Quando sboccia l'amore

7.9 stars.

Like others have mentioned, this starts off a bit funny. Rory goes to a B&B with her family for her parents anniversary. It's the same place her parents fell in love and first kissed many years ago. Rory is recently single. Her recent ex-boyfriend shows up with his new girlfriend (coincidence?). Rory pretends to be dating the B&B owner Noah in order to avoid embarrassment because she is still sensitive to the breakup, and his new girlfriend is super pretty. The rest of the story is the same as every other Hallmark of its kind. The pretenders start to become more than friends, the ex wants her back, yada yada yada.

There is nothing original in 'When Love Springs', and Rory is a bit too silly at times, kinda shrill, maybe too quirky...

HOWEVER....the positive aspects of this film far outweigh the negatives for me. The ambience is very inviting somehow, Noah's character is very likable, the relationship that matures between them is endearing, and there are several charismatic moments one cannot ignore.

Awkward.

Unrealistic.

Cringeworthy.

At least at the beginning.

But then there is some fun banter and some nice getting to know you moments between the two leads. And the Lily Lake B&B is located in a lovely setting near some beautiful waterfalls cleverly known as "The Falls". The movie also uses a lot of split screens in a way I found to be (mostly) effective. And the background music is quite good.

Still, a B&B with no WiFi?

No TVs in the rooms?

A front desk with no computer?

A front desk person who goes into another room, puts on headphones, and dances obliviously right when guests are expected to be checking in at 4pm?

Rhiannon Fish is not for everyone, but I enjoyed her in this movie and in the recent A Picture of Her. She's quirky, fun, spirited and engaging. And a little silly. And she looked great in this movie, especially in that white hat. Unfortunately, I didn't like how her role was written in the scenes involving her ex, Jason, who dumped her back in NYC, but just happened to be checking into the same B&B where Rory and her family were staying. I would have preferred it if her character had been written with more of a backbone.

James Williams O'Halloran was solid as Noah. Frankie Savige was savage as Rory's heartless boss Melody. Erin Connor had some lovely moments playing Rory's mother, and Renee Herbert was sweet and enthusiastic as Rory's sister Cleo.

Bottom line, it was worth watching.

"You'll look back one day and you'll realize that all the little things, they add up to be the big things in life. And that makes every moment so much more precious."

"There are two moments in life, those you miss and those you seize."

The first time I tried to watch "When Love Springs" the first half hour was so bad I quit and rated it 1 star. As others have noted, Act I is truly bad: Rhiannon Fish's hyperactivity, her boss' robotic gruffness, the recent ex-'s arrival with a new (mostly mute) girlfriend, etc.

I gave it another chance recently. That start hasn't improved with age, but the rest was a pleasant improvement ... and worth the wait if only for the introduction of a hidden gem: Renee Herbert. As the lead's sister, she could have been a trope: a sounding board with words of wisdom about what the lead's best life is missing. But she was a true presence on screen (ok, after her goofy elevator intro), and her style was endearing and easy. Just her facial expressions stole several scenes. She is an ethereal beauty. I hope that Hallmark gives Renee more roles soon, and a well-deserved lead. She's a discovery!

I almost turned this off a few times through the first half hour. Ms Fish, lead actor, so completely over-played the goofy, ditzy role that I thought 'I can't sit through an hour and a half of this'. Cringey is putting it mildly. Luckily, she toned it down a bit as the film went on. I liked the male lead, James O'Halloran; very handsome and likeable. Renee Herbert plays the sister, and I really liked her. She played the part very naturally, I'd like to see more of her. The parents were played by actors who were also very natural and believeable. The plot itself is the same re-tread theme, right down to the evil boss and pretentious B & B travel critic (who says 'splendid'?!). Nothing new here at all.

They went way too heavy on the goofy cornball jokes in the opening 20 minutes. It was a struggle to get through it. I would describe the lead character as preposterous, immature, quirky, unrealistic, and annoying. It's hard to get into a movie when the lead is so over the top.

Even the flirting is cringeworthy. I feel like I'm watching a Saturday Night Live skit -- and not a particularly funny one either.

Maybe the movie gets better after the first half hour, but I just couldn't take it past that point myself. I really hope Hallmark gives up on this sillier side of their usual genre of movies.