A Whitewater Romance

I love Hallmark movies and get they are not realistic but this movie is ridiculous. No business event would invite you to a retreat with a day's notice. And if it's a team building event for a national company, there would be more than 4 individuals. Plus they have never worked with each other and don't appear they will be working side by side afterwards. The concept of expecting such an inexperienced person to participate in camping, whitewater rafting, and other outdoors events with no guidance is absurd. How did this show get approved and make it all the way to production? I couldn't handle it any more agter 40 minutes.

I'd give this movie zero stars, but unfortunately that's not an option, so one star it is. I watch every new Hallmark movie that comes out with my 98 year old grandmother whom I care for. So being a 41 year old man, Hallmark movies aren't so much my thing, but I've come to start enjoying them. Well, most of them. This movie without a doubt, is the most cheesy unbelievable one I've watched in years. Grandma who loves absolutely everything Hallmark and smiles the whole time she watches them hasn't even grinned once, lol. Yes, it's that bad. Busby (spelling?) is playing the same character she plays in every role she has ever played, but it's even more cringy this time some how. There's no chemistry whatsoever between her and the lead male. Her character is so unlikeable, yet he somehow falls for her, of course. The entire story line is poorly written, and the acting from the other characters matches it. I get Hallmark movies aren't always believable, that they're supposed to be kind of out there and uplifting and fairytale-ish, this one fell well short of even that. On somewhat of a separate note, Hallmark rub some dang dirt on your actors! People don't camp out in the wilderness for days at a time without a spec of dirt on them or a hair out of place. I'm basically just ranting at this point so I'll wrap it up, I wouldn't wish the viewing of this movie on my worst enemy. Save your self the time and skip this one! There are much more productive things to do like staring out the window and watching your lawn grow or watching paint dry.

I am just surprised that the aggregate IMDb rating is so high. As of this writing, there are 8 other 1 star reviews and the highest review is a 2 star. It's well deserved.

I'm not a fan of Cindy Busby. She has no depth and usually seems to play the same flaky people. Interesting that the one notable exception for her is also with Benjamin Hollingsworth in Another Christmas Coincidence (aka Godwink: Meant for Love). Busby's performance here is bad even for her. She is so over the top, especially in the first few scenes.

Another reviewer noted that you don't send someone on a wilderness experience with no notice (less than a day). Then you blame her for being late when she had to fly over half the country to get there!!! And penalize her in a break-the-ice game as a result. If Busby's earlier scenes didn't already have me upset, this just adds on. The story continues to be bad for a while yet and it makes Mia into a very unlikeable character. Such a wimp. Mia is so lame that it might have been funny, but I didn't laugh at all. You know that will change as the story goes on.

So many of these movies have a boss ranging from annoyingly demanding to downright unethical. Marilyn is the latter. I found it disgusting that she suggests making one of Mia's colleagues lose his glasses in order to handicap him in the competitions.

BTW: such great cellphone service in the middle of this wilderness. And at least one key plot point is based on it.

The premise is fine, but typically formulaic. While I'm sure Cindy Busby is very nice, it seems she's caught in the same formula and it's very tiring. After a while, all I can hear is her squeaky voice whining about some challenge she's facing.

This could have been a much better movie with a different actress, hopefully, someone that displays more bravado. The writers should work to break the formula and incorporate a little less cutesy and more drama. I don't specifically dislike the happy ending, but the route to get there seems like a hike in a flat trail, whereas a good hike incorporates hills, narrow passes, and tripping hazards. Let's see more like that.

Absolutely the worst plot and the cheesiest acting I've ever seen from Hallmark. Cindy Busby seemed very trite and fake the entire movie. The overall plot and theme of this show was confusing and never really explained well. There was no real chemistry between Busby and Hollingsworth. The other actors were just as bad with no real direction or believability. The only star was given for the scenery. I noticed Busby produced this movie and I hope that's not the reason it's so bad. She is normally well liked by me in most rolls she has had especially in Heartland. There is a lot of repetitive storylines on Hallmark. This definitely wasn't that but failed miserably at trying to find an alternative to those repeats.