Groundswell

When the most suspenseful aspect of the movie is when Lacey is going to put on a swimsuit, you know you're in trouble. I mean there's Hawaii, and a beach, and an ocean. There is a very fit guy as a love interest with many abs and everything. So of course he's in a swimsuit. He's giving her surfing lessons. They are in the ocean together throughout the movie. But I guess if Lacey Chabert doesn't want to wear a swimsuit (not expecting a bikini here) she doesn't wear a swimsuit! You can tell it was an issue because it looks so odd that they have to make a joke about it at the beginning.

Other than Lacey's strange swimwear, and the nice scenery there is not much to see here. She dumps her "boyfriend" because he is a user and disrespects her and flees to Hawaii to be with her Aunt June. And I don't blame her! Aunt June has a house right on the beach and must have cost a billion dollars. By the end, she gets the hot guy, learns to surf, wins a contest, and gets her own restaurant. But (spoiler alert) she never puts on a swimsuit.

The movie has a typical Hallmark plot about a woman whose boyfriend takes her for granted with the added complication that he also takes credit for her work. They've used this plot device on an almost yearly basis. But I was interested in watching it because of the setting in Hawaii. I really wanted to love this movie but it was somewhat of a miss. I always enjoy Lacey Chabert but, as attractive as they are individually, the two leads had no chemistry. Her ex boyfriend looked old enough to be her father. The dishes she prepared with the other chef didn't look or sound appetizing at all and they didn't have a plausible explanation for the ex-boyfriends presence at a contest that he's not judging. He just stood around with mostly nothing to do. I kept wishing it was another episode of Hawaii Five-0 because that cast had real chemistry. The settings were gorgeous and I really enjoyed the aunts character but it's just not enough to watch a second time.

It's a beginning. First HM movie filmed in Hawaii that featured snippets of the real Hawaii, not just beautiful scenery, but especially with contemporary music, clothing, jewelry and yes, the food. We all came to Hawaii from distant lands, my ancestors included, and it was nice to see the Puerto Ricans honored. Lacey Chabert and Ector Rivera were convincing in their roles as rejected chef/girlfriend and surfer who lost his wife. Singer Anuhea and chef Lee Ann Wong were a real treat, as well as Katie Lee who authored the book, Groundswell. And just for the record, most female surfers don't wear just swimsuits for surfing! Maybe we'll hear pidgin English in the next one. I'm watching this again, as one can miss so much with only one viewing.

Lots of food eye candy and flavor combinations in this tropical Hallmark romance between a chef and a professional surfer.

Lacey Chabert plays Emma, a professional chef whose famous "bachelor" chef boyfriend keeps taking credit for her work. Emma quits from his restaurant and his life and goes to visit her aunt in Hawaii to regroup and figure out what she wants to do next. There she meets Ben a professional surfer who after the loss of his wife has stopped doing things that bring him joy (like surfing) and his brother a restaurant owner and professional chef specializing in Puerto Rican cuisine. Emma getting surf lessons from Ben and entering an island cooking contest with his brother. Surprise! Her ex-boyfriend shows up as the celebrity chef consultant for the cooking contest.

This romance was a little predictable, but it was set in a lush local and did give a little history lesson on the Puerto Rican population in Hawaii. My favorite part was Ben's backstory with his wife being his pen pal first and that after they married they still wrote letters and hid them for one another to find. (Sweet, romantic and really a lost art!)

I didn't hate it and if you are looking for a "find yourself" romance Hallmark style...this could be the film for you.

It's that this should not be a character Lacey is still playing. Give it to one of the newbies where a younger or more unknown actress (NOT a slam, Lacey is only a couple years older than me) could be more believable with responding to life drama this way. How many times have we seen Lacey in a role close enough to this? In fact, it might have been smarter to let the character be a divorcee (since HM is doing that now) like the book. Again, Lacey is 40/41? It would fit what is not uncommon in the lives of women in our age group. Let the story be told from that POV and develop it from there, instead of this grown woman running away from a boyfriend. I actually have the same issue with a few of Nikki DeLoach's romcoms.

I do like Lacey, (although not all of her movies), but I got bored with this one. The scenery was great. I'm hoping to vacation in Hawaii next year, so I loved it. I love any beautiful shots of the beach. Speaking of which, the beach/tropical movie with Hunter King was better. Sorry Lacey.