I grade Hallmark movies on a curve because I love them. And I really enjoy watching talented beautiful actresses like Merritt Patterson (especially in The Christmas Cottage and Forever in My Heart). But I just didn't feel a lot of chemistry between her and her old boyfriend (played by Luke Macfarlane). I did, however, like the relationship between the estranged couple that was part of the Lafayette Quartet.
The reason I went to the trouble of writing this review is because I really really hated the movie's emphasis on the very BIG and IMPORTANT concert that ended up taking place in what seemed like a small banquet room with maybe 30-40 people in attendance (including family). And then, when the BIG night arrived, Merritt's Patterson's character came out and played just one song. She's the "famous" headliner of a BIG concert that needed her old boyfriend to be the concert director- and she plays one song for 30-40 people???? And it's somehow a great success? With the boyfriend praised for his "leadership" as the director? What??
I realize that Hallmark movies are made on a tight budget but somebody should've invested in a CGI team to make it look like there were more people there. That same team could be used to fill out the crowds at every festival or a big event that's featured in virtually every Hallmark movie (most of which also seem sparsely attended).
And the Director and Editor should have made it seem like the headliner played more than just one song.
Most of us Hallmark fans are happy to buy into the fantasy of a love story full of familiar tropes and a guaranteed happy ending. But they need to try and make the rest of a movie like this seem plausibly realistic. They failed in this movie and it ruined the rest of it for me.
