Paula Boudreau

Pumpkin Regatta Romance

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Rise of the Giant Squashes

To say I was dubious about this one is an understatement. I mean, A regatta race using giant hollowed out pumpkins as boats? Come on, now. All I could think of was the slime.  I thought this was one of those spurious Hallmark disconnects from reality that many of their movies are based on. But to my surprise, Pumpkin Regattas are a real thing! (in the far north like Oregon, Maine and Canada, far far from where I live.) They actually work as boats and are not as unstable and precarious as they look. The portrayal of the role of the giant pumpkins in the plot of this movie was actually fairly authentic. Unlike the actual squashy props. But thanks to the acting and the fall vibes, I enjoyed this movie.

Nadine is determined to bring back the Pumpkin Regatta after her recently widowed father and Andrew, his former best friend and co-founder of the regatta, cancelled it. They got into a fight when Andrew accidentally bumped George’s giant floating gourd during the race and George accused him of doing it on purpose to cheat him and win the race. Nadine is disgusted that the childish feud between her dad George and Andrew is depriving the whole community of an event that everyone looked forward to every year. And Andrew’s son, Ethan, her youthful crush, agrees with her. I was pretty disgusted as well. Grumpy old men who try to control their grown children are a pet peeve of mine in Hallmark movies. Also, George hates change and refuses to let Nadine make modern improvements to their marina boat shop. Another pet peeve. Along with their friends, Nadine and Ethan start to organize the event behind George and Andrew’s backs. And the stakes are a little higher this year because they decided to make it a fund-raising event to help the son of a public-spirited but poor single mother send her son to University. I was all for this sneaky behavior, because why should two silly old coots have all that say over whether a community event goes forward or not? Well, unfortunately, as Nadine and Andrew find out, they can’t get the permit without George’s signature, as he owns the land and marina where the festivities must take place. Ethan’s Dad is retired from the farm that grows the pumpkins. Ethan now runs it, but he and his supportive mother still try to keep him out of the loop to avoid unpleasantness. So that’s the set up. Ethan and Nadine re-ignite their romance while running around organizing everything and baking Cake Pops while keeping their leafy, crafty, pumpkin-y, apple-cidery, and fire-pit activities a secret from their fathers. Not to mention their budding relationship. Nadine hopes against hope that once her Dad is presented with a fait accompli, the community enthusiasm, and all the work she put into it, that he will sign the permit allowing the regatta to take place.

It was all pretty standard stuff for a Hallmark, but what made this movie special and enjoyable were the actors and the writing. Nadine is played by Emmy-winning Mishael Morgan who was one of the stars of last year’s  little 4 parter, Hearts Around the Table. She was very likable and very good in this. Her chemistry with Corey Sevier who played Nathan was natural and believable. Corey Sevier is one of my favorite Hallmark stars and he was great as usual. Loved the flannel and the puffy vests. The young actor who played Sam, the hopeful recipient of the college money raised by the regatta, was a cutie pie and very sweet. Ethan’s Mom was played by Paula Boudreau. She took a nothing part and made it charming and interesting. And to top it all off, a top favorite of mine, Jake Epstein, had a small part as The Mayor, who had a yen for Nadine. At the end it appears that there might be a romance on the horizon between him and Ethan’s “good friend,” Lola who fit into the plot as the owner of an apple farm. Nadine was jealous of her but also tried to push Ethan off on her. Long story.  Of course I hated the antics of the two Dads, but finally moved by some plain truth telling by their loved ones, their contrition and their apologies to each other were so sincere that I couldn’t help but like them in the end. Their reconciliation scene was well written and satisfying. As were the fathers’ make-up scenes with Nadine and Ethan. George also added to the general happy atmosphere at the end by putting Nadine in charge of his business and embracing change. And the Giant Pumpkins were so-o-o-o-o fake, but also funny, and kind of awesome. Rounding up to **8 stars**. They took a gimmicky nothing idea and made it good.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

Autumn at Apple Hill

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An Easy Watch

Erin Cahill plays Elise, a divorcee who is not-a-mother and is trying to keep her struggling Apple Hill Inn that she inherited from her late grandparents afloat while trying to keep the large hotel chains who are trying to move in on her at bay. It is a beautiful and beloved Inn, but it is falling apart. Her friend and employee Nora has been trying to get her to computerize the administrative duties and use social media for promotion, but Elise feels that this would take it too far away from its roots and old-fashioned charm. Meanwhile, the guests eat their breakfasts with umbrellas at the ready so the pipes don’t leak on their food.  She has a lot to fix and update to make the Inn viable but can’t get a loan until she shows a 15% profit by the end of October. Her banker encourages her to consider partnering with one of the big hotel chains who have come a callin’ but she is dead set against becoming nothing but an employee in her own hotel.

