This is one of those films where one can't help but wonder how it ever got past the drawing board. For a cast that's shown themselves to be much more talented than what this movie's giving them, I actually feel a bit bad that they had to act in this catastrophe and try to make something out of it.
The film's weakest point is easily Jen Lilley's character, Kate, who everyone in the reviews (rightfully) is incredibly annoyed by. She is unbelievably neurotic and overanalyzes every possible human task, and at first, I was intrigued by these traits, because most Hallmark female leads don't have a personality outside of "driven businesswoman," which is the default template of a woman through which every lead gets recycled. I applaud (but not energetically) Hallmark for trying to make their characters be less two-dimensional, but they failed extraordinarily in this venture by making Kate so overwhelmingly obnoxious in her constant anxiety. To make matters worse, she's not actually consistent in this anxiety. She's afraid of driving in a car in Canada, but has no problem getting in a taxi in New York. She fears everything, but gives her love interest Noah lessons on getting over his stage fright.
Some of the reviewers were charmed by the side couple, photographer Jayne and right-hand-businessman Simon, but I found them so out of the realm of realistic that I couldn't enjoy them either. As much as I love and appreciate a woman who makes the first move, she pursues Simon -- a man who gives her flirtations absolutely no reaction -- to a point where it's cringeworthy, until Simon, suddenly and miraculously, returns her feelings and makes it clear by buying out what looks like all the inventory of a flower shop. Cut to the next scene, they're cuddling in each other's arms and giving each other goodbye kisses. Simon himself attests to being a man of few words, but Jayne is somehow convinced that they'll make a long distance relationship work. Their entire relationship is so ludicrous that it was hard to take it seriously.
Also breaking the suspension of disbelief is male lead Noah, who wants to save his B&B business by becoming a tour guide. He is so laughably bad (and also laughably oblivious about being so bad) that it's hard to believe that he and Simon are hinging the success of their entire business on Noah's adventure tour. He obsesses over perfecting his script, never once considering that he might -- like all tour guides -- need to actually learn the information instead of just memorize and regurgitate it.
Needless to say, he and Kate -- inexplicably -- begin to fall for each other. Their chemistry is completely lost in the absurdity of this movie. Not helping their cause is the rocky beginning this couple has, having an awkward first meeting at the airport and, thereafter, uncomfortable scenes in which they do little but disagree. Kate pounds on the fact that she's from New York, the best city in the world, and is so stubborn in this short-sighted opinion that it's hard not to get bored of her repeating it every other scene. How Hallmark thought a grown woman who can't handle a car ride, is too afraid to order coffee in a foreign country, and is too closed-minded to think happiness exists outside of Manhattan, would be a likable character is beyond me. Her and all the other ridiculous choices made in the story made this movie downright bad.
All in all, I'd recommend skipping this movie and choosing another from Hallmark's winter line-up this year. Two stars for beautiful Canadian scenery.
The film's weakest point is easily Jen Lilley's character, Kate, who everyone in the reviews (rightfully) is incredibly annoyed by. She is unbelievably neurotic and overanalyzes every possible human task, and at first, I was intrigued by these traits, because most Hallmark female leads don't have a personality outside of "driven businesswoman," which is the default template of a woman through which every lead gets recycled. I applaud (but not energetically) Hallmark for trying to make their characters be less two-dimensional, but they failed extraordinarily in this venture by making Kate so overwhelmingly obnoxious in her constant anxiety. To make matters worse, she's not actually consistent in this anxiety. She's afraid of driving in a car in Canada, but has no problem getting in a taxi in New York. She fears everything, but gives her love interest Noah lessons on getting over his stage fright.
Some of the reviewers were charmed by the side couple, photographer Jayne and right-hand-businessman Simon, but I found them so out of the realm of realistic that I couldn't enjoy them either. As much as I love and appreciate a woman who makes the first move, she pursues Simon -- a man who gives her flirtations absolutely no reaction -- to a point where it's cringeworthy, until Simon, suddenly and miraculously, returns her feelings and makes it clear by buying out what looks like all the inventory of a flower shop. Cut to the next scene, they're cuddling in each other's arms and giving each other goodbye kisses. Simon himself attests to being a man of few words, but Jayne is somehow convinced that they'll make a long distance relationship work. Their entire relationship is so ludicrous that it was hard to take it seriously.
Also breaking the suspension of disbelief is male lead Noah, who wants to save his B&B business by becoming a tour guide. He is so laughably bad (and also laughably oblivious about being so bad) that it's hard to believe that he and Simon are hinging the success of their entire business on Noah's adventure tour. He obsesses over perfecting his script, never once considering that he might -- like all tour guides -- need to actually learn the information instead of just memorize and regurgitate it.
Needless to say, he and Kate -- inexplicably -- begin to fall for each other. Their chemistry is completely lost in the absurdity of this movie. Not helping their cause is the rocky beginning this couple has, having an awkward first meeting at the airport and, thereafter, uncomfortable scenes in which they do little but disagree. Kate pounds on the fact that she's from New York, the best city in the world, and is so stubborn in this short-sighted opinion that it's hard not to get bored of her repeating it every other scene. How Hallmark thought a grown woman who can't handle a car ride, is too afraid to order coffee in a foreign country, and is too closed-minded to think happiness exists outside of Manhattan, would be a likable character is beyond me. Her and all the other ridiculous choices made in the story made this movie downright bad.
All in all, I'd recommend skipping this movie and choosing another from Hallmark's winter line-up this year. Two stars for beautiful Canadian scenery.