The Magic of Lemon Drops

Hallmark has run their usual plots into the ground, so instead of saving "something" or a widow or divorce returns to their home town, or a wedding disaster, so Hallmark returns to FANTASY, there was a movie about a mixup by the "dream team" (and I'm not talking about the USA Okympic Basketball Team). Anyway, the story is about Lolly who works in a restaurant, her Aunt Gert gives her three magical lemon drops, she gets to experience what her life would have been like if she had made different choices and lived those unfulfilled dreams. She meets her old flame, Rory, who is now divorced and raising his daughter. The chemistry between the actors seems a tad lukewarm between the two. There is a coldness about the actor Lyndsey Fonseca that doesn't fit the part, the character needs more warmth. Lately, Hallmark is having problems with casting the right actors for the parts. The magic lemon drops reveals her life choices, Lolly learns valuable life lessons and the outcome is just so predictable! Another disappointment!

Lolly Blanchard (Lyndsy Fonseca) is trying to make the family diner healthy, but her dad refuses to change anything. They have IRS problems. Lolly has many regrets. Her Aunt Gert gives her four magic lemon drops which allows her to experience her life with differences.

I like the idea of this premise especially for lighter fare that is Hallmark. At least, it is a little different. The problem is that the story keeps resetting back to reality. We have to wait for Lolly to make a choice. I like Lyndsy and her character. It is not really for the romance even though the guy is perfectly nice. It is Hallmark at a slight different angle.

Lolly gets a once in a lifetime chance when her Aunt gives her 4 magical lemon drops. The first 3 lemon drops to be taken right before bed with her announcing a regret or a path not taken, but if she takes the 4th and last gum drop she has chosen one of her other 3 life paths. With each her life is both great and challenging, and she must decide the path she would like to go, one of her 3 other live's, or her current reality.

Different than the average Hallmark movie. I loved the story and the perspective of Lolly realizing and choosing her bliss.

Wonderful acting by both leads, I adore Ian & Lyndsy. But the supporting cast was just as amazing. This one is a win for Hallmark!

The review -- friendly, polite, somewhat sterile story about parallel realities, choices, roads not taken, consequences, and appreciating what is right in front of you, right now. Everything about the production is perfect. Which is both a blessing and a curse ...

Bonus Notes -- this is a Canadian film pretending to take place in the US. Something that was very common in the early days of Canadian film-making, but quite rare today. It suffers from all the common telltales and giveaways -- lighting perfect in every shot, like the Director just graduated film school. Everyone's clothing is fresh out of the laundry or dry cleaner. Not a smudge or spot anywhere. No recognizable actors, not one, very usual for a production supposedly taking place in the US. Dialog not very "natural," especially for the wisecracks and snappy rejoinders. Accents that don't quite ring true.

Conclusion -- Friendly, and includes useful Life Lessons. The inherent sterility of the Canadian production values blunts much of the impact and audience connection. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

I recognized Lindsay Fonseca from Next Stop Christmas. The two movies are similar in their exploration of life choices and "what ifs". I feel the Christmas movie is better - more natural and funny - but this one has good moments too. Both movies are metaphors for believing in ourselves and following our dreams. That's not an easy thing to pull off in real life which isn't glossy and sentimental like a Hallmark movie. There are no surprises, but the movie is as comforting as the homemade pies that keep appearing. Watch it when you're in a sentimental mood with your significant others. Recommended!