Marry Me in Yosemite

6.4 stars.

My best description of "Marry Me in Yosemite" is a dramatization of two people that got caught in the middle of a documentary as part of a campaign to preserve a national park. I could use a bunch of political terms like climate change and going green, and all that good stuff, but let's not forget there is a cheesy Hallmark romance intertwined in this save the planet promo which has been communicated to us by a random assortment of park ranger who is granddaughter to native American sports and camping gear shop owner at Yosemite National Park, and his great, great grandfather was one of the original natives who lived in the park and was acquainted with John Muir who wrote famous books about the park and other natural wonders in America and this and that. Enter this gorgeous female stranger to the park, from the big city who wants to be like Ansel Adams and take great pics and publish it all in a coffee table book, and she meets a guy who lives alone in the woods in a small house near the park, a hermit type, and he takes the role as her guide so they can create the perfect story for her book. Only problem is he is a fanatical scientific save the earth sort of guy and she is an artistic writer. They don't mesh.

This film is about nature and mountains and Yosemite National park. The romance and the people are secondary. Like it's said more than once in this film: this is the animals' home, we are the visitors. Blah, blah, blah. I love animals, I believe we should save them, but don't try to masquerade a Hallmark movie behind the agenda. My response is: ok, but we are also visiting this movie, and nobody is home.

I typically enjoy Cindy Busby movies. Unfortunately this movie concentrated on an primary agenda that did not include romance of the characters. The line that America's past was not perfect from a Canadian Actor and Canadian production team seems very hypocritical. The scenery in the movie is what carried it. The romantic scenes between the two main characters were overly flimsy with superficial interaction and language. Hallmark seems to be departing from movies that bring us joy and happiness into getting the viewer to see Hallmarks view of the world. I am over 65 so my demographic does not carry a lot of weight.

The animosity, in the beginning, was tough to get through. I didn't find Jack pleasant and actually kind of a jerk. I like Cindy Busby. However, I felt like I was watching Chasing Waterfalls, but that movie is better.

I enjoyed the Native American history; the scenery was breathtaking. Some of the photographer aspects didn't add up, and as an author creating and publishing books takes more time than they conveyed.

I had low expectations going into this movie, but I hope Hallmark regroups and stops repeating storylines. There are other professions out there. It doesn't haven't to be the same five all the time.

Didn't Cindy Busby just do this? Photojournalist. Wilderness. Personal guide.

A lot of Hallmark movies have breathtaking scenery. This one ranks right up there. The climbers on the cliff face add an awesome touch.

Conservation of nature and some tragic history of Native Americans is a big part of the movie. There's also a lot of talk about stories. Unfortunately, the overall story of this movie is overwhelmed by the scenery and quest for the perfect photo. There aren't a lot of story highs or lows and almost no tension.

The conflict came out of nowhere and seemed contrived as did the ending even though the overall outcome couldn't be anything other than what it was.

I haven't noticed Cindy Busby with so much emphatic gesturing in what I've seen of her in the past. She is exuberant too. This is a good role for her. She connected with Tyler Harlow but not with much spark.

Cindy Busby has done this movie before. I found her character both clueless and selfish. The conflicts they tried to set up were resolved within the same scene repeatedly. Can she find the reclusive guide (haven't seen him in weeks. But hey, complete stranger, here's directions to his house.) (No I will not help you. Ten seconds later: Okay sure I'll help, but I can't start until next week. Okay I'll start tomorrow.) The script was sorely lacking. There was no palpable chemistry between the leads. If my son hadn't visited Yosemite this summer (we asked him many times, did you see this?) the movie wouldn't have been worth watching. But the scenery was great.