A Harvest Homecoming

"A Harvest Homecoming" is a good movie. Great acting by all, and I really like Trevor Donovan and Jessica Lowndes. Great story, too. Very sweet.

But there's just one thing: As far as I know, nobody decorates for autumn so much. I mean, really, the school, the house, the yard, just everywhere, had LOADS of autumn decorations. MAJOR overkill. I mean, people decorate that much for Christmas, but not for the Autumn season. It was so much, it was laugh out loud funny! Stole the show for sure. So, basically, there were so many decorations, it took away from the movie, because I was so busy looking at the decorations. The people who made this movie must really like the autumn season. I like the autumn season, too, but this is ridiculous.

This one was actually produced by GAF, not acquired from an independent studio. So we have shirts buttoned up to the top with no troublesome decolletage or hints that two adults might be having extra marital sex, or relationships based of deceit and lies that generated so much unhappiness and feelings of betrayal in some of their loyal viewership. We had meal time prayer, references to faith and God and blessings. And, by Golly, we had leaves.

I have never seen so many fake decorative leaves in all of my life. Leaves of every shade of orange or red imaginable. Stringed up everywhere. Twinkling. On the eaves, on the window sills, wound around fence posts, gates, rails, in wreaths, pasted to walls (indoor and outdoor), on tables and every other surface. Even at the school, the barn, and in every room. It was hilarious. GAF must have raided every Hobby Lobby in Canada. I can only imagine the behind the scenes convos that broke out between the professional set decorators and the powers that be.

MORE leaves??!!! But....

YES! YES! YES! MORE MORE MORE!

But this is an Apple Orchard! How about a few Apples?

NO! Apples don't say Fall, Autumn or Harvest! Our viewers need more leaves, not more Apples!

I think the final autumn overload was the revenge of the Set Decorators.

Great American Family is trying hard to compete with Hallmark, but these movies continually look cheap and cut obvious corners. As other reviewers have pointed out, the leaf decor is over the top and ridiculous. No pumpkins or hay bales, and not one apple in sight -- at an apple orchard! Also, there's no character development and the story is too simple to stretch into a full-length feature. Where had Jessica Lowndes and her son been living before coming to Chestnut Hollow? What happened to her kid's father? Is he in the picture? Who is her best friend who drops by occasionally? How did this orchard stay in business without obvious things like a petting zoo and a maze? And isn't Trevor Donovan at 40 a little old to still be searching for a permanent life? GAF is certainly a player in these types of movies, but so far Hallmark continues to eat their lunch.

This movie would make Christopher Walken happy so long as you replace the cowbell with fall decor. I'm all for setting up a nice movie set that makes you wish you were somewhere where you can actually wear sweaters in the fall, but this was definitely overkill. They even had the actors wearing fall colored clothing...good grief! They also must have filmed this in summer because everything was fake. The leaves, the one pumpkin... I'm guessing the apples too. Didn't see a single apple tree at the apple orchard either. Geez, can you imagine if you had to inventory all of the set props? Yikes! You'd be there for months counting all of the fake leaves!

The movie itself was comical and cute. Didn't really expect much from a Hallmark style movie. Though it was pretty hard to stay focused with the fall vomit everywhere.

I might watch it again, probably to turn it into a game of guessing where there aren't any leaves.

Alright, so I had a little free time and decided to watch "A Harvest Homecoming" with Trevor Donovan in the lead. Here's my take on it. The plot's not reinventing the wheel here. We've got a small-town setting, where people are as close-knit as the stitches on a handmade quilt. The story revolves around the annual harvest festival, which is facing potential cancellation. Enter Trevor Donovan's character, who's back in town after a long time, with memories and old feelings resurfacing. You probably know where this is going - there's some light drama, bits of romance, and the challenge of saving the festival. Familiar? Sure. Comfortable? Absolutely. If you're looking for a cozy, easy watch that'll leave you with a smile on your face, then go for it. It's the sort of movie that feels like a warm hug on a cold day. Trevor Donovan does a commendable job, the setting is delightful, and the story, though predictable, is heartfelt.