Love Strikes Twice

No, this is not a re-make of 'Peggy Sue Got Married' but it uses a similar story-telling technique. Katie Findlay is really, really good as Chicago lawyer Maggie Turner, about to make junior partner in the firm and wondering if she and her husband made the right choices 15 years earlier. So one night, out for a walk, she throws a coin in the fountain to make a wish, bumps her head, and the next thing she knows is she is back home in 2006, 15 years earlier.

A careful reading of the title pretty much tells us what will happen but it is a very entertaining movie to show how a few changes in history can have a great influence on how things will turn out when 2021 arrives again. In that respect it also has a 'Back to the Future' vibe to it, when Marty got back and his parents were in a much different status.

Anyway, for us one of the more enjoyable Hallmark movies, my wife and I watched it at home on DVD from our public library.

I started watching not knowing what it was about, and I was digging the fact that the lead couple was having marital problems. I thought this would progress down an interesting road of trying to fix something that is broken, but instead the writers dove into the deep end of time travel. I was in for either option -- anything has to better than the formulaic two people meet and fall in love in a couple of days.

I also like the lead actress. She does a great job of making her dialogue seem natural. The rest of the cast isn't always at that level, but I'm sure the script they were given didn't allow much creativity there.

Starts out slow and doesn't really have a hook that sucks you in, but if you give it time it actually does get better and funnier. Kate Findlay's comedic timing is on point, her facial acting is sublime, and eventually she will win you over with her charm when at first she's not all that likeable. Bonus points for the thinly veiled James Bond theme as she & her "future husband" pull off a little caper. Most of all not a stereotypical Hallmark movie which is a refreshing change. The only thing that needs addressed is a note to the director that pretending a movie is set in America only works if you remind your Canadian actors to say "owt" & "abowt" and not "oot" & "aboot" because it's just jarring to an American ear.

Not schmaltzy. Great lead character. Made me smile. Little gems like this are so easy to miss in among the blockbusters. More of this type of film please.

The two key leads did a good job. Had a little chemistry but the other guy had zero chemistry or attachment to anyone. The courtroom scenes made he movie. The issue is she never really was thinking what she was going to lose and ir gain. Zero though process on hat. Might be the fact that timing issues but a little more thoughts through those items would have made it better. It is a watchable and good movie but hallmark after one summer and some of the other writing I would call this a B maybe B- but watchable and was enjoyable.

I will say the preview add played over and obver again didn't make it a desired watch. I may have went in negative and came out not so bad. If the overly played scenes made me want to watch it more I may not have started in a downward thought process.