Quando sboccia l'amore

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!

Renee Herbert stole every scene she was in. She was a breath of fresh air in an otherwise sometimes awkward story.

The story line is your typical fake relationship that grows into a real one, with the ever present miscommunication and misunderstanding right before they realize they belong together.

It's not the acting I have an issue with, it's the stale plot lines that keep getting regurgitated on The Hallmark Channel and other channels that are simply cookie cutters of the same thing. It would be nice if someone could come up with something new. Perhaps look at the Pride community more and leave the boring same ole in the past.

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.

The beginning of this film is just plain awkward and hard to watch...thanks in large part to it's lead actress Rhiannon Fish, but as the film goes on if you stick with it...it settles down into a decent Hallmark Romance with some good getting to know you moments and an excellent male lead James William O'Halloran. In addition to the very awkward beginning there is also the miss cast ex-boyfriend played by Callahan Colley who doesn't seem age appropriate for our lead.

This tells the story of a jr pr executive who end up doing pr for a small bed and breakfast owner in exchange for him playing her fake boyfriend for her parent's vow renewal. The message is slow down and don't miss out on the important moments.

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

Romantics will enjoy this film if they can get over the initial awkwardness. The lead is not only handsome but really help pull this film together.

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."