Love's Portrait

In this Hallmark movie we first see a group of ladies who work at a museum. They receive a painting of a lovely lady and it looks exactly, not similar, yes exactly like one of the curators. They are all puzzled and dumbfounded when she tells the others that she has never posed for such a portrait. Is it really "Love's Portrait?"

They manage to find the shipping receipt and figure out it came from Ireland. So the lady who is boss really tries to convince her that it might be fate, she should go to Ireland and figure it out. At first very reluctant, when she relents her boss presents her with the travel itinerary, airline tickets and all.

Fortunately most of the movie is filmed in Ireland with Irish actors. They make excellent use of the beautiful Irish scenery.

Though, I must remark that they cheat a bit. Hallmark movies are noted for waiting until one minute from the end for what my wife and I call "The Hallmark Kiss." Well there is one, right at one minute from the end, but that is the second one. The first one comes at about 15 minutes before the end.

Oh, well, we will forgive them. It is a suitably entertaining movie. At home, streaming on Peacock.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie with it's quest to answer a question to which we already know the answer. The real point is when will Lily discover who the painter is and will William get up the courage to tell her the truth. How the painting travelled to Lily's museum in the U. S. is also a sweet story and Gerry Herbert as Jonathan O'Brien plays an important piece of the puzzle. I thought the acting was good and really enjoyed the interaction between Aubrey Reynolds as Lilly and Richard McWilliams as William. However, my favorite character was Saoirse played wonderfully by Kathryn McKiernan. While everyone else is searching for answers or true love, Saoirse is comfortable in her own skin and her lot in life. McKiernan plays this role with such joy and sincerity that it's hard not to fall in love with Saoirse and her small life, which is not small at all. Her dedication to the Post, her parents legacy, and the joy of her little village is very compelling and Kathryn McKiernan brings this character to life wonderfully. Unlike most Hallmark movies, this one was actually filmed in Ireland, not Canada which would have been a stretch. The scenery was beautiful and it was filmed beautifully as well. I truly loved this movie and it took me back to my visits to the Emerald Isle.

Museum curator Lily (Aubrey Reynolds) has not dated since the death of her husband. Her boss is desperate to get her back out there. The whole work family gets involved when the museum gets a portrait that looks exactly like her. They have no artist name but they do have Ireland. Postal siblings William Murphy (Richard McWilliams) and Saoirse Murphy (Kathryn McKiernan) gives her the name J. O'Brien which is not that helpful. They know the truth, but is keeping it from her.

I like the gentleness of the journey. The Irish countryside helps a lot. I would like William to have more energy. I get that his subterfuge does leave him a bit hesitant. It doesn't explain after his reveal. She really shouldn't make it all the way back to America. If he doesn't stop her at the airport, he doesn't deserve her. That's the one thing I would change.

Love's Portrait is a 1st rate romance. I was instantly drawn to it when I read that it takes place in Ireland. I love young romance and I knew I'd enjoy seeing the scenery of Ireland. I was right.

The cinematography was outstanding.

All the performers are wonderful. You'll fall in love with the two leads. At each moment of the story, I eagerly awaited the next. There were many very enjoyable funny moments, but the romantic elements were the best.

Art lovers will enjoy that element of the plot. You'll definitely be cheering for things to work out well for the lead couple. They're really charming. I'm not ashamed to say that this 70-year-old guy cried tears of joy at the end.

Love's Portrait is delightful. I can't think of a better way to spend two hours. I'd watch it again right now.

I enjoyed this film very much. The accents were real and not faked as in many Hallmark movies. I recognized many places they visited as sites we traveled to on our tours in Ireland. The scenery and music made me feel as if I was back there again. The story was sweet and fanciful without need to be realistic - it was like an Irish story being told where you don't know how much is real and how much is fantasy but it doesn't really matter in the end. All that matters is the love and connections made. I think the main characters had chemistry and were believable. I don't understand why the female lead carried an umbrella while the male lead did not since it didn't look like it was raining at the time that they were visiting each O'Brien in the area.

One annoyance was the friend/boss Michelle who acted wooden and unrealistically pushy.