Fourth Down and Love

Wow a movie without saving the farm, store, town....or someone caught in a blizzard, it's a football storyline mixed with some romance. The story revolves around a divorced mom, Erin (Pascale Hutton) and a professional football player Mike (Ryan Paevey)who were once college sweethearts. They reconnect when the player gets injured and while he recovers he agrees to coach an all girls flag football team. Erin's daughter, Kiera, (Sophia Powers) is one of the players on the team. Old feelings reignite as they work through the reasons they broke up and renew the love they once had for each other.

Ryan Paevey is my favorite Hallmark male actor, and it was so good to see him return to acting after he took a hiatus. Ryan had great chemistry with Pascale Hutton and you could really tell that their feelings for one another were growing. The other characters were also well cast.

This is one of the better Hallmark movies, great script, great cast, and something a little bit different than "the usual" More Ryan and Pascale please.

Hallmark is making too many movies where the lead couple already knows each other from their romantic past. I don't find it compelling. I would like to see two people meet and learn about each other during the movie. It's a shame that all of that discovery process happened years ago so we don't see any of it. All we are left to do is wonder why they gave up on each other years ago, when their resentment will subside, and why they think the outcome will be different this time around.

The rest of the movie is fine -- typical Hallmark stuff really, which is probably what most viewers of this movie want. The actors were pretty good, and the football content was actually very good. I just think the movie would have been nicer if the leads were as new to each other as they are to us.

This was a cute romance movie. I like both the leads and they usually appear in the better scripts. What I didn't like is this notion that an all girls team would beat the boys team in football. I realize this is a fantasy romance movie, so the other parts can be fantasy too but it's not right to give our girls unreasonable expectations. Men are more athletic than women because of genetics and I'm not talking just about hormones. Girls can be better than boys at certain things, but football isn't one of them. Stop the nonsense you're selling our kid's, it doesn't help to set unreasonable expectations. Back to the movie (sorry had to fill up word count), anything with Ryan Pavey is worth watching, even if it's not his best. And Pasquale Hutton has 'it'. Maybe chemistry between them was a wee bit off but it's very watchable.

7.3 stars.

Ready, set, hike, pass the cheese... this one is a bit silly. I like the football theme and he looks like a baller with his muscles and physique, but his personality and how he handles life are not anything like an NFL receiver would be in my opinion. On the other hand, the romance is cool and they seem to have chemistry. I see patterns with Hallmark films and they seem to be stretching their legs with this film as it does expand some of the ideas in a way that I find unique and strangely stimulating.

There are several hard to ignore details like the fact that he's not mobbed by fans wherever he goes. If he's a pro, and he's back in a place where he would be recognized, he would not have any time to himself. Also the way his agent and the NFL are handling things is totally fabricated and fake beyond belief. Finally, how they were together but she let him go when they were younger so he could pursue his career has been beat to death, Hallmark, give us something original for once.

The way she is enamored with him showcases her acting ability, especially with his dry humor and acting style which seems to pervade every role he performs. All that being said, I enjoyed 'Fourth Down and Love' enough that I'd recommend it to any Hallmark fan at least once every few years.

I admitt, the presence in cast of Ryan Paevey is just enough for me to see a movie. In this case, near him, and the decent performance of pascale Hutton, a good point is represented by humor. And, indeed, in this case the humor is real important for reduce the unrealism dose of story and not the most inspired dialogue.

The football theme works not so bad, the past love story from universitarian studies at new beginning is more than reasonable and, sure, the supporting actors are precious.

But, in same measure, the sustain of their characters , interesting at whole, by the main actors is a virtue for film. Sure, predactibility and some mistakes. But decent. And nice.