Where Your Heart Belongs (2022 TV Movie) User Reviews

Truly unlikeable

[Jackbv123 · 4/10 · 3 January 2022]

The latest theme for rom/coms seems to be about influencers. So, take Mac as an influencer and put her into the role as a wedding planner for her best friend. Mac selfishly hijacks her best friend's "simple" wedding in order to save her career. Then she makes a lot of assumptions about her dad, his farm, and Dylan based on no facts and proceeds to insult everyone. All of this continues until so late in the movie, that as far as I'm concerned, anything she did to try to redeem herself was too little, too late. But wait! This is Hallmark. So, miracles happen.

I feel sorry for Dylan that he still loves this horrible woman. He should run far and fast in the other direction.

My heart did not belong to this movie

[jlbsword · 6/10 · 3 January 2022]

This was a disappointing effort and even the amazingly handsome, charming Christopher Russell could not save this one. Jen Lilley can act but why is she constantly given these roles of giggling, silly, insecure women. She was so rude and obnoxious to her best friend and pretty much everyone else in the movie. And a note to Hallmark production staff - hire a tree specialist! You cannot tap a cedar tree and if you could we would be awash with maple syrup here on Van. Island. Ours comes from Quebec. Sugar Maples grow in the East. Also, in many of the Christmas movies they had Douglas fir growing/sold in Eastern towns. This tree grows in the Pacific Northwest. And you cannot just walk through the woods and find a perfectly cultured tree. It takes years of clipping. How hard is it to get this information correct?? The ending was predictable and from reading the other reviews, most of us were quite happy when it was over.

Really bad story and script

[rhonnie-43139 · 5/10 · 23 January 2022]

I wanted to like this movie because I like the two leads but the story was soooo bland. I watched all of it which was painful but I was just hoping it would get better.

Unfortunately, it never did. These leads have to learn to turn down bad scripts and save us from these dumb storylines.

Avoid at all costs

[teepack-75312 · 3/10 · 2 January 2022]

From a non-existent plot to Jen Lilley's self-indulgent, whiny heroine, this movie is one to miss. It's like they got the green light for this production before they had a script and just made it up on the fly. Her character is completely self-absorbed and hijacks her best friend's wedding in an attempt to salvage her career. She learns her father's family Maple Syrup business is failing and doesn't really offer to do anything about it, other than accuse her former high school boyfriend of trying to steal the business when he's actually trying to save it. Her character is perhaps the most unlikeable heroine ever created by Hallmark. Even the scene when she realizes she's been a jerk comes across as her whining about her life instead of a genuine moment of self-discovery. Terrible directing, terrible writing and terrible acting.

Blech!

[jdhyvh · 6/10 · 5 January 2022]

I've never panned a Jen Lilley or Hallmark movie before, but this one was horrible! It only was deemed over a 5-star offering because of the supporting cast. The storyline may be timely, but the selfishness displayed in this one was over the top!

Dreadful

[rebekahrox · 2/10 · 2 January 2022]

This was dreadful. Jen Lilley seems doomed lately to playing contemptible characters. And contemptible characters that are written poorly. Mackenzie is a top marketing executive in New York City who is losing her clients to a shiny new rival. She is stressed out about that when her best friend moves her wedding up and needs her help to pull it off in their old home town. She hasn't been home since her mother died and did I hear right that it's been 10 years? Her father has health problems and his maple syrup business is failing because he stubbornly refuses to modernize despite the financial support and advice of his "employee", Mackenzie's old boyfriend played by Christopher Russell.

Her friend wants a simple hometown inexpensive wedding because that is the kind of down to earth person she is. Mackenzie basically hijacks her wedding to promote herself to her rapidly departing clients. The kicker is that she knows she is doing wrong, but just continues to do it. She uses her friend's easygoing nature to run roughshod over her while being on the phone almost constantly to her New York assistant talking about her career problems. She browbeats the bride into going with an ugly over-the-top designer dress instead of the flattering simple gown she loves and gets the lovely little country church trashed by the famous D. J. she hires and his followers who also deface a tree.

