Heather Doerksen

Debbie Macomber’s Joyful Mrs. Miracle

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But She’s Not

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Angel in disguise, Mrs. Miracle descends to earth again to fix the lives of us humans. This year played by Rachel Boston, she takes on the persona of a real estate appraiser who enters the lives of three estranged siblings mourning the death of their grandmother, the chairman of the board of a large real estate firm. Her mansion is full of valuable antiques that  “Ann Merkle” is there to appraise and get on the market. Not a “Mrs.” in the movie. Each of the two brothers and one sister want to take over the chairmanship of the company. Charlotte is a single mother of a little boy who has some anxiety and perhaps other issues. She is a former lawyer who is recovering from a bad marriage and wants to prove herself. One of the brothers flies in from London where he is a financier and almost engaged to a nice woman. The youngest brother is a ne’er do well who is indebted to a threatening character, possibly mob-related, who is going to remove his fingers and other things unless he is paid. He wants the chairmanship for the money. They are at odds with each other due to an unfortunate business debacle mostly the fault of the youngest brother. Thanks to the magic, machinations and truisms of not-Mrs. Miracle they re-discover their love for each other and the importance of family just in time for Christmas. Meanwhile, Charlotte successfully navigates a second chance romance with the former stablehand, now estate manager. And the right person is chosen for the chairmanship.

Rachel Boston represents a new take on Debbie Macomber’s Mrs. Miracle character. The series is based on her books. The first Mrs Miracle (Mrs. Miracle and Call Me Mrs. Miracle-both terrific) was perfectly played by Doris Roberts who embodied the role for two years until she died. A decade later, (in A Mrs. Miracle Christmas ) the role was taken up by Caroline Rhea who was, in my view, just as great. Her movie added a new character, Mercy, who was a treat as Mrs. Miracle’s daughter, who, in a heart tugging touch, was also an angel. In between, there was a movie called Mr. Miracle, which didn’t work for me. This year, Mrs. Miracle, in a totally unneeded refresh, is a much younger woman. See above poster.

Rachel Boston embraces the role and her typical Rachel Boston (over the top cheerful, energetic, and animated) take on the character could have worked. But she was too overwhelming. She sucked all the air out of room. And this was partially the fault of the script. This Ms. Miracle was much too bossy and too intrusive into the business of the family she was sent to guide. Unlike the previous Mrs. Miracles, she comes across as a real busybody. Always hovering around night and day so very handy with her wise observations, unasked for (but good!, it must be admitted) advice, a sympathetic ear, and direct orders. She can not be ignored or avoided. They do ignore her magical purse however, never questioning how she can pull out crisp legal papers and folders, large toy horses, bunches of huge carrots, etc. like Mary Poppins and her carpet bag. Her references to dancing with Ted Williams, how they baked cookies in the 1890s and other references to her immortality earn a few quizzical looks, but are never challenged. They didn’t even google her. Ms. Boston’s performance and the script was totally lacking in subtlety, mystery, or the dawning sense of wonder of the other Mrs. Miracles. I think what happened was that Hallmark decided to go with a younger more energetic character, decided on Rachel Boston, and wrote the script with her in mind. It’s not the first time RB has played an angel. I don’t really blame the actress, but the casting, script and the direction. They would have done better to cast one of the many talented older actors to carry on the role. Wouldn’t Jane Eastwood, Teryl Rothery, or Barbara Niven have been great? Among many many others. Hallmark has motherly and grandmotherly actresses coming out the ying yang. For that matter, why didn’t they just recast Caroline Rhea? If they wanted a younger vibe, they could have expanded her young daughter Mercy’s role, perhaps laying the groundwork for a spin-off series. I’m ok with Hallmark going younger in their choice of actresses for many of their movies, but in this case, it just didn’t work as well as it could have. The movie as a whole was just OK, but to be fair, Rachel Boston did have her moments.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

A Whitewater Romance

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Capsized

“Spoilers”

This is about 4 employees from different parts of the country who meet on a mysterious camp retreat so that Allegra Adams, the head of their corporation, Vesta, can pick one. For what, I have no idea and neither do they. But a lot of words are thrown around like “contract”, “bid”, “launch” “scout” “proposal” and “take the lead”. We do know that Allegra is the powerful and successful CEO of this corporation which has something to do with something technological and that the 4 employees are utterly in her power. They are on this weekend work retreat to compete against each other sometimes and be teammates doing team building sometimes by playing infantile and sometimes dangerous games. Yes, raw eggs and running with them are involved.

Our heroine, Maya, (Cindy Busby), is promised an executive position by her immediate boss if she beats her fellow participants into a bloody pulp using fair means or foul. The phrase “cream rises to the top” is used. If Maya wins, her boss figures, her East Coast Office wins and they will “get the contract.”  It seemed to me that this strategy might not sit too well with the most high boss of bosses, Allegra, who after all, hand-picked all 4 of the participants and who are all her “head engineers,” “ lead scientists,” or “chiefs of production” except Cindy, who works in a cubicle. That is weird. But also weird is that Allegra invited Cindy personally without explanation, skipping over the chain of command entirely.  But Cindy dutifully tries to follow the little boss’s strategy for winning the project. Fortunately, she is just too nice to actually follow through with anything nefarious. But unfortunately, she keeps a handwritten notebook of all of her sketchy spying and dubious plans for her rivals which ultimately leads to the big misunderstanding at the end. Her notebook is somehow found by the man she has grown to love half burned up (but still readable) after she threw it in the campfire in a fit of shame and regret. Why she would throw the notebook of iniquity in the fire goes unasked by Ben and unanswered. But I get ahead of myself.

