Butlers in Love

I am loving these contemporary Hallmark movies that focus on little known or underplayed profession. I learn so much.

I have to say Corey Cott is very charismatic and I would like to see him in more films. The female lead was bright and cheery but at times a little too annoying.

Overall a cute and fun experience.

I really enjoyed this Hallmark romance, largely due to the performance of Stacey Farber, who plays Emma, a young woman who attends an academy for butlers. I found Emma to be unlike most Hallmark "princesses", which was refreshing. She is humorous and plucky.

Her opposite in this romance is played by Corey Cott (as Henry), an academy student who comes from a long line of butlers.

This film may not display as many romantic sparks as some, but the central relationship feels genuine and affable.

Although other reviewers have scoffed at the idea of wanting to be a butler, the film explains that good butlers have six-figure incomes. That might be enough motivation for some.

I really didn't want to watch this. Only my compulsive side to complete everything had me give it a try since it was on my DVR list.

My first impression was that both Walker and Emma were too disruptive and with the personality to go with it. I wouldn't think either should have survived to the first commercial. "Perhaps concentrating on your work and not debating with other students will help you not burn down the manor."

Henry's obnoxious arrogance really made it hard to get to the second commercial. It ticked me off even more that Emma gets blamed for Henry grabbing her bottle. And that's the point where Henry's personality changes 100% in under a minute, which is a plot device I hate in this genre movie.

Emma has a positive and energetic personality and yet the first 40% or so of the movie is depressing. There are brief interactions between the leads, but to that point they don't have much connection.

I have wondered if this movie is meant to be a tribute to butling or a parody. The latter idea was reinforced when Emma thought she could change Henry's attitude with that lame movie. Emma's dedication is even more mystifying after Henry's speech about the time requirement of the profession. Why would a vivacious young lady like Emma sacrifice her entire life like that? 1 day off in a year?

That 40% point was significant. From that point on, the positive aspects of both leads' personalities, especially Emma's, starts to come out. And Stacey Farber, as Emma, paints a really appealing character.

The story seems unusual. The ending is interesting. Some of it was predictable. Some of it was a surprise. Some of it, I'm not exactly sure what happened.

If you stick with it, it's really not that bad.

The femme lead is obsessively fixed on being a butler. She falls for a Son Of A Butler at school. Love or Butling! Can She manage both? The screenplay spends much of the action on Butling. Is it Be Careful of What You Wish For?

It's as if the writers of the final two scenes didn't watch the first 90% of the movie. They undermined it all with how they concluded the story. Without the inconsistent ending, this movie would probably be a pleasant watch -- maybe a 5 out of 10. It was pretty dull either way, though there were some nice scenes and a really fun, likeable lead actress.