Road Trip Romance (2022 TV Movie)
1/10
I like Natalie Hall but this was a terrible movie, especially when compared with April's A Royal Runaway Romance
15 May 2022
I really enjoy Hallmark movies, even the mediocre ones. But this is one of the worst Hallmark movies that I've ever seen. In fact, I was frankly stunned at how bad it was- and I like Natalie Hall. Admittedly I'm not the biggest fan of Corey Sevier. He was fine in Heart of the Holidays but I just don't see him as a romantic lead. But his casting wasn't the problem. The story was the problem.

Road trip romances can be fun because it gives a couple a chance to get to know each other (and we get to know the couple). The classic that set the standard was It Happened One Night. And Hallmark just had a far far better one than this 5 weeks ago with A Royal Runaway Romance. I also liked Debbie Macomber's Dashing Through the Snow, A Christmas Detour and even Cross Country Christmas.

But this road trip was a thoroughly unpleasant disaster (and not in a fun way). It was also wildly unrealistic and full of ridiculous coincidences starting with the chance meeting, the identical weird business sector, the identical ugly briefcases, the complete shutdown of Denver airport, the behavior at the car rental counter, the theft, the accident, and the borrowed truck. And the shared Seattle/Denver/Wichita connection.

And then there's a long list of the just plain annoying aspects of the movie:

Natalie Hall's character was rude and selfish in a few scenes that were way over the top.

And what's with the high school grudge?

Who doesn't listen to music or even talk radio on a long car ride?

The cringey Renaissance Festival ("in the middle of nowhere") was beyond nerdy and the refusal to allow phone chargers very irritating.

The rock music montage of the couple "enjoying" the festival was anachronistic and just awful.

But there was probably nothing as annoying as listening to the characters make every word end in "eth" over and over and over (it soundeth like fingernails on a blackboard)

The maid of honor wrote a toast suggesting they "tar and feather" the bride's Black future husband? Really?

The puns. Ugh.

The bride's best friend (a really annoying character) never met the best man?

The wrong church?

I could go on, but this Hallmark movie lover would like those 2 hours back.
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