Just One Kiss

I loved the singing in this movie. It breaks up the story telling with a nice tune every now & then and the smiles from the actors are contagious. I also enjoyed seeing ethnic characters in the lead, Italian, Jewish, Mexican, the moms were funny. The movie moved pretty fast for Hallmark, I mean he tried to kiss her on the 1st date! Lol I like these actors, they seemed more natural in their roles.

Loved it.

It's definitely worth watching, but all of the 10 out of 10 reviews are overselling the movie. It's good, not great.

I didn't like the bit about the mothers, although I could see lots of people enjoying them. The lead woman, though an interesting character, was overly sour. Her early exchanges with the lead man were heavily tinged with negativity. There were also a lot of coincidences (ex. Everyone bumps into each other in little old NYC) that could leave a viewer rolling their eyes.

But it's a Hallmark romance after all, and we all know the deal when watching these. I think this movie exceeds the average in this genre and delivers on the main selling points. The dialogue in the script and the acting were very good.

I was surprised to see all the 10 reviews for this movie. Don't get me wrong. This movie has a lot going for it, but even relative to the genre it's in, is it a 10? (I'm all for giving a 10 to movies that don't have A list actors or appear in theatres if they have something special going for them. If it hits me in a special way.)

Hallmark has been in a rut now for a while with a lot of really bland movies. Sure, there's been a couple that were better than that, but many of us who rarely miss a Saturday night have felt something missing from so many of those movies. The same goes even more so for the other "knock off" channels.

I can see why so many people welcome this movie as a break from that. It has a lot of really good elements going for it. The dialogue is very good. The leads have chemistry. There are some little twists and turns here and there. There are a lot of nostalgic old school songs and even a couple of little dance routines. The one with the two kids is a lot of fun. The premise isn't quite the usual stuff. The moms make the viewer wonder about exactly what's going on there. It's a fun movie with a lot of upbeat moments and some slightly tender ones mixed in.

I can't personally give it a perfect score. The story is predictable especially the "misunderstanding". I thought the ending was rushed. I could have easily given the movie another 5-15 minutes screen time.

I had trouble with the background for the divorce. I can easily understand that Mia had good reasons, but the movie's explanations for Casey's failings fall short. For much of the movie, it seems like her only complaint was that his drinking led to some irresponsible episodes. Did they lose their apartment only because he lost his job? That doesn't seem to fit. Mia talks about his lies, but the way it's presented lacks gravity, at least until very late in the movie. Mia tells Casey that she's doing it for Rosie, but Rosie doesn't seem to display the wounds one would expect given her father's drinking. There doesn't have to be abuse to leave a child with trauma. I guess what I'm saying is that for anyone who hasn't seen what alcoholism can do to a family, the movie didn't explain the pain from which the family is trying to recover.

Krysta Rodriguez has a beautiful voice. I would have like to hear more of her. On the other hand, Santino Fontana had some spotty moments, especially early on. For the early part of the movie, I was thinking - this is a headliner? His performances later on get much better.

This movie is above average quality for hallmark. I'm a big fan of Hallmark movies but sometimes they can get a little boring and the Scripps are so G rated that the writers forget that you can still make adults witty and fun.

Thankfully in this movie, You get some witty banter. The leads actually flirt with each other versus acting like good buddies who suddenly realize that they are in love.

Plus, there is the inclusion of Tony-winner Santino Fontana as the male lead. I saw him played the lead in tootsie in 2019 before it went onto Broadway. He has such a natural gift for comedy and wit that I immediately recognized him three years later in this movie. Plus he has a great voice- if only we could actually see lounge singers that good in real life!

This was a really good romantic TV movie. Very original, well acted, and a bit of old Frank can never hurt. You always know how a Hallmark movie ends, but this journey was better than most. Very enjoyable.