Meanwhile Luke (Wes Brown) is the CFO of a large hotel conglomerate headed by his mother. He is a workaholic who is running his staff ragged. His Mother puts her foot down during a lunch where he will not get off his phone. He is very annoying. To protect her employees from his punishing management style, she cuts off access to his cell phone account and suspends him from his position so he will go on a mandatory vacation. He is horrified and discombobulated. Paula Boudreau plays his elegant resolute mother and when she spikes his guns, we cheer her on. She is a force to be reckoned with. Completely at loose ends, he sees an old photo and fondly remembers growing up in his old hometown of Landover and decides to spend his forced vacation time there. And Landover just happens to be where The Inn at Apple Hill is located! He has fond memories of the Inn and it is there he insists on staying! When Elise looks at the old paper register book (“Oh but the tactile feel of paper though!”) she recognizes his name as a big hotel magnate and assumes he is there to worm his way into taking over her hotel. She proceeds to make his stay as miserable as possible giving him the worst room in the place. The Bates Motel is mentioned.

Eventually Elise finds out that Luke has no nefarious designs on her Inn and they start to get to know each other and work together. With Luke’s help and expertise, will Elise be able to get that loan and save her Inn? It all rests on the success of bringing back the Inn’s traditional Halloween Party that had gone by the wayside 15 years ago.

Despite the often used and predictable storyline. I rather enjoyed this. The surprising twist in Luke and his mother’s business relationship near the end was an unexpected and welcome development. The secondary romance between Nora and the electrician was sweet and added a nice touch. Sarah Luby as Nora was funny and charming. In fact, all of the supporting characters were likable and well-written. Erin Cahill and Wes Brown were fine, especially Wes Brown. They had an easy-going and natural rapport. Before Luke and Elise started making nice, she was the recipient of some pretty brutal and much-deserved assessments of her hospitality. Their back and forth was pretty funny. (“I can show you my plaques!” “ Did you buy them on the internet?”).  When she finds out he is old pals with a respected local tavern owner and mutual friend, relations between them are quick to thaw. She is genuinely ashamed of herself and her learning curve in embracing modern methods and a new attitude were engaging and realistic. She was intelligent and reasonable and didn’t try my patience with stupid pig-headedness. The movie did use my least favorite Hallmark trope, “Bad Business”, but it wasn’t the focus and was over before it became too irritating. It was nice to look at. The tasteful fall decor in contrast to the random and eccentric seasonal bric-a-brac of other networks and Hallmarks not Hallmark-produced, added to the overall pleasantness.

This one had too familiar a plot to get really high marks from me, but it had enough positives to overcome a formula that could have made it tired and boring. Instead, it had a comforting tried and true old-fashioned feel that I really liked. It was easy to watch.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Take Me Back for Christmas

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When You are Granted a Wish, Don’t be Vague.

I was looking forward to this because time travel or alternate reality plots are almost always interesting and involving. I liked the two leads.  Vanessa Lengies handled the comedy and the drama (there is always comedy and drama in Alternate Reality plot lines) like a champ and her quirky beauty was a big plus. In fact, all the actors in this one did a great job. No weak links at all. Corey Sevier has only grown in my estimation in the last little while. He has always been appealing looks-wise, but his performance in Noel Next Door as a slightly disabled stroke victim really sealed the deal for me. I also liked his performance in Love in Translation an UPtv production, as a somewhat nerdy academic. It was kind of obscure and not really very popular, but it’s always stuck with me for some reason. I also noticed that he directed this one as well, and in my opinion, did a fantastic job. I am no expert in cinema by any means, but he made some interesting choices that really stood out for me, from the choice of family photos, to filming one emotional scene at the end showing only the back of Vanessa’s head against the night sky. I don’t know why, but as someone who doesn’t really notice “direction” per se unless it is really bad, I was impressed.

Anyway, enough about Corey. Vanessa plays Renee, a happily married store clerk hoping for a promotion that is never coming and still grieving for her dead mother. The couple is struggling financially because they can’t really afford the house that her mother left her. Her husband Aaron (Corey) wants to sell up and move to New York City to pursue their dreams in the food industry, but Renee is “stuck.” She is afraid of change and does not want to leave her childhood home.

