As part of Hallmark's Fall Harvest, this movie definitely excels at emphasizing the autumn atmosphere it's aiming to immerse the audience in. Each and every room a character enters is full of fall decorations, leaf garlands, gourds and pumpkins, and when paired with plenty of stereotypically fall activites such as apple picking and baking, the film totally succeeds in putting you in the mood for the season! The small town charm is also in full force with neighbors who all know each other and a bustling main street. Another plus is that after playing many icy, business-oriented characters, lead actress Taylor Cole comes across as much warmer than usual in this role., if not a bit juvenile in her pushiness and lack of any financial knowledge.
Unfortunately, the movie falls apart a bit with its logistics. The radio station, which urgently needs a financial boost, is such a loosey-goosey operation (employees wander in and off the air as they please, an "ON AIR" sign is nowhere to be seen, and an intern does little more than stare at circuit boards) that it takes the audience out of the story a bit. The station also relies on the city for its funding, rather than ad revenue, which this station seems completely oblivious to. Even stranger is how the main character, Taylor Cole's Lacey, manages to rope in her love interest to be, Zac, played by Tyler Hynes, who is in town strictly to work (he frequently has phone calls with a coworker who, despite being in a busy, bustling office space, refers to their project as a small and struggling start-up), to join in with her Bake-Off, a fundraising event for the radio station. The "deal" she strikes with him is that she will promise to teach him how to bake in return for him helping with her finances, and at no point does the male lead pick up on the fact that this deal benefits Lacey alone. He willingly submits himself to baking lessons and sessions of financial advice -- sessions, during which, Lacey refuses to accept his professional advice -- for no good reason. Outside of the Bake-Off, Lacey lives with her aunt in her guesthouse, where she routinely bad-mouths guests and walks into the kitchen for breakfast in the morning in her pajamas while guests are present (!).
However, there are a few twists along the way that don't make this movie entirely predictable. Along with the aforementioned autumn ambience, the movie is worth a watch, although isn't a strong contender for a rewatch.
