A Greek Recipe for Romance

I don't know what it is about Hallmark movies set in Greece that always fall short. This one was a fail. The storyline didn't kill it for me, though there were odd spots. The chemistry was off between the main characters. Their snark was too much. The scenery was lovely, but I couldn't handle the horrible acting. Not everyone but her mom and his friend were tough to watch. It felt quite a bit like everyone was reading from cards. It was stiff and not enjoyable to listen to. I will say, though, that the food looked delicious and made me hungry, and the scenery was the only positive for me.

It is not a rewatch.

This Hallmark romance takes us to Greece, where an American, Abby (Danielle C. Ryan), goes to visit her mother. While there, she meets Theo (Rafael Kariotakis), who wants to establish a new restaurant in the space his mother used to operate. Though his father has other plans for Theo, the young chef is encouraged by Abby, who becomes his partner. Still, Abby has plans to return to the U. S. after a few weeks.

This film is infused with Greek culture and sights, making for enjoyable visuals. And the Mediterranean food looks delicious. On the other hand, the central relationship appears more platonic than romantic, though Ryan does her best to signal an infatuation.

In the end, there are few surprises. Things work out as expected. And there are no nagging conversations about work visas or such.

I have always wanted to go to Greece & this gave me a beautiful, albeit brief, glance at the beautiful country, customs, & culture.

Unfortunately, that's about it. I could barely get past the actress who plays the mom's stiff acting (& how many times can you say, "YANNI"!?) or the fact that the makeup artist made the lead actress' face an entirely different color than her body. The ancillary characters were annoying as well, except for the mom's boyfriend who was fine & sweet.

The lead actor is beyond attractive & a decent performer, so I wouldn't mind seeing him again in some movies. The end.

The Passport to Love films this year have been very good - I always say that an on-location Hallmark is better than those where Canadian cities are standing in for more exotic locales - and "A Greek Recipe for Romance" is definitely not the exception to that rule.

Whilst the trope that propels this boy-meets-girl movie isn't exactly an original one, and you know exactly how it is going to end, the stunning Greek scenery and the sparkling performance by Danielle C. Ryan as American Abby, more than makes up for the bland storyline. If Ryan's effort here is anything to go by, Hallmark movies are in safe hands.

This movie is set in Greece so the visual scenery is nice, and the young male actor (Rafael Kariotakis) is hot! The young Greek, Theo, has big dreams for his life that are far different than the life his father wants him to pursue. Theo meets Abby who is on vacation from America but is also looking for a new job. She helps Theo as they encounter various trials along the way. Unfortunately, the plot tends to drag and becomes far too predictable. I find Abby's character to be somewhat immature in the relationship for someone that is supposed to be a whiz at problem solving. It's difficult to determine where this relationship is actually leading perhaps a little more focus in this area of the storyline would have prevented the story from dragging. It's not a bad movie, but the plot needed "something" extra.