After a particularly bad day at work, she takes a mysterious elf’s offer of a new life by ringing a magic bell. Kimberly-Ann Truong as the elf gives a funny and eccentric performance and was a highlight (Thank-you, no magic Santa in this one). Suddenly Renee is living her dream life. She is the head of a national meal kit company with a very fancy office and a fabulous wardrobe. Sometimes, I swear, you can tell Hallmark’s enthusiasm for a particular project by the female lead’s wardrobe. If so, Hallmark was very enthusiastic about this movie. Vanessa looked fabulous in her very sophisticated and fashion-forward outfits. Or again, maybe it was the director. And then her mother walks into her very sumptuous penthouse. Her mother is alive in this new life and her old cheerful cancer-free self. The only fly in the ointment is that she is no longer married to Aaron. She dumped him in favor of her career. She tracks him down and he has also prospered as the chef and part owner of a restaurant and he is very surprised and not thrilled to see her. If only she can woo him back, save her company (yes, there’s that), save his restaurant (and that), she will really truly have the perfect life now that her mom is now in the land of the living. The only other person who is in both her old life and this new one is her old best friend. They are strangers in this new life, but they meet up and she gives Renee support and kindness in her hour of need. It was kind of random how that worked out. Maybe I need to watch this one again. It won’t be a hardship.

But I digress. Uh oh. Here comes that elf again with some bad news. It all works out in some predictable and unpredictable ways. It really kept me guessing and even worrying. While most of the movie is light-hearted and humorous, it does not shy away from sadness and poignancy toward the end. And yes, lessons are learned. Here’s one free of charge: “When you’ve met your person, home becomes less of a place and more of a feeling.”

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Pumpkin Everything

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If You Like Pumpkins, You will Love This One. If You don’t, Avoid at All Costs.

Going by the title and the description of the plot, I didn’t hold too much hope for this one, and I was right. This is just your standard Hallmark placeholder with emphasis on the season and the atmosphere, and little emphasis on making a real effort with a good story and script. There was no depth or complexity to this one at all and it is careful not to step outside the box in any way.  There was little humor, other than seeing some of the townspeople pretend to struggle to lift heavy pumpkins which were obviously very fake, very plastic, and as light as feathers.

Taylor Cole, who I didn’t recognize at first, plays Amy, a very successful best-selling author who has just finished the third in her vampire series. Ahem. She comes home right when she is to start her national publicity tour to help her mom take care of  Gramps, played by Michael Ironside who is also unrecognizable. He just drove his truck into the local coffee shop and ended up with a sprained wrist. He is a real piece of work, this one. He has spent the last 15 years or so pouting and sulking that Amy pursued her dream of being a writer instead of taking over his pumpkin store. He even backed out of paying for her college because of it. Jerk.

Despite Amy’s laudably kind and patient efforts, he obstinately remains semi-estranged from her. Add to this, he keeps having accidents because he won’t acknowledge that he is too old and delusional as to his capabilities to live alone safely. He selfishly won’t go into the retirement community which would give his daughter and granddaughter some piece of mind. And he can’t afford it anyway without selling his home and his pumpkin store. Amy’s old boyfriend, a recovering alcoholic and former delinquent (his mother died) is helping him with the store and is doing a great job.

I was just waiting for Amy to cancel her much sought-after promotional appearance on a national morning show to cater to the old coot, but that didn’t happen. If it had I would have turned this half-hearted effort off in disgust.  She was actually quite firm with him and confronted him with some home truths a couple of times. So that was good. The other bright spots were the underused Amy Groening who played Amy’s agent and the actress who played Amy’s mother. She has a little romance of her own when she charges in to confront the owner of the coffee shop who is rightly planning to sue Grandpa for demolishing his store and ends up falling for him like a ton of bricks. Also noteworthy was a super hip female resident of the retirement community who connects with Grandpa over their love of jazz.  She was a star. Of course, it all works out in the end, but not without Grandpa falling off a chair end ending up in the hospital (again).  This knocks some sense into him, literally, and he finally agrees to join the retirement community. It is not explained how he is going to afford it though because he basically gives his store to Corey Sevier instead of selling it for mucho dinero. I guess poor Taylor will have to ante up with her book proceeds. Luckily, it looks like she can afford it. I’m guessing the irony of this will be lost on Grandpa.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

October 10, 2022