Reviews

Uneven movie highlighting the Niagara Falls region and its many attractions. The Niagara Falls setting offered the beauty of the falls, yet this movie often felt like a very long commercial for Niagara Falls tourism. The primary romance was sweet, however the secondary photographer/sister story line was abysmal and unbelievable. Too much filler and very little substance. Some of it was just so unrealistic it was hard to watch. It would have been nice if that whole storyline was eliminated and the main romance was developed further with more substance. A pet peeve I have with most Hallmark movies is rushed endings and that is the case with this one as well. Continue the story a bit further and its would be so much more interesting to the viewer.

A stranger's text leads to a Christmas dinner invitation and an unexpected romance in this cute holiday story about found family. Unfortunately, the over-the-top, tacky holiday decor is a big visual distraction rather than offering a warm festive setting. (This seems to be a reoccurring problem with GAC/GAF productions.) Hoping that for next year GAC learns the art of classic, elegant holiday decor - less is more people! There are also a few disconnects that should have been caught in editing, but overall this is a festive, uplifting watch with a primary romance in the making, as well as a sweet secondary romance.

High hopes for this one and Lori's return to movies despite the many recent Christmas movie disappointments from Great American Family. Unfortunately, this was a huge disappointment with a distinct low-budget feel including: -Annoying background music throughout the entire movie -Terrible "winter" decor consisting of obvious fake snow carpets, cheap tinsel garlands, and odd leftover Christmas decorations.

-An unconvincing candy shop set with very little candy and no display cases, but plenty of diner-style counter stools.

-Absolutely no chemistry between the poorly matched leads.

-Awkward dialogue and a plodding storyline.

Cute although predictable story, spoiled by choppy, clunky dialogue, no chemistry between the leads, and odd fashion choices - a sleeveless tank dress in the middle of winter, Flashdance-esque casual wear, and plenty of deep cleavage-revealing formal wear. There is a solid message to be found about authenticity and finding your authentic self although the best parts of this movie were really the characters of Tricia, Reggie, and Brit. Frankly, the quick wit and singing talent of Darin Brook (Reggie) and natural chemistry with Kelly Kruger (Brit) were the real highlights of this movie, along with the beautiful voice of Ariella Cannon (Tricia).

The good: recognition for a hidden disability.

The bad: too many moments of awkward dialog, a cringy, stalker-like ex-boyfriend character, and too many unrealistic moments that detract from the overall message, especially with the aforementioned ex-boyfriend. Also, I wish Hallmark would really vet scripts to make sure they accurately portray professions. Schools never have a database of teachers' personal cell phone numbers for parent use, and teachers would never just up and leave in the middle of the school day on a whim. The formulaic conflict in the last half hour was unnecessary and unrealistic.

Apparently, I am in the minority but I did not love this movie. While like many, I am a fan of both Amanda and Paul, I found the swing in Audrey's personality from over-the-top bubbly fitness instructor to hostile Griffin hater just too much, and not realistic - particularly in the opening scenes. I also found some of the fitness segments a bit frantic. Perhaps some of this is over-acting or just the nature of a quickly made film with minimal re-takes. Hoping all the holiday moviemakers will move on soon from the same old save the (fill-in the blank) trope. There must be creativity out there. This one - like many others this season - was formulaic.

The faith component in this film was lovely, but not enough to carry a repetitive, mediocre script with little else. For me, Candace's character was overacted and very one-note to the point of irritating. The entire film was the same thing, over and over: plan activities, go to activities, and no one really listening to each other's needs. Marc's talents were wasted in this film, and chemistry between the leads was non-existent. I did, however, enjoy the banter and interaction between the actors in the social media dance contest pieces before the film's release. Those showed more originality and chemistry than the entire movie. It was those promos that encouraged me to watch. Also, with Candace as the spokesperson for Great American Family, I thought for sure this would be a "10." It was not.

Had high hopes for this new offering from GAC but found it unrealistic to the point of ridiculous and just hard to watch. In the first half hour - the main character walks thru town commenting to every person she meets like Pollyanna. Then there's a restaurant scene where the male lead walks in looking for some food and privacy and is pestered by the owner to say the word "herb" because she just loves his British accent. He is then insulted by the female lead because he asked for a salad and is told it's a seafood place and he should have noticed the little fish on the sign. Worst meet cute ever and it actually goes downhill from there. Awkward story, awkward pairing with no chemistry and scenes that are just mindless chatter.

Not the typical Hallmark movie, interesting story line with a great message but...

As in many Hallmark movies, there were quite a few disconnects. Some small, some larger. For example, the unrealistic rafting scene, the restaurant scene where the child comes over and silently colors on a paper at a table occupied by the main characters, and the dinner scene where in the middle of dinner, one character asks for pie and gets up to get it while the other two are still eating. A guest would never do that. Especially a prominent actress who prides herself on propriety. These are just a few examples but there were others. I find these take away from the credibility of the story.

Great message, and an important one. One of the best movies Hallmark has put out in quite some time. A believable pairing with real chemistry between the leads. I really wish writers would aim to get away from including somewhat awkward dance scenes as filler in every film, this one included. Also, the ending felt a bit contrived, especially with the naysayers suddenly seeing the light, but all in all, very enjoyable.

Glaring military errors from the inappropriate "military" hair, to improper uniforming, to the absurd flying a fiance to a top-secret location. If Hallmark is making these military-based movies to honor troops, this one was an unfortunate disservice. Poor Kayla's costumes were also awful and ill-fitting. I normally enjoy a sweet romantic story as well as these two actors, but this did not showcase their talents and screamed low budget.

A solid, realistic story with great acting, and believable chemistry between the leads. Predictable ending but an enjoyable watch! Wish Hallmark didn't add in the awkward dance scene. These seem to be written into every Hallmark movie and this one, like most of those in other Hallmark movies, includes dancing that seems out of step with the background music and just uncomfortable to watch.

A refreshing change from the typical Hallmark story and a lovely island location! Great chemistry between the characters although the first third of the movie felt a bit choppy and slow. Wish every Hallmark movie didn't have an awkward dance scene although the one in this film was a bit less awkward than most. Hallmark needs to give their actors quality scripts that are less formulaic. There is always some sort of festival/party, awkward dance scene, then a misunderstanding causing conflict 15 minutes before the end, followed by a quick resolution. There must be writers out there that can come up with more unique and original scripts.

Had high hopes for this one. There are some funny moments but the storyline is unrealistic, requiring a stretch of the imagination to make the story remotely believable. The lead actress bouncing between a French accent and English with no accent was distracting. Hallmark movies of late are using the same plot devices over and over. Too formulaic, and lacking in originality despite beautiful locations and some wonderful actors.