Meanwhile, even though she finds out her father's farm is in foreclosure, she makes no attempt to help or find out what's going on. She is just too busy and important unless she is flirting with Christopher. Near the end, she goes to the banker/lawyer who tells her that her Christopher actually has her father's power of attorney. That finally gets her attention and she concludes that CR is trying to steal her father's business when he was really financing it to save it. She pouts and sulks when she isn't looking panic-stricken and is just generally an A-#1 jerk to lovely Christopher as well as everyone else.

To make it all worse, Jen Lilley delivers many of her lines so quickly and incoherently it's like she wants to get them over with. She has no connection whatsoever with Christopher Russell. The fact that he, her father, and her friends put up with her throughout the whole movie just made this viewing experience even more unpleasant. The only one who finally stands up to her is the bride. Nelson Wong, who usually is a charming presence in any movie, is annoying and horrible in this, and the ending and resolution made no sense whatsoever. This production is populated with many regular Hallmark supporting players but even they cannot prop this one up.

Wretched, over-acted, seriously awful movie.

[nptomey · 24 August 2022]

I stumbled across this movie today. I actually watched it originally early on in 2022. It is right up there with forgettable Hallmark Movies.

Jen Lilley is not one of my fave Hallmark stars. Her character in this tripe is one of the major reasons I do not care for her assorted movies. Not only was her character a selfish, shallow and whiny airhead, she was downright disgustedly boring in this entry.

Her treatment of the rest of characters was deplorable.

Christopher Russell is very pleasing to the eye, but he was seriously dull and less than animated in this presentation. What a waste of his talent. He had a cameo in Supernatural for all of ten minutes and stole the scene from the Winchester boys. He has not been able to stretch his acting for the majority of his Hallmark Movies. It would be nice to see him in a role with some chops. This movie was truly awful.

Failing Grade in Chemistry & Geography.

[JP95 · 6/10 · 10 January 2022]

I mean, at least get the geography right? I know it's BC and all (I'm from there), but....you're telling me they couldn't find a single hardwood tree to stand in for a maple? Even a birch or an oak would be more believable than a Western Red Cedar in a forest of other cedars.

Plus, as others have noted, absolutely zero chemistry between the leads, which is basically the bare minimum of what I ask of a Hallmark movie.

I also found the bride character to be really unlikeable (though the actress is part of my favorite scene in Mean Girls) so it was hard to care what happened with her wedding (she and her groom also had zero chemistry).

Also, hard to tell what Jenn Lilley even *actually* looks like, because of the absurd clown's mask of makeup she wears at all times. Caked on foundation, terrible brown-orange eyeshadow, and gobs and gobs of mascara - how did she even keep her eyes open under the weight? She is obviously an attractive woman; why ruin her this way?

I didn't hate this as much as some reviewers (yikes, what were you all expecting?) but it definitely misses the mark in some key areas. Even for Hallmark.

I'm Glad She's Not My Friend

[jeanne54121 · 3/10 · 2 January 2022]

This is my first review, and I have been watching A LOT of Hallmark movies during the pandemic. I understand that certain things can get overlooked when researching a movie; however, if you are making a movie about maple syruping, you might want to tap a maple tree and not a pine tree. Maybe that's why her dad's farm is facing foreclosure.

As sweet as maple syrup!

[cgvsluis · 7/10 · 21 January 2022]

"Love doesn't always come easily...love your partner for who they are and help them become who they want to be."

Mac is a New York marketing exec who's childhood best friend, Olivia, asks her to help plan her wedding in their small town. Mac has to work with Olivia's super hot cousin...and the chemistry is smokin'. Meanwhile her Dad's maple syrup business has been having trouble coming in to this century, but the cousin Dylan has been trying to help out.

The banter between the main romantic couple is fun, teasing and light and the best friends have some nice natural dialogue.

Light, simple, romantic...if that is your fare, this might be your thing...besides Dylan has a great smile!

