Hearts of Spring

Lisa Whelchel who has been mostly doing the Christian entertainment circuit since leaving The Facts Of Life in the 80s stars in this Hallmark Channel movie with her own daughter Clancy Cauble playing her own daughter in Hearts Of Spring. The resemblance is unmistakable and does add a note of realism to their scenes.

I wonder how many Hallmark viewers caught that this was a remake of The Shop Around The Corner with a reverse twist. In that Ernst Lubitsch classic co-workers James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan bicker constantly at the department store they work for. But are passionate correspondents by mail.

To update it to the 21st century, Whelchel is a florist who is a blogger who writes an Ann Landers like column on being a single parent. Her views are diametrically opposed by Dr. Michael Shanks who is also a single parent and replies to her with his own screen name. They get a running feud going and entertain her internet followers.

But when Whelchel and Shanks meet in real life it's the real deal for romance. Unlike in The Shop Around The Corner where it's the characters they create in their letters where Stewart and Sullavan fall for each other. Still if you are a fan of the Ernst Lubitsch classic you know where this is going.

Hearts Of Spring is a pleasant easy to take film, but I wonder how many watching this recognized the origin.

They have to stop casting Lisa with younger guys! Love Michael Shanks and watch everything he's in but casting him as the love interest of Lisa is all wrong! She is 7.5 yrs older than him but looks even older than that! He's good looking and seems younger than his age! Please cast him with someone good looking and someone nearer his age! Obnoxious kids and would be suitors did not endear this movie to me. Start casting Lisa as the mother of adults and a grandma---she would be better suited for those roles.

If you can watch this movie without yelling, "Get over yourself!" to the leads then you are a better person than I am. Besides somewhat unlikable leads, I think the other pitfall of the movie is that it relegates many of the interactions between the leads to online exchanges. Does anyone enjoy a split screen of characters typing to each other?

I do not think that Lisa Whelchel was too old for this role and that he, Paul Shanks should be cast with someone waaaaay younger, I really don't agree with you.

Geesh, she was ONLY a 53 year old mother to a 18 year old daughter! AND I'll do the math for you: she was ONLY THIRTY-FIVE YEARS OLD when she had this fictional child!

LIKE WOW, GIVE ME A BREAK. Or moreover, give us women a break, unless you are a woman, and then shame on you.

BTW, If the subject of women aging is the only thing that you can put most of your focus on, it's gotta be a touchy subject for you, yourself.

Bye Felicia.

While I like the idea of Hallmark doing it's own twist on classics like, Shop Around the Corner and You've Got Mail (a remake done right), it's hard to look past the horrible choice of lead actress. Her exaggerated, over-acting makes it excruciating to watch. Worst movie I've watched in a long time and I don't mind an occasional so-bad-it's-good kind of movie. Definitely a forgettable, never watch again movie, so don't bother.