understated sophistication. But their antics are mostly held in check. The conflict is limited to dirty looks and extreme civility. Plus, this bride actually has a backbone. There is also the matter of religious differences. Although they are both Jewish, Rebecca is fairly devout and holds to all the traditional customs and ceremonies. Adam on the other hand is Jewish in name only. His now-divorced mother married a gentile after his father died, and the pair lost touch with that side of things. There are a number of scenes of Adam getting immersed and educated in his heritage and he does it to make Rebecca happy. This involves meetings with a Rabbi, who looks more like an agent for the Mossad and is terrifying. The second and far more serious source of conflict is Adam’s career. After they are engaged and planning the wedding, Adam gets a big promotion to partner but it means he and Rebecca will have to move to Los Angeles. Rebecca is very close to her family and the after-school program she created and runs in Chicago. She is sad but rightly agrees with good grace that move is what they must do. Bonus Perk: He will be making twice as much money! So yes. Good decision. So far so good. They love each other and are willing to put the other first and work things out together. However,  after navigating their share of stormy waters the boat starts to flounder when Adam has to go to L.A. to handle an emergency just a few days before the wedding, and is late getting back in time for the rehearsal. Rebecca, already stressed and questioning Adam’s priorities walks out. I thought that was a little extreme.

All is (miraculously) resolved of course, with some thanks to the sage guidance of the two Moms. The actors were excellent. Becca Tobin managed to convey teacher-like qualities outside of the classroom without coming across as overly high-handed. Jake Epstein conveyed his character’s high-strung tendencies without making him seem like a ditz.  Jake’s mother, played by Laura Soltis had a lovely and touching scene near the end which softened her hard sophisticate facade. Oh! and good ol’ Peter Benson was in this. This was a low-key story that did include some drama and tension but didn’t turn into a silly circus. It was very pleasant.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

Love’s Greek to Me

/ Rebekahrox / 5 Comments

Monster-In-Law?

**spoilers**

I came into this one 15 minutes late because my DVR malfunctioned. But I wasn’t afraid I couldn’t figure out what was going on because, you know, it’s Hallmark.

Newly engaged Ilana (Torrey DeVitto) and Mike (unknown Greek actor) are in beautiful Santorini visiting his home and attending his sister’s traditional Greek wedding. Right away we see that Ilana has some doubts despite her love for Mike and his love for her. His mother, Athena, played by marvelous Marina Sirtis, has made all the decisions for her daughter’s wedding and is already trying to take over Mike and Ilana’s wedding and their future as well. “She’s already naming my nonexistent Children!” “It’s the Greek Way!” I certainly thought I knew where this was going.

Despite the fact that this one came close to making me boilingly remote throwingly mad, and close to hating Marina Sirtis’s guts, it avoided that.  Athena is a, I guess,  “typical movie-Greek” future mother-in-law: overbearing, controlling, and worshiping tradition. For one of many many examples, Mike and Ilana want a  simple wedding on the beach, but Athena goes over their head and books a church. Mike is seemingly too weak to confront or challenge his mother who is using love as a weapon to beat everyone into submission.  Ilana seems to be choosing her battles with her loving but manipulative future mother-in-law. The first time she stands up to her is pretty epic and it occurs early on. Ilana and her mother had always planned for her mother to design her wedding dress. Even though she is manipulated into trying on the overly elaborate gown of Athena’s choice, she politely but firmly tells her she will be wearing her mother’s design. End Of. Despite her stated wishes, Athena buys the wedding dress anyway behind her back and even has it altered so it can’t be returned! I mean, Wow. Ilana blows a gasket (in a dignified and articulate way), even accusing Marina of gaslighting her, which she actually was. Even though she doesn’t know the meaning of the word (“Lampgassing?”, “Gasolining?”) Ilana pulls no punches defining it for her. Athena has to return the dress without getting her full refund and now knows that Ilana is not a doormat. And while she still didn’t completely give up on her passive-aggressive tricks, it’s not as bad, and since the viewer also sees that Ilana will put her foot down when it really matters, it makes Athena’s machinations tolerable and even entertaining. And it turns out that Mike was not being cowed by his mother but that he was actually not entirely happy in the U.S. and kind of wants to return to Greece. Ilana had no idea and also learns that her fiance is actually a traditional guy after all. This is worrisome, and both Mike and Ilana start having second thoughts about marriage. Meanwhile, his sister, influenced by Ilana’s independence, has started to take her life and her wedding back from her mother’s control. Nice side story, that.

What made this one interesting is that Ilana actually has some therapy-level issues due to her parents’ divorce and her father’s abandonment of her. Even though she loves Mike she has kept a part of herself apart from him, putting up barriers, and being not entirely open and sharing. Getting married and the thought of not having her life in her sole control and having to rely on someone else and let them in has really shaken her up.

Meanwhile, Athena actually shows some great insight into what is going on with Ilana and shocks her by frankly but lovingly confronting her with some on-target psychoanalysis. But she does truly recognize that she has been wrong with both Ilana and her daughter, and in an act of love and kindness, gets Ilana’s mother over to Greece as a wonderful surprise for her. So this was not the usual simplistic loving but misbehaving Mother/Mother-in-law plot line. Both were right but both were wrong and I wasn’t entirely sure how this was going to play out. During the first hour, I was rooting for Ilana to run for hills, or Mount Olympus, from seemingly weak Mike and his crazy mother. The next hour I saw that things were more complex than they seemed. As the going got tough, would Mike and Ilana call it quits or stand and fight for their love and their future?

It was all resolved very patly and conveniently with a wedding that was not on the beach, but not in the Church either. Yes, Mike and Ilana end up getting married, but hopefully, after they have gotten a lot of pre-marital counseling. I didn’t mention the Archeology part or the vineyard part, but they end up happy on Santorini career-wise as well.

P.S. I actually made a point of seeing the first 15 minutes when the movie was replayed. It’s a good thing I didn’t see it before I wrote this review, because Athena was completely obnoxious, even intruding on Mike’s proposal to Ilana! I don’t know if I could have given her a pass after that.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.