Love, Once and Always

Dumb, dumb premise and Hallmark girl-with-a-cause cliché aside, Amanda's performance was terrific. Worth it just to watch. Peter Porte did his best with what he had to work with.

I've watched a hundred or more Hallmark movies. This was one of the few that I have deleted before finishing it. I gave it two stars because I like Amanda Schull, who can pull off a romantic role. I found the male lead so unlikeable that I chose not to spend more time watching a light romance, when the hero is just plain mean. Hallmark movies often are based on the exact kind of conflict as used in this movie. One of the keys to the movie's success is a hero who disagrees with the heroine but is charming enough to make the viewer want to get to know him further. Andrew Walker handles this kind of role superbly and did so in a movie first shown within the last year. Porte is not charming and it's not the script in the part that I watched.

I agree with the other reviewer who pointed out that the "mansion" is ugly. It also is nothing like the mansions built in Rhode Island by American tycoons during the Gilded Age.

Despite there being some good Hallmark films from 2018 and liking almost all of the films released prior to 'Love, Once and Always' (especially the Countdown to Valentine's Day films), expectations somehow were not high. Despite it having a setting that hasn't been done to death by Hallmark, the story didn't sound that interesting and what little that has been seen of Amanda Schull and Peter Porte has mostly been on the fence at best. Sometimes though stories that don't sound appetising turn out to not be what is expected in a good way.

'Love, Once and Always' did absolutely nothing for me, despite a few redeeming merits. Of the 2018 Hallmark films up to this still early stage of the year, it was the only one that was worse than mediocre and by quite some way and by the end the 2018 Hallmark output ended it for me was easily one of the weaker faring ones in a very mixed bag of a year. Is it completely terrible? No. 'Love, Once and Always' however is very weakly executed in most (nearly every) areas and does nothing to make what was already not a promising concept appealing or interesting.

It is beautifully filmed and some of the locations are suitably picturesque.

The supporting cast do what they can in their roles and do quite well considering what they were given.

Which was pretty awful actually, a lot of cheese and awkwardness going on and all the supporting roles are underwritten. Can say nothing good about the two leads. Schull badly over-compensates, over-acting every one-dimensional emotion and looking panicked. Even worse is Porte as a really irritating character where his appeal is completely lost on the viewer. He is also very indifferent looking and wooden. The chemistry is non-existent, looking more like feuding siblings than a romance. Which is not fleshed out at all and has no charm or anything genuine about it, and both their characters are overboard unlikeable and annoying (Porte's especially) .

Furthermore, the script is continually stilted and toe curlingly cheesy, with a lot of forced banter. The story stretches credibility straining to the limit and exceeds it even, with too many things that don't make sense due to the excessive amount of jumping around. It also drags badly, due to too little content stretched out, and everything is easily foreseeable long before it happens (especially the contrived and by the end too pat final act). There is no suspense, charm or emotion. The music is not memorable and is too constant and intrusive.

Overall, very weak. 3/10.

The story, by Sidney Sidner, would have been a good starting place for a real writer to develop a good story. As written it had holes you could drive a tank through. It had no feeling, no emotion, no chemistry and no spark. I watched it 3 times hoping I was missing something because the cast was great. It was not at all what we have come to expect from Hallmark.

It was a pleasant romance. Nothing intriguing, as always in Hallmark movies, but obviously we watch it for good mood, not super original plot. The story idea was used in numerous hallmark-movies, but still I enjoyed it. The leads are cute and the chemistry was ok, the estate decorations were also great. Although now as I think it definitely leaks something maybe only one storyline was not enough and the major conflict was not so serious, but let's leave it to the critics and serious watchers, I just wanted to relax and spend some time watching a sweet movie and this one went great.

So, if you're a sucker for hallmark romances as I am, I guess you'll enjoy it!