Do Better, Hallmark

[JerseyGirl50 · 1/10 · 2 January 2022]

I came to read the reviews on this one because neither my husband nor I liked this film even a little bit and I thought maybe we were just missing something. Nope - our opinion is in line with the other four reviews here.

I'm not sure what happened with this movie. As others stated, Jen Lilly's character is one of the most annoying 'heroines' in any movie I've seen. She has no redeeming qualities and I'm surprised her friend put up with her as long as she did. I normally like Jen Lilly's performances, and perhaps it was a combination of the writing and directing, but she was completely off-putting in this one.

I'm on the fence about Christopher Russell in general, but in this movie there was absolutely zero chemistry between his character and Jen Lilly's.

The writing tried to stay true to Hallmark's formula (someone from the big city comes home to their small hometown, reconnects with a high school sweetheart, gets along well until 20 minutes remaining in the movie, has a major misunderstanding that would have been avoided had the main characters just communicated instead of jumping to conclusions and then with five minutes remaining a magical resolution occurs with no hard feelings on either side and everyone lives happily ever after) and don't get me wrong - I like the formula - it's nice to know you're going to have a happy ending. These movies aren't meant to be anything more than a couple hours of escapism from reality. But the writers here missed the mark and there was conflict/miscommunication all the way through due mostly to Jen Lilly's character's inability to see a topic of conversation through (usually topics she brought up to begin with).

I won't be watching this one more than once. Sorry, Hallmark. Do better.

Mackenzie "Mac" Sullivan (Jen Lilley)

[aab874 · 10/10 · 11 February 2022]

Favorite scene with

Mackenzie "Mac" Sullivan (Jen Lilley) - Beating Dylan at Pool and then Slow Dancing with him at the Only Bar in Town. BTW #1, I Love Nelson Wong! He Rocks and Rules! BTW #2, I Loved this movie!

Endless drivel

[MickyG333 · 6/10 · 12 March 2023]

5.7 Stars.

I am always honest and realistic with my reviews. First of all, this is not a b-rated film, cut-rate, rudimentary, inferior, or crude. In other words, this film has decent production value as do most Hallmark films. What it lacks is every aspect that makes for an entertaining story. "Where Your Heart Belongs" is full of incessant blather and pointless banter. This is more boring than watching a home video of a bunch of angsty adults trying to fill the void with useless chit chat. What is the plot? There really is no plot. She is home to plan her best friend's wedding, that is it. Is she rude and heartless? I suppose. What I see is a character study of a confused person whose aspirations to be famous are more important than her friends. On the other hand it's inconsistent in its presentation and not quite believable. It's a strange film with strange ideas and no direction whatsoever. I lost sight of the point about half way through. This one seems to be rated lower than most, if not all the Hallmark films I've seen. I've been more disappointed with a few other films that were very poorly made and with bad stories. This film is not poorly made, but it's very plain.

Not my cup of tea!

[careersearchdc · 2/10 · 2 January 2022]

What happened! This was a Hallmark movie, but awful! The acting needs help, the script needs help. I left to get my dinner and took my time returning, and exited the room multiple times. Flipped the channel! Hallmark please hire new writers that have a passion for story writing!

Where your brain does not belong.

[gfrasmd · 3/10 · 2 January 2022]

Somebody at Hallmark has forgotten that cinematography is a form of VISUAL Art in MOTION. The ACTION is supposed to provide real drama and offer the actors the canvas on which to create and project, with expressions and body language, emotions and feelings. When uninspired script writers, directors, and actors are unable to deliver the above, we get these shows with little meaningful action, filled with lengthy dialogs, where the characters tell the viewers what they are expected to believe, perceive, and absorb. Just because they could never get that otherwise. So, families and friends seem to have nothing better to think about, than spending time convincing the main characters they are great and made for each other, while, in reality, they come out as, more or less good looking, empty shells, with no clear merits or endearing qualities that could inspire respect, let alone love. And this, when they are not totally unlikable! In this specific movie, Mackenzie, hammed up by Jen Lilley, is a superficial, inconsiderate, self-centered young woman who creates her own silly dramas by mistreating friends and rushing to judgement. There is no chemistry with Dylan and God knows what reasons he should have to like her at all! Of course, we are supposed to believe it possible, because everybody else in the move tell us so. Absolutely nothing in the movie explain the predictable few-minutes ending.

