Junebug

Love Autumn Reeser and Aaron O'Connell is okay, so wanted to check this out. Read an article that it took Autumn five years to get this made, so thought it would be something special. As I watched, I had the feeling I'd seen this before. Did a little digging and, sure enough, If You Believe was the original. I remember enjoying that film with Ally Walker and Hayden Panettiere. Junebug changed some details, but not enough to make this film original or warrant a five year production cycle, in my opinion. Autumn is always great and has wonderful chemistry with any scene partner, so if you're a fan of Hallmark movies you'll like this one. I recommend you watch the movie it's based on as that one was really good.

This movie is overloaded with smiles and sweetness. You will probably have to watch some true crime after this to cleanse your palate. Nevertheless, the overarching premise of remembering your childhood dreams is a good one to explore.

The male love interest is honestly too perfect -- a common Hallmark issue. He is artsy, super-calm, incredibly forgiving, encouraging, ridiculously nice, remarkably available, and of course has rock-solid beefy arms. I think it would be great if Hallmark would take a risk and add some complexity to their lead characters -- especially the men.

The acting is fine and the production values are very good, even if it all feels a bit too easy, saccharine, and artificial. It's hard to relate to characters who so easily get everything that they want.

Juniper (Autumn Reeser) is stuck in life. Her boyfriend is a dud. Her children's book publishing workplace is under threat. She's a great editor, but her writing dreams have been sidelined. She's turning 40 and her parents gift her the wish box from her childhood. When she starts digging into the box, her eight year old inner child self Junebug (Mila Jones) appears to her and Junebug has issues with her 40 year old self. She has a meet-cute with hot mural artist Alex (Aaron O'Connell) and sees him as her illustrator.

This is very cute. Adding the little girl to the standard Hallmark romance is a great move. He's super hot and Autumn Reeser has always been great since the O. C. In the end, they can't get too far from the Hallmark of it all. There is very limited drama. She really needs to give him the book much sooner, but they leave it to the midway point. Give it to him at the end of the first act and drum up more drama. I am reminded of a commentary where the filmmaker says that every scene is an opportunity to add drama. Hallmark is usually missing that and this is no different.

Junebug Review

The noted playwright Paddy Chayefsky wrote for Hallmark Hall of Fame. Today's Hallmark Channel is moving away from mushy romcoms and putting out some mature films. Junebug, a 5-year endeavor by the multi-talented actor and producer Autumn Reeser, recently came to the screen. Her project was well worth the effort.

Reeser's acting range is broad, from serious drama to films like this, slapstick with a touch of poignancy. She's an intelligent artist and this film demonstrates her talents. Her screen partner, Aaron O'Connell, is a good match and there is definite chemistry here. The screenplay is very solid with a crisp dialogue. The young effervescent Mila Jones adds joy to the cast.

It must be mentioned that Autumn Reeser shines with a talent for cometic timing (See her film I do, I do). She as well as the audience is having fun. Yet, the film is a fable, and has serious undertones. Rediscovering the lost child in a person so they can move on with a fuller life. Not easy to pull off these days. The photography is beautiful as is always, Autumn Reeser. A pleasure to watch her again and again. The cast, crew, writers, and producers all deserve kudos.

I initially thought the kid was going to be a real turnoff, but she ended up being more endearing than I expected. The film is really saved by the chemistry between Autumn Reeser and Aaron O'Connell. The overall story is ok, but the romance is the reason to watch.

A shout out to the parents in this film...I kind of liked their kooky and cohesive unit.

Now my Seattle rant, while I love that Hsllmark wants to set these films in Seattle and uses some stock footage along with a couple name drops to solidify their "location"...it is so blatantly obvious that it isn't actually Seattle. As someone who lived on Capital Hill for more than two decades, I can spot a fake from a mile away. Why not set the film in Canada if you are going to shoot it there? Would anyone really care? Or...and here is a novel concept why not actually set it in Seattle if you are going to say it is Seattle, pay the money, bite the bullet and film it in Seattle.