A Safari Romance

IN A NUTSHELL: Megan Henry, a down-to-earth wildlife researcher in Africa, is forced to team up with a theme-park designer, Tim Ericson who wants to create an over-the-top safari attraction.

The film was directed by Leif Bristow, and written by his wife, Agnes Bristow. Their daughter, Brittany Bristow, is the leading lady in the movie! Her parents should be so proud of her; she's a natural. Congratulations to the family!

THINGS I LIKED:

The featured couple look great together and are played by Brittany Bristow and Andrew W. Walker. Calm down ladies...he's already married with a child.

We get to see a lot of beautiful animals in their natural habitat, especially the rare white lion.

We also get to experience South Africa and its culture, music, clothing, food, and life. In addition to the Game Reserve, we get to go to an African elementary school and a local market. It all looks magical.

The movie was filmed at Mabula Game Lodge at Rooiberg Road Rhinosterhoek Spruit in Mabula Private Game Reserve in the Limpopo Province. I'd love to go there someday! Doing an African Safari has been on my Bucket List for a long time!

The native handshake was fun.

Simone Pretorius makes a great "villain." It's refreshing to see a romance where the couple does NOT jump into bed immediately. This love story is clean and sweet.

It's also really nice to see an intelligent woman who is willing to work hard on her goals and not instantly give up her dreams just to be with a guy. Women who do that are often resentful in the end.

We get two romances, not just one.

A lot of life's challenges have to do with timing. While it's not super dramatic, that's the hero's journey in this story. In that regard, it's pretty realistic.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: Some people may not like how sugary-sweet everyone is. Wouldn't this be a better world if everyone was kind like this?

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Kids will be bored by the romance, but they'll enjoy seeing the animals.

No profanity Alcohol is consumed several times (but no one gets drunk)

Yet again Hallmark uses a foreign film location in an attempt to overcome a weak storyline. Andrew Walker and Brittnay Bristow are solid and have a great track record in past Hallmark movies. As actors, it is simply impossible to overcome a bad storyline or script. The accountabity for these issues are the of Hallmark Media's Executive Offices. In the last two years approximately 60% of their movie production has not been as good as the old Hallmark standards.

Sometimes doing things different does not mean they are better. Hallmark is now in the business of making Lifetime Movie Network gravity movies. There are already several networks that do that. Since Hallmark has left the family values / rom-com segment, they will be replaced by another network and become 'homeless'.

This is an enjoyable movie, good characters and story. Appreciated that they toned down the girl gets upset at boy for some silly thing and breaks up but this one is realistic and appropriate character emotions. Articles say Andrew Walker is billed as the lead for the first time as it usually goes to the femaile "heroine". While I appreciate the recognition of him and some thought that he carries the movie, I think it is more appropriate that he be given that position for the Nikki DeLoach movies he does. She pulls the movies down and Walker is the only reason for watching. In this movie, Brittany Bristow should get a top billing too. She is excellent and develops wonderful and meaningful characters. Looking forward to more Brittany movies like this and Just Jake.

7.4 stars.

I was not fully immersed in the experience of 'A Safari Romance', however it is a good movie overall. There are a few things missing that are hard to pin down. Maybe it's the slight lack of chemistry between the leads? I'm not sure. They both seem to be trying to be into the romance, yet there is a feeling that something is not quite right. I still enjoyed myself as I watched them interact, they are both good actors and charismatic. He is a Hallmark regular, probably a heartthrob for most of the ladies, so you really can't go wrong there. She has mainly been placed in secondary roles, but this is one of her big shots at the big time and she didn't disappoint. The plot was ok, nothing to write home about. The scenery was amazing, the camera work was brilliant, the dialogue was ok, the plot was mundane. It was entertaining enough for me to award it a solid 7 stars.

Mabula Game Lodge and Reserve in Rooiberg, South Africa with its gorgeous shots of wild animals is worth tuning in for. The footage really just takes your breath away...it's almost hard to focus in on the love story. But a love story it is between a designer who is there to get inspiration for an interactive theme park installation and a passionate park ranger who is trying to finish her research in order to get her PhD.

There were so many things to like about A Safari Romance...the footage of the animals, the use of some actual South Africans, the chemistry between the two leads, and how well two adults are able to align their careers!

I thought Andrew W. Walker and Brittany Bristow looked so great together and played off one another so well. I enjoyed both the comedy and the romance between them. It is kind of fun that it was a family affair for Brittany Bristow as both her father and mother worked on the project as the director and writer.

Romantics who are animal lovers will enjoy this and hopefully find Tim and Megan as infectious as I do.