This is mostly a fish out of water story, with indoorsy Maya, symbolized by her pink clothes while the others are in flannel and khakis, being the fish. It is mostly played for laughs which are not very funny. Lots of antics in this one. Cindy seemed to be trying too hard and Ben Hollingsworth who plays her outdoorsy love interest was handsome but boring.

As Allegra puts them all through their paces with the deadly, interminable, and inane games, camping, and whitewater rafting, I was hoping against hope for a big twist that would partially save this mess. No, not a fatal accident. I was waiting for one of the young tech wunderkinds to finally stand up and challenge Allegra the genius on what the hell all this nonsense had to do with determining which office was most qualified to lead the project at hand. Allegra would then congratulate this maverick on being the only one with a grain of sense and an ounce of leadership, declare them the winner, and ask them what took them so long they should have quit on the first day. I can dream, can’t I? But no, it was all on the level even though they all got promotions and no one got fired. We never find out who “got the contract.” Maya ends up being sent to Paris along with her new boyfriend to head up Vesta’s new international office jumping over the lame promotion she was promised in the beginning by her New York City boss who has apparently been sidelined entirely. And a Lodge is saved.  This one was limp with cliches, tropes, and stereotypes. It made no sense and just seemed like a lame excuse to give Cindy Busby still another adventure in the great outdoors. I like Cindy, or I used to, and Hallmark seems to love her, but it’s been years since I’ve seen her in a movie I really liked a lot.

Rating: 3 out of 10.

Fourth Down and Love

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Not quite a Touchdown, but at least a Field Goal

I did not hold high hopes for this one for a few reasons. First of all, there is the age thing, which probably bothers me more than it should for some reason. Ryan Paevey is 39 years old and it is absurd that he could credibly play a star wide receiver in the NFL. It is rare that wide receivers play much past age 30, and the youngest his character could be is 35. Secondly and sadly, I have not been much of a Pascale Hutton fan. She just always seems so placid and too mellow. I don’t watch When Calls the Heart, so maybe I would feel differently if I did.  Also, getting back to the age thing, she is 44 years old and is playing a character that must be at least 10 years younger.

But I was surprised. Ryan and Pascale were good together and totally believable as a couple, despite Erin, Pascale’s character, hitting the nurturing maternal thing pretty hard, and not only with her daughter. She really won me over with her comic timing delivering the humorous lines (“It’s a powerpoint. We’re doomed.”) and her skill with physical comedy as well. Her bee scene was a standout. The two actors seemed to play off each other very well and both seemed to be having a great time with this movie.

The plot was not much being the same old second chance romance of a former couple parted in their youth by a misunderstanding and lack of communication. It was made more tiresome because the lack of communication continued on and on until the end despite them becoming friends and then getting serious again. Briefly, Mike (Paevey) breaks multiple ribs in his first game after a long absence recovering from an ACL tear. Not surprising given his age. Sorry, not sorry. He goes home to recover and ends up helping his brother Jimmy by coaching the girls’ flag football team. Mike and Erin are reunited, she having mysteriously ghosted him after he was drafted by the Pros after college, breaking his heart. Her daughter has joined the girls’ team after being discounted and ignored trying to play on the boy’s team. The weakness of the plot was more than countered by the strong cast of characters. To single out just two, Kalyn Miles, Erin’s friend, and partner in their real estate firm was a standout, as was the always reliable Heather Doerksen as Danielle, Mike’s droll smart-mouthed sister-in-law who, along with her husband, immediately starts scheming to get the two reunited. The family dynamic adds a lot, as well as the adventures in coaching and the competition on the field as the girls go through the season and finally play the boys for the championship. I can’t help it: I love a good dose of girl power in my stories.

The strong cast was bolstered by some entertaining cameos: Ben Wilkinson as a sportscaster, and Kimberly Sustad appearing as a sideline reporter. Another favorite, Steve Bacic, played Mike’s quite dastardly agent who-spoiler alert!-gets satisfactorily fired at the end. I prefer him as a good guy, but he was well-cast.

It’s about time a football story was included in Hallmarks Fall lineup.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

All of my Heart: Inn Love

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Bring on Part III!

All of My Heart is one of my top five Hallmark romances (although I apparently never wrote a review for it) thanks to the performances of Lacey Chabert, the very intriguing secondary characters ( Tommy, the goats, even Casey), and the brilliant comic stylings of Brennan Eliot. Just kidding, but seriously, he was really good!) The two leads had great chemistry and the script built the romance with just the right amount of humor, conflict, and relationship-building. There were enough loose ends to make a sequel something I very much looked forward to. (Unlike 2 other totally unnecessary sequels that leap to mind.) I especially was interested in more about Tommy. AoMH: Inn love was not a disappointment, I am happy to say. Lacey was as reliable as ever, and I still loved Brennan Eliot’s character and his way with a line. As the two struggled to get their B & B up and running they met with more than their share of setbacks and expenses they could not afford. Brian’s return to Wall Street to make money kept my interest. Predictably, this created the main conflict as the two protagonists felt themselves growing apart. Of course, this was inevitable, but Lacey’s passive-aggressive sulking and pouting were a little hard to understand, considering the circumstances and kind of made me hate her for a bit. There was more Tommy in the story, and I like the other side stories of the B&B blogger who was unexpectedly defanged and the other guests. Yes, I can see another sequel on the horizon and I will be front and center. Some advice: Tommy needs to move on from his current love interest and go back to the taciturn mysterious guy he was in the first one. It needs to be more about him next time, and Casey as well. **8 out of 10 stars**

Rating: 8 out of 10.

October 12, 2017