Love, Take Two

Unlike other reviewers I didn't think there was zero chemistry. I'm so thankful there wasn't some annoying voiced lead character, like actress Leah Renee. I'm glad to see some diversity in the actors. The male lead reminded me of Dule Hill with that smooth voice and look, That's a good thing!! Lead actress was very attractive and not Uber skinny like a lot of their actresses. It's a Hallmark movie and you never expect a lot and this was better than a lot of them.

I have no clue why this is being passed off as a new movie on Hallmark. It wasn't I saw this in either 2017 or 2018. I love Hallmark movie addicted and I have seen almost all of them if not all of them. This isn't your normal cheesy one. I love cheesy movies. This is cute. It was nice to see some new faces besides the Hallmark regulars that star in. This movie isn't that memorable. It's not bad movie by a long shot but this was more of a drama romance. If you are looking for a light hearted cheesy comedy romance this is definitely not it. I was bored with it. It's not my cup of tea with hallmark movies. If you like rom-coms this definitely isn't it. I personally wouldn't watch it again.. It's more like a one and done. If I wasn't a loyal Hallmark fan I would have shut it off. It just ended up being background noise while I waited for something else to come on.

I truly enjoyed this movie because it's relatable. The awkwardness of running into a past love and dealing with the dilemma of choosing Love over Career. Great storyline! Heather and Cornelius were great together. I would love to see either of them in more Hallmark channel movies. 🙌

Good, clean romance. It's got a love triangle, but it's not like she's going through terrible agony watching him be with another woman. The two leads are able to enjoy sincere friendship with an undercurrent of romantic spark, which they don't try to pursue until the end. In the meantime, she is figuring out what career path she wants to take for the future, and he is figuring out that he and his fiance aren't right for each other.

And I like that the fiance isn't a terrible person. She has positive energy and is very nice to the ex-girlfriend. She never broods in jealousy or paranoia. She, too, is figuring out that she and her fiance aren't right for each other.

This movie also avoids the cliches of having the female lead spill coffee on him, or fall off a ladder into his arms. And there's no forced misunderstanding or jumping to conclusions in the third act. It's a nice movie about three good people figuring out what they really want.

Hallmark did have some above average and more films in 2019, as well as some misfires, in all their seasonal blocks, particularly the Christmas output. They were, and still are, very inconsistent with their wedding themed films before and particularly since 'Love Take Two', leaning more towards not doing them particularly well. The June Weddings films from 2019 are generally not too great, would go as far to not considering them particularly good even.

'Love Takes Two' is one of the better 2019 June Weddings films (certainly not the near disaster that is 'Wedding at Graceland'), but still is heavily flawed and could have been a lot more. As far as 2019 Hallmark goes, 'Love Take Two' is not one of the worst. It is also not one of the best. The premise was nothing special, the execution of it was pretty much the same. There are good things in 'Love Take Two' but also some bad. Making for an average effort.

There are good things here. Heather Hemmens and Cornelius Smith Jr are amiable leads individually and the acting in general is better than average. The best performance coming from Tara Erica Moore, who brings a welcome vim to the film which is something that is lacking in the writing and the story. Did find myself caring for the characters.

Furthermore, the scenery and overall production values are lovely to watch too while the music is pleasant enough. Did appreciate too that it tried to have a more retrospective approach and that it explored the dilemma of love over career, doing it in a way that was not hard to relate to.

Against all this, somehow 'Love Take Two' didn't entirely click. There were some good ideas here, but none of them go into enough depth. The past isn't focused on enough in development and while the characters didn't bore or irritate me some of them (and it is the ones that really would have helped the film have more heart, especially agreed the professor and the best man). While Hemmens and Smith Jr are fine individually, there is nothing between them together. Their chemistry is far too restrained and too careful and there isn't enough passion.

On the whole, the story felt dull due to the lack of drama and too much filler (i.e. The trying on wedding scene agreed, which could easily have been shorter). It generally comes over as very bland (with a lack of charm and tension) with no surprises and do have to agree that the ending is very predictable and not realistic, almost tacked on. The script goes too far on the awkwardness and takes itself too seriously.

In conclusion, very mixed on this. 5/10.