Sara Rue

All for Love

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Romancing the Seal (Navy)

I thought I’d re-watch this one, because I usually really like Sara Rue, and the very sexy Steve Bacic has become one of my favorites. He is a very busy actor and occasionally stops in to do a Hallmark movie. I wish he’d do more. I thought I would be bumping this one up to an 8 after I saw it again, but no, it’s still a 7. The main reason was that Sara really got on my nerves. Both the actress and her character. The actress really overacted and over-did the “I’m so adorable and spunky” bit.

Jo is a romance novelist whose last novel was panned because she got so many details about firefighting wrong. She is in a slump because her novels have lacked authenticity. The current rough draft is about a Navy Seal, and it suffers from the same problem. Her editor, a wonderfully no-nonsense Teryl Rothery, sends her to Seal training school, run by her brother Colin, a former Seal. (Just go with it) Steve Bacic is perfectly cast as the ex-Navy Seal. And Sara Rue is as well as the soft and feminine Jo.

Jo’s wimpy behavior at the end when she jumped to conclusions about Colin still being hooked up with his ex was very irritating. I hate the “big misunderstanding” cliché which could be quickly resolved with a little honest communication. When she learned the truth, which had to stalk her and attack her and overpower her to be believed, she was still very namby pamby about going after him. She had to be coerced and implored by all and sundry to fix her stupidity.

This one had a lot of potential, and was still pretty cute, but Sara’s over-the-top performance and her character’s lack of gumption in the end really disappointed me.**7 out of 10**

June 13, 2021

True Love Blooms

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Community v. Condos

This was very engaging due solely to the performances and personalities of the two leads, Sara Rue and Jordan Bridges. In addition to their talents, they had excellent chemistry together. Sara Rue is just a delight. And she has been a delight in everything I have seen her in. She radiates warmth and humor that seems to come not only from her acting but from her real personality. She may be a real “rhymes with witch” for all I know, but if she is, she is a witch with a ton of charisma. Jordan Bridges is another favorite, and he was particularly good in this. The decision to give him a beard was genius. Somehow, it adds to his power and intimidating persona which makes it even more enjoyable to see Sara worm her way under his skin. As she slowly charms him out of his stubborn cynicism, and he gives her a fresh perspective as well, they fall in love. And it is a pleasure to watch.

The story is all Hallmark. Vikki manages a community garden that Chace is buying in order to tear it down and make way for the condominium he is building. We see the conflict from both sides. They are both justified in their position so it’s a matter of finding a compromise, not one side seeing the light and changing their minds. Of course, the viewer sees the solution long before the two combatants do. When we note that there are 20 minutes to go and Chace heads to the roof of his office building to have a think after he and Vikki seem irretrievable at odds, we think “at last!” after mumbling “rooftop garden, dummies,” from the couch from the half-hour mark on.

The well-drawn secondary characters add to the likability of this movie and keep the rather well-worn plot fresh and involving. **8 out of 10 stars**

Rating: 4 out of 5.

June 9, 2021