This movie is standard fare for Hallmark, nothing super memorable but not cringeworthy either. Even without much chemistry, the two leads are all right together and tell the story of their budding romance convincingly enough. The downfall of this movie is the male lead's, Bryan's, young daughter from a previous marriage. Hallmark often throws in these widowed spouses with children, presumably to continuously sell the message that love is just as good the second time around, or at the very least, allowed, even after losing a spouse -- however, in this movie, Bryan's child is little more than a plot device to spur the romance onward. She exists purely to finagle Erin into spending more time with her, and by extension, her father, and then vanishes whenever this is no longer required. There are scenes when she will appear momentarily only to be whisked away a second later to allow the main characters to have a romantic stroll by themselves. Later on, she delivers a few child-like but inconceivably wise pieces of advice to encourage her father to forgive Erin for her betrayal. She is nothing but a tool in the story, and her mother's death is glossed over.
While Easter Under Wraps is certainly not the first movie Hallmark has made with this particular oversight, I can't help but compare it to another Hallmark movie that I found deals with this matter with more depth: A Taste of Romance. In it, a widowed father's daughter bonds with the female lead. While she encourages the romance, that isn't her only role, and the movie does its story the justice of giving the father and daughter a scene in which they discuss (and cry over) the absence of their respective wife and mother and how important it is to preserve her memory while moving forward with new commitments. These sorts of healthy conversations in the wake of a tragic loss is really the only way to respectfully handle this plot device without using it as little more than a cog in the romance machine.
As a bright spot, I enjoyed the concept of an Easter film, and as usual, Hallmark does wonders with bringing spring to life with beautiful colors and blooming nature. One of their greatest strengths is how charming they always make small town living appear, and this movie is no exception.
While Easter Under Wraps is certainly not the first movie Hallmark has made with this particular oversight, I can't help but compare it to another Hallmark movie that I found deals with this matter with more depth: A Taste of Romance. In it, a widowed father's daughter bonds with the female lead. While she encourages the romance, that isn't her only role, and the movie does its story the justice of giving the father and daughter a scene in which they discuss (and cry over) the absence of their respective wife and mother and how important it is to preserve her memory while moving forward with new commitments. These sorts of healthy conversations in the wake of a tragic loss is really the only way to respectfully handle this plot device without using it as little more than a cog in the romance machine.
As a bright spot, I enjoyed the concept of an Easter film, and as usual, Hallmark does wonders with bringing spring to life with beautiful colors and blooming nature. One of their greatest strengths is how charming they always make small town living appear, and this movie is no exception.