The Perfect Pairing

Nazneen Contractor was born in Mumbai, India and is one of the best diversity castings on Hallmark. I liked her in The Christmas Ring and A Winter Getaway, but this is the best of the three.

I love Hallmark movies and grade them on a curve. Some of my favorites feature the "less common than you'd think" amnesia trope. The best movie featuring a woman with temporary amnesia was Falling For Vermont with Argentinian beauty Julie Gonzalo, but I also liked Ashley Greene and Andrew Walker in Christmas on My Mind, Ali Liebert in a Gift to Remember, and Oscar winner Mira Sorvino in Christmas to Remember.

Hallmark vet Brennan Elliot has been in something like 20 Hallmark movies and is a reliable lead. Nazneen does a nice job of transitioning from a somewhat distant and removed reviewer to a more caring, involved and aware person (without resorting to caricature). I liked the interaction with the daughter (those pecan butterscotch cookies sound delicious) but who takes over the kitchen of someone they don't know at 3am without asking? But that was a rare flaw (the other one was no one being able to access her phone which, at best, maybe suffered a cracked screen).

The critics that unfairly malign Hallmark movies complain that all their movies are the same. They certainly have perfected a romance formula featuring attractive, career minded women juggling the demands of life while honoring important values like love, family, friendship, and community service. And in the last few years, their casts have become much more diverse and inclusive, thereby better reflecting the world we actually live in. That approach has successfully turned the Hallmark Channel into the most watched channel on cable and it's why I watch and vigorously defend their movies. But they have also done a nice job of mixing it up while staying true to a winning formula. Let's face it, no one comes to the Hallmark Channel looking for an unhappy ending.

Here, there's an interesting story about the making and history of ice wine, which I don't think has ever been featured in a Hallmark movie before. And the amnesia trope shows up a lot less often than the secret prince trope.

The premise of amnesia has been used, but not so much that it can't be interesting. Likewise, a struggling winery, although heroine works to save struggling business is pretty common. I'm not a fan of "the secret" between the leads, but that aspect was mollified by the amnesia, at least some. Baking with the widower's kid is another common device. Take them all together and the story is just different enough to be interesting.

But the draw of this movie is Nazneen Contractor. She plays both confident and then, after the amnesia, uncertain. The uncertainty brings out vulnerability. She has chemistry with Brennan Elliot, and with Zarina Rocha, Michael's early teenage daughter. The middle part of the movie shows a hopeful vista where you can see a new family forming.

The dialogue is good at times. The acting is mostly good.

I thought this was a sweet enough Hallmark film, with a nice couple of twists on their standard format.

I liked the chemistry between the leads, and felt the story held up well.

Overall a good job and an enjoyable film.

Well done Hallmark.

Cristina (Nazneen Contractor), a food critic with a tendency to accent the negative, loses her memory while out of town. Her identity unknown, she settles into a comfortable situation while she waits to regain her memory.

Separated from her past prejudices and conventions, she learns new attitudes and gets to know Michael (Brennan Elliott), owner of a struggling vineyard.

This Hallmark film is blessed with two likable stars who have an easy chemistry. And the writing is intelligent. You might even learn about ice wines.

I think they made enough movies about a woman having amnesia, the guy takes her in & someone puts together clothes that just happens to fit. I love Brennan Elliott but am not crazy about the actress. I rated it 3 stars only because I like Brennan.