Love in the Great Smoky Mountains: A National Park Romance

6.9 stars.

The different sites and digs I find interesting. The chemistry between the leads is so-so, good enough to keep me hanging around until the end. It's a bit on the glam side, not enough dirt and grit for a real archaeological dig and all the true hard work that would be involved. The actors are too clean, too soft. This needs more sweat and pain for me to be convinced of the actual effort that would be involved with finding a treasure.

Ok, now the bad stuff. Oh boy, there is no way that her friends and colleagues are not all over this supposed hidden cave she found. Instead, the writers have them all being blase about it as she goes in search of a hidden and legendary treasure. No way this is reality. Then she thinks she found it and they just say: hey you go get that secret treasure that the natives have revered for a hundred years as the story has been passed down generation by generation, and we will just sit here on our lazy butts and not care about it. Then the cave, and the waterfall, and it's all way too dumb. So this only gets 6.9 stars.

The premise is common. Former lovers with bad break up are thrown together. Also there is a treasure hunt. There is also a secondary romance.

The initial meeting of Haley and Rob is so cold, it should have ended the movie there. Haley was furious about the past. You could almost see her blood boiling. Turns out Rob was pretty hurt also. And like so many of these movies, that tension is ignored almost immediately. Apparently some of it still lingered, but they acted pretty friendly. Like Rob teaching Haley to cast a fishing line. Everything between them.

I'd be curious how accurate several things were. Do real archaeologists use shovels? Would someone whose life is the outdoors and has experience in the Smokey Mountains go off alone on a very difficult trail? Would he run on it?

I was so turned off by the initial animosity and the complete reversal, I can't tell you if there was any chemistry between Kebbel and Roerig. I didn't really trust Rob.

The climax is pretty dumb. Then ending is worse. I was surprised that there was little or no conflict leading into the climax. I expected something that didn't happen.

I watched this with my wife, and we loved the scenery. We honeymooned in the Smokes many years ago, and have been back since, and loved those mountains and waterfalls.

Sadly, this movie was poorly written, poorly acted, and poorly set up in so many of its actions that we very nearly turned off the movie several times -- but the Smokies kept us watching.

The way the female lead "hiked" in those mountains was dangerous and foolhardy, and the "in cave" portion of the final part was sooooo non-professionally-done for a PhD "archaeologist" that it completely broke the scene.

We didn't come to care about the leads, didn't "feel" any chemistry between them -- see "poorly acted" above -- and she accepted him waaaaay too quickly and easily.

All in all, I think the 4 stars might be an overly positive rating. (sigh) This was an exceptionally poor movie -- not quite terrible (mostly because of the great scenery, actually in the Smokies!) -- but definitely below average.

We still love the Smokies.

I love Ariel Kebbel ... especially paired with Andrew Walker ...or other notable Hallmark leading men.

I mean she is absolutely one of my favorite actors on Hallmark. However, in this semi documentary-like movie ...except for the scenery... it was total blah blah blah...bottom line ... boring and totally predictable-totally! And sorry to report I felt absolutely no chemistry between her & her ex.... zero... nada... ziltch...none!

I truly felt he did not deserve her ... maybe in their past but not now.

And it really got into lots of minutiae and way over the top detail of how bad the whites destroyed the indigenous peoples occupying the land at the time.

Disappointed fan.

I liked the movie despite no chemistry between the two leads.the actress krabe was very good in the role. Her partner really can't act and again no chemistry between the two. Supporting cast were good and the Mgr of the dog really looked the part and the Indian culture this movie I think was very aggressive for hallmark. I enjoyed this new way they are going. It seems they are back. No hidden messages no hidden agender than just a good rom com. I would like to see more movies with the lead actress. She is very good and can carry a movie. Like to see her in murder mysteries and of course Christmas movies.