All Summer Long

Rated: G

Genre: Romance

Starring: Brennan Elliott and Autumn Reeser

Synopsis: Tia’s dream job of captaining a dining cruise hits rough water when her ex Jake is hired as the restaurant’s chef.

Review: Reeser and Elliott have good chemistry.  The story isn’t overly complex so it makes it easy to watch.  They manage to tell the story about the yacht and being a chef without using references that are difficult to understand.  It’s a nice enjoyable movie.

Scoring: 3

Blue Ridge (2020)

Rated: PG

Genres: Drama, Family

Starring: Jonathon Schaech, Sarah Lancaster, Graham Green, and Lara Silva

Synopsis: A murder in a sleepy town at the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains shocks the community and refuels a longtime feud between two families. It’s up to the new sheriff, Justin Wise, to solve the case before the town takes the law into its own hands. 

Review:  I am a big fan of Lancaster so I really wanted to love this movie.  Unfortunately, I never really got into it.  I’m not sure if it’s the overused plot of family feuds or the lack of character backstory or the fact that there are no real characters to like and root for.  Schaech and the other actors do a fantastic job with what they have.  It’s not one I’d watch repeatedly but it’s worth watching once.

Scoring: 2

Brush of Honor (2015)

Rated: PG

Genres: Drama, Family

Starring: Phil Taylor and Gary Sinise

Synopsis: Phil Taylor paints portraits of fallen American service members and presents them to their families in emotional ceremonies.

Review: This series helps viewers see the loss of soldiers from the point of view of their families, friends, and fellow soldiers.  It is a drama and it is about loss but more than that it feels like a celebration of the lives of these soldiers.  It doesn’t romanticize war but honors their sacrifice.

Scoring: 5

Father’s Day (1997)

Rated: PG-13

Genres: Comedy, Family

Starring: Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Nastassja Kinski, Bruce Greenwood, Mark McGrath

Synopsis: A woman cons two old boyfriends into searching for her runaway son by convincing both that they are the boy's father.

Review: It’s hard to do justice to the comedy success of this movie.  With Crystal and Williams starring you know it’s fantastic.  Williams plays the eccentric effusive character to Crystal’s which is more of a dry sense of humor.  They’re a perfect combination.  Enjoy this one and I hope you laugh as much as I did.

Scoring: 4

The Legend of 5 Mile Cave (2019)

Rated: PG-13

Genres: Drama, Family

Starring: Jill Wagner, Jet Jurgensmeyer, Adam Baldwin, and Jeremy Sumpter

Synopsis: A boy enchanted with the Old West unlocks a mystery that could save the family farm. A mysterious drifter arrives to rent a room, then forms a bond with the boy with breathtaking stories of a legendary gunslinger accused of a fabled stagecoach robbery. The truth is revealed when a crooked lawman appears, hot on the trail of the long-lost gold. 

Review: At first I was struggling to put the two stories together and figure out how Shooter Green connected them.  I loved the story of the mother and son and how they took care of each other following the loss of their husband/father.  This is a great movie for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day to celebrate the love of family.

Scoring: 4

Love And Sunshine

Rated: G

Genre: Romance

Starring: Danica McKellar and Mark Deklin

Synopsis: A woman has been fostering a dog as she recovers from a broken heart. As the owner returns to claim the dog will sparks fly or will it just lead to another broken heart?

Review: McKellar manages to pull off another likable, relatable, yet complex character.  I love the idea of someone fostering dogs for military personnel.  The love for the dog bringing these two lovely people together is adorable.  This movie is one of those sit back, relax, and just enjoy the ride types.  It’s worth watching more than once.

Scoring: 4

Love At First Dance

Rated: G

Genre: Romance

Starring: Becca Tobin and Niall Matter

Synopsis: Dance instructor Hope falls in love with her latest student, Manhattan's former most eligible bachelor, Eric. The only problem is, he is about to be married to someone else in an extravagant society wedding.

Review: Watching Hope and Eric as they evolve as people and deal with internal conflicts is something, we can all relate to.  Which path do we choose?  It’s done in a way that isn’t too syrupy or superficial.  It’s quite enjoyable.