Last year, Hallmark begun the winter season with a cute production, "Taking a shot at love", which was followed by an entire year of mostly vapid, very forgettable shows. This year they are off with a miserable start. I dread to think at what will follow. Hallmark has taken the road to B,C, an D movies, as in Boring, Cliche', and Disappointing or Dumb. Mass production means messy quality.

Always A Bridesmaid?

[ginzu-82817 · 4/10 · 4 January 2022]

Is Nelson Wong always someone's assistant?

Either way, not a good portrayal this time.

Not a surprising plot, or ending, but definitely a less-than-stellar production.

Actually seemed like a waste of talent for a couple of usually watchable lead actors.

Run, do not walk, away from this drivel

[d-robold · 2/10 · 3 January 2022]

Unlikable. Horrible. Ghastly mess. If it isn't bad enough that Hallmark decided Christmas started before Halloween, the first new non-Christmas movie shown in 2022 is dreadful. Unbelievable plot. Other than the bride and groom, basically unlikable characters. I had seen the same preview for this movie countless times earlier, and should have followed my instincts and ignored this irritating offering. Hallmark really needs to make their executives and writers watch the older movies that were made with heart, intelligence, and a desire to present the very best. Quality over quantity.

Major fail on all counts

[caseybones · 3/10 · 2 January 2022]

Let it suffice to say that a movie about a maple syrup "farm" that starts with the leads tapping cedar trees is doomed to go downhill and it certainly does. That should have been the first clue about how much of a train wreck it would be.

Jen Lilley is totally unlikeable, I can't even imagine why the hunk would even be the least bit interested in her. And she, the dutiful daughter, has gone for 10 years and been absent through her father's cardiac problems, sees foreclosure notices (like they stamp that on the outside of envelopes - sheesh), and promptly turns on the love interest who is the only one trying to help.

Add to that the egregious conduct about her BFF's wedding and she should have been pushed off a cliff somewhere.

The supporting cast chews the scenary like a stalk of celery. What a waste of air time. Run, do not walk, away from this mess.

Female Lead Character Is Horrendous

[gavink-22420 · 1/10 · 9 January 2022]

I am well aware of the Hallmark movie playbook and all the cheesiness that comes along with it. Usually it is good for a mindless 2 hours, but this movie was beyond terrible for one glaring reason: the lead female character. Mac is incredibly unlikable, selfish, self-absorbed and written as a complete moron. She leaves a viewer unable to root for the happy ending. The only reason I was able to finish it, after falling asleep twice during viewing, is my stubbornness to always finish what I start. Don't waste your time on this mess.

Get back on track Hallmark

[Sergiodave · 3/10 · 11 January 2022]

I really don't like the direction Hallmark are heading for some of their features. Don't like the Influencer rubbish, the main character is awful and deserves to spend a lifetime alone. I thought the last episode of Mystery 101, which was also completely wrong, was just a bump in the road, but maybe not, unfortunately. Get your game together Hallmark.

Good not great.

[chasemix · 5/10 · 7 January 2022]

I liked this movie but, what is up with the towns people and their negative attitudes? The woman at the bakery and the woman at the wedding dress store?

It was okay

[EPMD57 · 5/10 · 7 March 2022]

I still love Jen Lilley, but this was a pretty mediocre movie. The ending was more cringe than cute, the supporting cast was its usual annoying self, and the romance felt half-baked.

Not memorable, but also not the worst thing you could watch.

Don't waste your time.

[Avidviewer-02847 · 3/10 · 5 January 2022]

The writing stinks, the dialog is just drivel. Two solid leads, Jen Lilley and Christopher Russell and their dialog is embarrassing to listen to. After Lilley and Russell, the caliber of the cast goes down hill. Christopher Russell in tight shirts doesn't make up for a bad script.

