Paris, Wine & Romance

Sure, you always have a pretty good idea in general how a Hallmark movie is going to end and some of the tropes you will see along the way, but this movie threw in a few little twists, especially toward the end. I liked that.

Also, I think this kind of movie is always better if the romantic leads spend a lot of time together. The movies that get too caught up in other aspects of the story are not what I enjoy about this genre. This movie kept the two together even though I wouldn't say their chemistry was the greatest, but it was workable. Jen Lilly is just a little too reserved for great.

I watched the whole movie and didn't notice the baby bump, until I read reviews about it and went back. So what? Are we going to body shame her for that? I sure hope not.

Any time you have characters that are French, unless all those actors are truly French, accents will be an issue. For the most part, it didn't bother me. I did think that a lot of the characters said what sounded more like Jack than Jacques. Also, most times Paris was mentioned it sounded American rather than French. Again, so what?

One other plus for me is remembering scenes from Paris. I was thrilled to be able to visit there once and I love to pick out places I saw even beyond the obvious. There was also a gorgeous shot of what was supposed to be Burgundy. (I have know idea if it really was.)

For me, it has a decent story with some not so obvious developments and a decent romance.

The accents were pretty obviously forced, but I liked watching Jen Lilley (as always) and Dan Jeannotte for the first time in a Hallmark movie, I hope he gets more roles! Also, I enjoyed the winery plot, despite some inaccuracies.

I enjoyed this movie. I liked the Paris scenes and also the unique story line around a wine competition. I didn't pick up on the mis-pronunciations since I don't know the correct pronunciation of Willamette to begin with. But, I do believe Hallmark should definitely have been aware of it and made sure the actors pronounced things correctly. As far as the supposed "bump," I wasn't aware of it until reading reviews. I noticed a woman whose body looked realistic and wasn't in too tight or too short of clothing. I could relate to her. Stop expecting women to have tiny waists and flat stomachs! I appreciated her being an independent, strong woman who didn't change her life for a man. The ending was a big leap of faith for him and I struggled with that the most. Overall, though, I enjoyed this movie on a relaxing evening with my glass of wine.

I actually had to get an IMDB account just to review this movie, because of the rather rough reviews. Rather than recognize that this movie is just a fun, loose yourself, get comfy, laugh and feel good movie, many reviewers have chosen to pick apart things like, is an actress pregnant, is the accent right or the pronunciation of a city correct. I say, COME ON GUYS...it is a Hallmark movie! This is a great movie to enjoy when you are relaxing with your feet up and having your own glass of wine. Best part is you will smile, laugh and most likely give that familiar Awe sound at a great ending. This is just one of the many films that has Hallmark Channels enjoying viewers and ratings that rival even the major networks.

Dear Other Reviewers, I don't care if the baby bump was visible, or if they mispronounced a few words, or if some of the geographical references were skewed ... it was a very cute story, well acted (mostly) and believable. I thought the chemistry between the two leads was very good. You need to remember that the actors are playing roles-in this case, a pregnant woman was playing a NON pregnant woman. Big deal. I liked it. 8 stars.