I was anxious to see this because it stars Julie Gonzalo (who was in "Falling For Vermont", one of my favorite Hallmark movies) and her real life love buddy Chris McNally. They have obvious chemistry and elevate the quality of whatever Hallmark movie they're in.
But the best and most engaging performance of the movie was by Madeline Arthur who played Ruby the ghost. She has beautiful blue expressive eyes and really brought to life a well written character. She's bubbly and animated but also convincingly sad and upset when that's called for. And she really delivers the old 20s lingo like "Jeepers" and "Toots." She looked and sounded a little like Betty Boop. I loved her.
The movie opens with Ruby and several party-goers dancing to the Charleston. It was a great intro and captured the feel of the 20s. And I liked the cut from Ruby's lost love Charlie dropping the flowers he bought for her to the flower tree that grew in that spot (100 years later).
One of Arthur's scene stealing moments is the scene in which Anna gives Ruby some sage to "rid the space of lingering spirits." Ruby's fake and exaggerated depiction of it working reminded me of the famous Meg Ryan scene in "When Harry Met Sally" after which another diner said "I'll have what she's having,"
There's also a fun scene where Anna shows Ruby her modern cell phone and demonstrates how to send text messages. Ruby is amazed and asks "What do you do with all the time you save?" The half groan response by Gonzalo was subtle but effective.
There's also a fun and pointed discussion about what women can do today that ends with a real zinger.
I also liked how the writers avoided following any strict "Ghost Rules" with a wink to the audience:
Anna: "How can you move objects but not people?"
Ruby: "I don't know sweetheart. Cruel irony."
The civil way that Anna and Elliot act towards each other, however, after dissolving their business and breaking off their engagement a few months earlier struck me as very ... Hallmarky. Couples who break up are usually not that pleasant to each other, nor do they bump into each other that often. As Anna tells Elliot (in a cute scene):
"We should start avoiding each other like good exes"
But the civility works for this movie because it makes the prospects for a reconciliation more likely.
Anna's father is the no nonsense head of a real estate brokerage and has brought Anna on board following the end of her business with Elliot. Although the villainous realtor Terrence is a bit of a caricature, the father was perfect and the last scene with him and Anna was lovely.
Normally the fun banter is between the couple, but here it's between Anna and Ruby:
Ruby: "You don't want to fight me. I'm as unsinkable as the stock market"
Anna; "You're not making the case you think you are."
Anna and Elliot apparently had a restoration business together which Anna abandoned. It's a theme in the movie that is best captured by this line:
"We don't quit. We restore. So let's just restore us"
This was Hallmark at its best.