Following the maple syrup theme, there is another movie out, "Sweet as Maple Syrup" and that one is better, watch it instead.

Negative rating - one is too generous

[toncincin · 1/10 · 15 January 2022]

What a dreadful movie. Jen Lilley's constant whiney voice was like fingernails on a chalkboard. Why anyone is her friend is beside me. Get a clue Hallmark. Most of your recent storylines suck.

Unlikable main character and mediocre movie

[romancemoviefanatic · 5/10 · 3 January 2022]

Happy New Year everyone! With the ringing in of 2022 Hallmark is gifting us with weekly "New Year, New Movies" on their channel. January 1 gave us a new Jen Lilley and Christopher Russell movie - Where Your Heart Belongs. So I was really looking forward to this new movie as I am a huge fan of both Christopher Russell and Jen Lilley. I enjoyed them in their other movie Love Unleashed and was excited to see what they had in store for us this time. Well...it really didn't do as much as I was hoping for. It was just a mediocre movie. It was worth the watch but I definitely wouldn't watch it again.

Mack (Lilley) is a marketing executive who is struggling to keep clients as she isn't up-to-date with marketing in the digital world. Her best friend Olivia (Morrison) announces that she and her fiance have decided to get married in 2 weeks in their hometown and asks Mack to help. Mack agrees and heads home to her father, her old stomping ground and to her family's struggling maple syrup farm. Olivia hasn't been home since her mom died 10 years ago and finds out that an old friend Dylan (Russell) is now helping her dad and the farm. Dylan just happens to be best friends with the groom and Mack and Dylan find themselves thrown together to do some wedding planning. What follows is your typical Hallmark story line. City girl goes home and stumbles across an old beau. They don't like each other, grow to like each other, city girl blows an "issue" way out of proportion, reconciles with old flame and decides to leave city life for her new beau.

So first let me start off by saying that there were three things in this movie that kept me watching. The first two were Jill Morrison and Christopher Russell. Jill Morrison played Olivia, the bride and was wonderful. I enjoyed every minute she was on screen. She was lovable, funny, and I just wanted her as my best friend. I really liked her in this role. Her scenes when trying on the couture wedding dresses was brilliant. And Christopher Russell...well he could pull weeds and I would watch him. He was charming, good looking, devoted and a solid lead. Yes he was a bit of a dud at times but I overlooked that as he was just fun to watch.

The third appeal of the movie was the chemistry between Lilley and Russell was good. They had some really sweet moments that were cute, quick, and lovable. I thought they were really cute during the towel flicking sequence and the dance number at the end was quite nice. Lilley and Russell work well together and they achieved that again with this movie albeit the story line and writing of the movie was a lot weaker then their other movie. They still had chemistry and were enjoyable to watch.

Let's move on to the one thing that I didn't like in this movie.... Jen Lilley's character and at time even her! I hate saying this as I am usually a Jen Lilley fan but not in this movie. From the beginning of this movie Mack was so involved in her business and herself, she came across as one of the most selfish people who wouldn't make a great friend. Not sure why Olivia even gave her the time of day. I mean Olivia had to text her when she was sitting at the same table as her to gain any sort of attention and she still asked her to help with the wedding. Seriously? And the way Mack just steamrolled Olivia's wedding plans. The girl wanted simple and charming like she was. Instead Mack just comes in and gives over the top and awful. Honestly if my maid of honour would have rolled in those dresses and said I looked amazing in something I clearly didn't, she wouldn't be my maid of honour for long. The funny thing is though, then she would be the best maid of honour and throw her a very thoughtful bridal shower. She was all over the place and her friend was way to understanding and lenient. Not to mention Mack's hot and cold with Dylan. What was that about? When she went to the bank and blew everything way out of proportion instead of just asking him to explain, you just wanted Dylan to run the other way. Don't think I would have been so forgiving like he was at the wedding after she treated him like garbage. Jen Lilley was endearing at times and then other times seemed apathetic. Kind of like she didn't know what she was doing or where she was.

Anyway a lukewarm start to Hallmark 2022 movies. Hopefully things will look up from here.