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Reviews
Sweet Pecan Summer (2021)
A Heartwarming Film With A Generous Sprinkling of Humor
I finally got around to watching this movie but what an amazing surprise! It was such a fun movie in an adorable setting of a pecan tree farm (never mind if the trees were originally pecan or not). The entire vibe of the movie is just perfect!
The chemistry between J. P. (Wes Brown) and Amanda (Christine Ko) was very believable and kind of cute. It is the best reunion storyline I have seen in Hallmark movies - so light-hearted and positive and easy-flowing and none of the bitterness that you see with high school sweethearts reuniting after a long time! Even the awkward moments are intended to be funny, and they are!
The movie obviously prioritizes humor, and I found the character of Aunt Carol to be so much fun and surprisingly even wise. "It's all in the timing." Humor isn't always Hallmark's main forte (cue romance), hence adorable peppy characters like her are such a refreshing change. Boy, I wish I had an aunt like that! :-)
Chris as J. P.'s buddy is also a mood uplifter. I never understood the negative reviews about the sense of humor that this movie wears unapologetically. Maybe we're so used to typically "serious" Hallmark plots with "serious" characters that "funny" characters feel rare, but keeping it somber really stifles creativity.
And I never understood what's the big deal about diversity - all these actors are so American in their looks and speech and accents, that they really fit together as one big family! You could expect more diversity in a movie with French accents!
We need more movies like this thar leave you smiling in the end - keep them coming, Hallmark!
The Most Colorful Time of the Year (2022)
Heartwarming and makes you cry in the end
If you're into Hallmark movies, you know how hard it is to find a Christmas movie with a new, fresh concept. With Ryan's colorblind character experiencing the world beyond black & white for the first time, it's really a fresh take that makes you feel grateful to be able to see color, and appreciate Christmas all the more. The scenes where he sees color for the first time are sweet and memorable.
The leads have acted well and the storyline is kind of endearing. I just wish they had zoomed in a bit more on the two lead characters Ryan and Michelle falling for each other, which they obviously were. Their chemistry could have been given more room to develop. Also, the other (unnecessary) supporting characters were given screen space they didn't deserve, like Michelle's ex-boyfriend Mark, who is a bit of a scary stalker overstepping boundaries, which is not in sync with her otherwise strong and successful optometrist character to allow him to do in the first place, but we're lost on the (probably meaningless) history there.
Also, a small continuity issue - when she goes to pick Michelle from school but ends up having a gift-wrapping fun time at the church with Ryan after school when he tries on his glasses for the first time - kind of leaves the viewer confused if she forgot about her daughter Bailey (later clarified as Bailey being at the play rehearsal - when did that happen?)
The movie has some memorable lines. Such as outside the grocery store, Ryan says, "I'm going into hibernation for the holidays. Unless I randomly bump into my soulmate, I'm perfectly fine being alone for a while." Bumps into Michelle one second later. :-D
One thing that could have saved the movie from any so-called "bad" reviews is background music. There are times when the right music could have enhanced the scenes and made them even more heartwarming than they were. I think music scores really take away the boring and slow aspect of any movie, especially a nice one like this, which just goes a bit silent on some pivotal moments.
I rarely cry at the end of Hallmark movies, but this one was something, especially when the girl watches Ryan put a coat around her mother's shoulder on Christmas morning. The movie could have ended there with sweet music and it would have been perfect too. Overall, a nice movie totally worth watching, even again, for some holiday cheer.
A Christmas Star (2021)
If only the ending was much better...
The movie has a promising storyline with the lead female character being an astronomer and that's already refreshing! But the ending scene was a huge disappointment where it felt like she compromised herself and blew up the one chance to record the meteor shower to prove her "humble" side to everyone including the man she was falling for. It was so disheartening! And so unrealistic considering she managed to get all her heavy equipment down the mountain where she was alone and into her car without help (the help was only for fixing her tire?) given that she had no experience with it. We all know that the potential couple always comes together in the end - this is the trademark of Hallmark movies. But a good movie always ties it together in a meaningful way and this one did not.
I thought about how the ending could have been different and here's my version of the script that may have been more meaningful and more of good Hallmark:
Our heroine Madeline heads up the mountain alone on the final evening after the last day's fallout with Ryan. She dutifully sets up her telescope equipment but feels dejected seeing the empty chair next to her where Ryan had been sitting next to her the last few days and really misses him. In that moment she knows he's far more important to her than this awaited once-in-a-lifetime astronomical event. On an impulse she mounts the house and goes into the town, leaving everything as-is. There she gives her speech from the heart, minus the car tire fixed bit. Celeste does her "turn the lights off" protest and soon enough, there is a beautiful meteor shower, and after that, a Christmas star too, which Madeline tells Celeste is her mom. Then Ryan steps up and asks Madeline, "What about your recording?" to which she replies, "I don't know." He says to her, "Come with me" and takes her up the mountain together on horseback. She fusses with her computer and gasps, "It's perfect, with the town lights being off thanks to Celeste." She then tells Ryan she has decided the name the meteor after Celeste, because both of them mean so much to her. At this, Ryan takes her in her arms and kisses her. The next day, the family is shown sitting happily together while Madeline receives a phone call from her boss. "The meteor coverage is perfect", he says. "In fact, we have decided to recommend Summit View as the location for the new observatory. What do you think?" Madeline replies, "Yes, there's even a power ranger station who can work closely with us." And we know Ryan's job is saved. The movie ends with Ryan asking her, "So what are you doing for new year's?" To which she replies, "Spending it with people who are my real stars." And they kiss, with everyone around them smiling, including Celeste, who has found a new mom.
Oh, this would have been a much better ending and heart-warming instead of the currently disappointing one!