Cooking Up Love

In the past few months UP movies are showing a 'growing up' if that is the correct term. Actors are better, stories are stronger and they are not only believable (well some of the time lol) but are enjoyable. This one was no different BUT just one thing that grated on me was the test tasting of the sauce using the spoon that was stirring the sauce. You may be able to do that in your own home but no cook or chef on TV would do that. You must always have other spoons available and once used are not used again, always a new one. I really enjoyed it and recommend.

Why is one of the main characters ( actor) missing from the list?

Bad acting. There's NO chemistry between the lead actors. The female lead is annoyingly 'chirpy' and talks fast about everything. The words "BBQ sauce" are said more than words of love - and for no reason. Talking in a girly chirpy voice doesn't = romantic or cute.

It features illogical plot twists. For Example, the food truck has been sitting at the filming location for days, but suddenly the romantic female lead "chef" is a mechanic fixing the engine because it's "running hot". Then predictably, the male romantic lead (suit wearing big city CEO of a food company driven around in limos) is also a mechanic who knows how to fix engines?

Blegh it just goes on and on and did I mention BBQ sauce?

I guess I'm supposed to agree with the female lead in this movie and she's supposed to be right about everything. She's annoying and has no one to blame but herself for being fired. She crossed a line with her job and didn't follow her manager's instructions. Boo hoo. I could care less about her finding romance.

There are echoes of several common plot threads. A woman. Zoey, gets fired and changes careers. Food truck in a competition. Zoey's love interest starts out as her nemesis. The outcome is predictable.

I said echoes because this movie is also a little different and I think that's mostly how the common themes are done. There was a slight surprise before the end, but I aslo expected it. The dialogue is decent.

Rachel Bles is upbeat and appealing, despite what appears to be a short resume with no previous rom/com leads. She has definite chemistry with Stephen Huszar. There is just enough relationship development combined with the story elements of the contest and her former boss's shenanigans to keep my interest. Supporting actors also do a decent job.

It's too bad Livia, the truck, seemed to get more love than the dog.

Several reviewers presumed this to be Hallmark. It premiered on UpTV. There is a line in this movie which steals the title of a Hallmark movie, and Hallmark doesn't usually do that.