One Perfect Match

I love Merritt Patterson and I have since I saw her in her first Hallmark Christmas movie. At this point, she is also one of the few really good actresses for either Hallmark or Great American Family that is still young enough to do a "first love" romance. She has a presence on screen. So it is painful to me to give this move less than a glowing review, but for reasons I will explain, it wasn't because of her.

The movie is dominated by a theme and a tone. The theme is ethics. The tone is awkwardness. The former leads to the latter.

Ethics really dominates the movie. It is mentioned often and when not explicitly mentioned it shows up in the relationships through body language and fitful speech. A lot of stuttering or fitful speech. I think that Patterson and Joshua Sasse could have had chemistry, but they had to play so much of the movie with the awkward tension between them that it was hard to see chemistry.

As to ethics, normally the idea of the matchmaker dating a client wouldn't bother me. But the specific situation here made it a problem. It led to deception between Lucy and Molly, Finn and Molly, and to a certain extent between Finn and Lucy. Trust is important in a general sense for each of those relationships. Certainly, Molly needs to be able to trust Lucy due to the dynamic of client and matchmaker. Trust is also important for any dating relationship.

The acting was mostly good. The dialogue had some good moments but was mostly average. Like so many movies on this network, the background music is not background enough. It is noticeable at times.

The story was a big problem. I've already explained a few reasons. Also, this movie reminds me of another on a rival network not long ago but I don't remember the name or the stars. The development is very similar. The story lacks any great highs or lows or surprises. It is very predictable from the mini-surprise at the vineyard to the end. One slightly unusual aspect is that the only conflict or tension is obvious almost from the beginning. There isn't really a conflict moment just before the climax.

I think there are a couple of positive stars added to bring my rating up to mediocre just because of Merritt Patterson.

Great move. Great casting. Great chemistry. Loved this movie! The storyline was typical but so well written and the main character calling himself Gray, and having the high power job with the suits and the general demeanor gave me fifty shades vibes in a very PG rated way. Merritt Patterson is ALWAYS a pleasure to watch in anything she does and the chemistry between these two was off the charts from their very first run in within minutes of the movie starting. You could feel it jumping off the screen. Again kudos to the writing of this film, we need more of this stuff on our screens! The vineyard where they filmed was STUNNING also. A++ all around!!

I realised a long time ago that text messaging was just a part of daily life now and was not surprised when it started appearing in movies. But FINALLY a movie maker that while using text messaging as part of the story doesn't forget that not everyone has 20/20 vision and by not being able to read the texts loses a large part of what is happening. By having the texts spoken as well as on screen, they allowed the story to unfold for everyone.

I was really surprised and pleased. They only missed one right at the end but by then we knew what it would say.

I really enjoyed this movie, thought the chemistry between the leads was awesome and the supporting actors were great too. Scenery lovely and all in all an enjoyable movie made better for knowing what the texts said. Thank you.

Movies of this type have taken a nose dive in quality recently. However this one is very watchable.

Some random thoughts:

The movie is shot in a very sterile way. Meaning there is no real sense that the movie takes place in real life but more of a bubble the characters live in by themselves.

The set design is visually beautiful at times. The color palette of the movie is vivid basic colors with simple sets that often look more like art than real life. It makes for a beautiful movie but...see comment above.

Too much circular panning for me.

(I mention these three things first because they, more than the characters or story, are what stood out the most watching the movie.)

The writing is good enough. Nothing crazy here and no overall message the writers/director is trying to push on the audience (so refreshing).

The plot is basic with the only twist being the two main characters having significant confidence issues towards their love lives (it's what makes the plot go). It's hard to believe these characters would have the same issues in real life (who knows maybe they would) but the actors do a decent enough job of selling their personal issues so you can buy into the story.

Overall a good watch if you like these kinds of movies.

Some of the romances by Hallmark or GAF feature couples that have little chemistry. Sometimes that is due to the story, which features antagonism or an oil-an-water connection that gradually grows into love. Other times, there just is no spark between the two stars. This film, on the other hand, features a story where there is chemistry between the two leads immediately, and for reasons of plot the couple cannot act on it.

Lucy Marks (Merritt Patterson) runs a match-making service and is dedicated to her job. Ironically, she herself has no one special in her life. When she meets Finn Grayson (Joshua Sasse), a businessman whose family owns a vineyard, there is an instant spark. When he engages her to find him a match, she has mixed feelings, but ethics require her to separate business and personal interests.

As mentioned, the story focuses on the easy attraction between the two, giving the viewer a love story different from many others. The final outcome is never in doubt, of course, but it's all about the dance.