The Bridge

Great movie, great cast, great story.

It was outstanding, loved every minute of it.

Now that both parts are available at the same time, watch it again if you disliked part one. Maybe you will like it in it's ientirety.

My advice - watch it when you can get part 1 and part 2.

After suffering a devastating loss, Donna (Faith Ford) and Charlie (Ted McGinley) move to Franklin, Tennessee to open cafe/bookstore The Bridge. It's 2009. Molly (Katie Findlay) from Seattle is looking for independence in the smaller Belmont University instead of following her media mogul father's expectations. He is overprotective ever since losing her mother at the age of seven. Helpful college student Ryan (Wyatt Nash) takes her to The Bridge where they study music appreciation. Kristen returns to see childhood sweetheart Ryan having agreed to take a break until Christmas. Ryan is hesitant about his music dream while Molly does not wish to work for her father.

Everybody is all smiles and helpful. It's a very light bright beginning. It's not until Kristen when any drama starts and quite frankly not the highest of drama. Everybody is photogenic and appealing. Tension is left simmering at a low level. This is the first of two parts. This moves rather slowly. It's Hallmark. It's also shot in Canada and has that Canadiana feel. While I like the actors, the film moves too slow. What the father does is laughable and would be simple to undo by the young couple talking frankly. It's very sitcom.

The only "spoiler" here is that the movie is a spoiler. It's not a movie! It's an EPISODE.

It's pretty good when it comes to production & characters. But it's not a complete story! To blindside viewers with a "to be continued in 2016" is unforgivable. This is billed as a MOVIE - not a show. Not a series. Not a part 1 of ___. And now the resolution is a YEAR away?

You MUST tell your viewers what they're getting into. NOTHING happens & nothing is resolved in this 2-hour setup.

There's more story in the first 2 minutes than the entire rest of the 2 hours until the continuation blindside. Those 2 minutes were what kept me watching to the "end" that isn't an end.

Not cool.

Rather than upset viewers, be honest upfront & then maybe the entire thing wouldn't feel like 2 hours wasted. Might even help create anticipation rather than letdown.

log line posted on the day of airing 12/6/15: When Molly Allen finds out that The Bridge, a beloved bookstore back in her hometown of Franklin, TN, is in jeopardy along with the bookstore's owner, she returns to help, only to come face to face with her old flame.

The log line/description provided here on IMDb is completely bogus - probably matches the book, but not the movie. Even if Part 2 does resolve it to match the storyline somewhat, it isn't & never was the lead character's "hometown." And her name is not Molly Allen. So everything about this production is false advertising.

In other words, someone really screwed up here, ruining what may turn out to be a nice little series, but not when it's doled out like this.

I loved the movie! The characters were what I like to see in a movie , warm and helpful, (unlike the real world at times!) and caring. I loved the Bookstore/ café and thought it was a great idea. I've always loved bookstores and the idea of having both together to read and relax with two owners that are just as caring, to me, is a town I'd love to live in! The storyline and was what you expect from Hallmark, but that is why I watch them. The scenes were beautiful and I loved the idea of two people connecting so well! I was curious as to why certain parts of the film were lengthened. I can hardly wait for the next episode, I just wish it had an ending, not be continued to next year, hard to wait to see the ending of a movie I enjoyed so much!

I am writing this in the fall of 2024 while watching this on Hallmark Family. "The Bridge, part 2" is on right after so I won't have to wait a year for the second part which was the complaint of most of the original posters from 2015. I guess this was before the streaming services (Netflix, Prime, etc) got us used to waiting a year (or more) for subsequent seasons. Katie Findlay and Wyatt have great chemistry. I first saw them in another Hallmark movie "Love Strikes Twice" which I highly recommend. "The Bridge" is typical Hallmark with the usual tropes but the cast delivers. I especially enjoyed seeing Faith Ford and Ted McGinley playing the bookstore owners. Steve Bacic and Andrea Brooks, Hallmark regulars, always give a good performance.