This movie is classic Hallmark fare, and in my opinion, is smack in the middle in terms of quality. It has redeeming points, and iffy bits as well, and all-in-all, I'd say this is an average movie that has (strangely) rabid critics after its hide.
First off, let's get some of these reviewers' beef with this movie's portrayal of farm life out of the way. Is it unrealistically glamorous? Yes, absolutely. (I personally had to laugh out loud at the artfully arranged bales of hale with an aesthetically pleasing wheel propped up against it that Abby was using as an egg organizing station). Does Hallmark have a history of doing this with past movies as well? Yes, absolutely! But is anyone actually watching this movie (or any Hallmark movies, really) for an actual, rational depiction of most walks of life? Most movies taking place in the city feature lavishly expensive apartments being afforded by menial office workers, which is really no different than ranch life getting a grand make-over for TV. Hallmark usually romanticizes its settings, but considering that romance is Hallmark's specialty, I find this sort of error easy to overlook (if not poke fun at and ultimately enjoy). That being said, Abby's "farm attire" that she went to a chic boutique to buy really was a bit of a stretch. And most of those outfits definitely didn't need a string of pearls to finish them off.
I would say that this film's biggest problem is how bland it is. While I appreciate that Abby and Ryan's reunion didn't start off with hostility (one of Hallmark's favorite tropes that really grates on me as a viewer), it didn't start off -- or continue -- with much of anything, really. Good chemistry can usually fill in these gaps, but the actors aren't exactly sweeping each other off their feet. There is absolutely no unpredictibility in this film; we know perfectly well in the first twenty minutes that these two are going to end up together despite Abby's inevitable pull back to New England at some point in the movie. Instead, we get a truly excessive amount of smiling at each other. Seriously, there's a lot of it. There's an entire montage of them repeatedly looking over their shoulders and grinning at each other while they're sprucing up Ryan's house. In the end, this story feels like it's lacking emotion more than anything else, which drags it down into forgettable territory.
This movie does do quite a few things right in my opinion, however, such as the subplot of Abby trying to break through with her father, even if the actor does seem a little miscast here (there sure is a lot of drawing out sentences and enunciating words strangely). Her attempt to bond with her father after battling with their distance was a relatable storyline, and I did get quite emotional during the scene when Abby's father shows her exactly how proud of her he is (even if the shrine he's built for her is a bit odd, and the scrapbooking he's done in her honor doesn't quite seem like the hobby of a man like him). Also, it was unbelievably refreshing that this movie didn't feature a side story of anyone unwillingly losing their farm/ranch/house/business that the main character has to step up to save. That one's been milked to death, and thankfully, this movie is free from that drama.
Overall, nothing special, but not exactly a waste of time either. Sweet but simple.
First off, let's get some of these reviewers' beef with this movie's portrayal of farm life out of the way. Is it unrealistically glamorous? Yes, absolutely. (I personally had to laugh out loud at the artfully arranged bales of hale with an aesthetically pleasing wheel propped up against it that Abby was using as an egg organizing station). Does Hallmark have a history of doing this with past movies as well? Yes, absolutely! But is anyone actually watching this movie (or any Hallmark movies, really) for an actual, rational depiction of most walks of life? Most movies taking place in the city feature lavishly expensive apartments being afforded by menial office workers, which is really no different than ranch life getting a grand make-over for TV. Hallmark usually romanticizes its settings, but considering that romance is Hallmark's specialty, I find this sort of error easy to overlook (if not poke fun at and ultimately enjoy). That being said, Abby's "farm attire" that she went to a chic boutique to buy really was a bit of a stretch. And most of those outfits definitely didn't need a string of pearls to finish them off.
I would say that this film's biggest problem is how bland it is. While I appreciate that Abby and Ryan's reunion didn't start off with hostility (one of Hallmark's favorite tropes that really grates on me as a viewer), it didn't start off -- or continue -- with much of anything, really. Good chemistry can usually fill in these gaps, but the actors aren't exactly sweeping each other off their feet. There is absolutely no unpredictibility in this film; we know perfectly well in the first twenty minutes that these two are going to end up together despite Abby's inevitable pull back to New England at some point in the movie. Instead, we get a truly excessive amount of smiling at each other. Seriously, there's a lot of it. There's an entire montage of them repeatedly looking over their shoulders and grinning at each other while they're sprucing up Ryan's house. In the end, this story feels like it's lacking emotion more than anything else, which drags it down into forgettable territory.
This movie does do quite a few things right in my opinion, however, such as the subplot of Abby trying to break through with her father, even if the actor does seem a little miscast here (there sure is a lot of drawing out sentences and enunciating words strangely). Her attempt to bond with her father after battling with their distance was a relatable storyline, and I did get quite emotional during the scene when Abby's father shows her exactly how proud of her he is (even if the shrine he's built for her is a bit odd, and the scrapbooking he's done in her honor doesn't quite seem like the hobby of a man like him). Also, it was unbelievably refreshing that this movie didn't feature a side story of anyone unwillingly losing their farm/ranch/house/business that the main character has to step up to save. That one's been milked to death, and thankfully, this movie is free from that drama.
Overall, nothing special, but not exactly a waste of time either. Sweet but simple.