Le Trésor de Bella Vista

I have grown tired of the Hallmark formula applied to every movie so this was a very pleasant change. Still Hallmark, but the tired scripts did a pleasant change up, and it really was a pleasant change. A very enjoyable movie, mystery and romance.

There were both a host of new characters, all likable, and a couple of old standbys, also very likable. Great scenery, so they must have sprung for a slightly higher budget, a good choice. Everybody loves a little mystery, some honest appearing suspense, and a happy ending.

Keep the changes coming and trash the worn out storylines that are totally predictable and boring.

Tess Delaney (Rachelle Lefevre) is a globetrotting high class art hunter who is too busy for a personal life. She inherits an apple orchid from her father who supposedly abandoned her at birth as told by her absent mother. The other inheritor is her newly discovered half-sister Isabel (Helena Marie). Damhnaic McAuley (Niall Matter) is the estate executor.

This is a Hallmark movie, but they're really pushing the romance that hard. The bigger story seems to be a family mystery turned treasure hunt. I am not overly interested in any of the plotlines although the mystery kept my interest. It's a mixed bag although Hallmark does not set the bar that high.

IN A NUTSHELL: This Hallmark mystery was directed by Heather Hawthorn Doyle, and written by Jamie Pachino based on the book "The Apple Orchard" by Susan Wiggs.

The story is about Tess Delaney, who gets the surprising news from estate executor Damhnaic McAuley that she has inherited half of an apple orchard from a father she never knew and has a half-sister she didn't know about. When she visits the orchard and connects with her new-found family, she learns that the orchard is deep in debt. Using her knowledge as an antique expert, Tess and her half-sister work to unravel the mystery of their grandmother's "treasure" that could hold the key to saving the orchard. And, in the process, Tess ultimately finds a new understanding of herself.

THINGS I LIKED: The casting of the mother and daughter was pretty good! I thought the beautiful Rachelle Lefevre looked a lot like Nathalie Boltt.

Nice cinematography and drone shots.

There's a fun mystery to figure out.

I like that Hallmark movies don't always have female employees fighting and bickering. This is the second recent Hallmark movie where I've seen a boss portrayed as super nice to her employees and up for a promotion for a great job.

Empty refrigerators always make me laugh in movies.

We get to spend time in a beautiful apple orchard.

There's more to the story than just romance.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: Hallmark was really going for the "diversity" award in this movie with storylines that include a pregnant lesbian couple, a Hispanic family with immigration problems, and a Holocaust story.

Why are the ladies in Hallmark movies always super uptight? Does Hallmark think that's how all single women are?

The CGI window views look super fake.

Super cliched dialogue.

There's a lot of exposition in less than 5 minutes.

Grape stomping is hilarious but seems super unsanitary, right?

Dumb dialogue like "Do you have something sweet like a dessert thing?" Maybe I missed it but it seemed funny to me that there was no discussion about why the apple orchard was going bankrupt. They never addressed the underlying causes. Instead, the characters spent a lot of effort trying to save it, but what kind of financial situation were they going to be in with the orchard once they saved it without solving the underlying problem?

The romance felt like an afterthought in the story, really.

TIPS FOR PARENTS: Spanish is spoken without subtitles.

A lesbian couple has a baby shower.

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Best Points: The Actors: especially the leads- Niall Matter and LeFevre are excellent . Their difficult and sometimes impossible Jobs are to flesh- out and fill the holes in the underdeveloped script. .. a. Mystery of Family and hidden clues.

Weakest Points: Trying to develop a good and well written storyline in Hallmark's standard 1 1/2 hour format. Really doesn't work well here.

Many layers of the plot and well drawn inter-connection between characters - sadly never happen

Worth the. Watch? Yes, good actors and the location make it worth the short watch, but you leave wanting something more substantial.

7.7 stars.

I like a good mystery, this one was orchestrated well enough to keep us guessing just a little and doing a bit of nail biting, and then it all unravels at the end to a predictable climax. Yes it's woke, yes it's got some far fetched ideas about uber rare coins and holocaust survivors, and people dying in mysterious ways, and the secrets kept by several seemingly saintly people for no good reason. This extremely savvy woman and her equally savvy mother are the butt of the whole generational joke, but who is keeping score? I liked the film for the entertaining twists and turns. She speaks 3 languages? Right. He is a pilot, was in the navy, and has been to multiple countries, and is now a banker? Right. Her grandfather was a self-made orchard owner in Napa valley right in the heart of the best agricultural land on the whole planet and they can't sell the place? You mean they spent 20 million on cancer treatment? Ok, something doesn't add up.

The movie is entertaining, wokeness and illogic notwithstanding. What can I say, I've been suspense deprived for too long watching all these syrupy romances, it's nice to have a maudlin mystery for once.