Scoring: 4

Love At Sea

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Romance

Starring: Carlos PenaVega and Alexa PenaVega

Synopsis: Olivia stars as an event planner organizing a

culinary cruise and has everything set to the last detail...until she learns she'll be dealing with the rookie cruise director, Tony, who has his own way of doing things.

Review: I’m not a fan of real-life couples portraying couples in movies because it takes away from getting lost in the story for me. This may have affected how I viewed it. Even with that, it was a pretty good movie. The characters were written so well and were so interesting it made the story interesting.

Scoring: 3

Love At The Shore

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Family, Romance

Starring: Amanda Righetti and Peter Porte

Synopsis: Jenna Thompson writes novels and she has only five weeks to deliver the next one to her publisher. So, this year's annual beach vacation with her kids will be a working vacation. They soon meets their new next-door neighbor, Lucas McKinnon, with whom they will be sharing walls and a patio for the next month. After Lucas bonds with her children, Jenna begins to see a different side of Lucas, and when the two find themselves alone together one evening for dinner, each begins to see the other in a whole new light.

Review: This movie is interesting.  Of course, the children and the dog steal their scenes.  The romantic relationship evolves slowly, if expectedly.  The characters are easy to like and you’ll want them to find their happy ending.

Scoring: 4

Love In The Sun

Rated: G

Genres: Romance

Starring: Emeraude Toubia, Tom Maden and Shawn Christian

Synopsis: A dating app creator finds her views on love challenged when she returns home to Florida and reconnects with her high school sweetheart.

Review: This is basically a knockoff of Sweet Home Alabama minus the charm and humor.  It’s excruciatingly slow and other than a few people it’s poorly acted.  Even the beach scenery didn’t save it.  Save your time with this one.

Scoring: 1

Love On Safari

Rated: G

Genres: Adventure, Romance

Starring: Lacey Chabert

Synopsis: Web designer Kira in Chicago inherits a

wildlife reserve in South Africa. There she meets head ranger Tom. Will she sell it and return to her accountant boyfriend Brad?

Review: It’s really nice to see Kira’s attachment to the

reserve. It made me see the beauty and wonder of it through her eyes. I knew how it would end but I liked the twists and turns of the story. I also liked the cultural backdrop.

Scoring: 3

Love, Take Two

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Romance

Starring: Heather Hemmens and Cornelius Smith, Jr.

Synopsis: Reality TV show runner, Lily, heads to her small College town to film her latest show. She soon finds that one contestant is her ex-boyfriend, Scott. Even if he's supposed to be married on television, they can't deny their chemistry.

Review: It’s interesting how a couple can be so clearly mismatched but they don’t see it.  It’s equally interesting how a couple can be so perfectly matched and not see it.  This couple has to go through so many stages to discover their feelings and awkward situations to wade through.  It was refreshingly different than other movies.  It’s light and fun.

Scoring: 4

Ms. Matched

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Romance

Starring: Alexa PenaVega and Shawn Roberts

Synopsis: Upstart wedding planner Libby Boland makes dreams come true by designing romantic fairy tale weddings for her clients. Problem is there's no romance in her own life. 

Review: While they butt heads about their wedding philosophies, it’s done with respect.  Seeing how they meet in the middle makes the movie sweet.  I won’t give away the ending, even though you know it will be happy.  It’s really interesting hearing all the reasons why each feels so differently about weddings and money.  One I wouldn’t mind seeing again.

Scoring: 4

My One And Only

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Starring: Pascale Hutton, Sam Page, Stephen Huszar

Synopsis: Stephanie and Oliver try to determine if they're fated to be together as part of a reality show. Meanwhile, sparks fly between Stephanie and Alex, the handsome ranch owner who acts as their guide.

Review: This is another sweet romance.  The leads keep taking a step forward and a step backward as they work through their feelings.  I knew how it would end fairly early on but the scenery and actors were a pleasure to watch.

Scoring: 4

My Summer Prince

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Family, Romance

Starring: Taylor Cole, Jack Turner, and Lauren Holly

Synopsis: PR crisis manager Deidre and her assistant

Mandy fly in when rebellious royal Prince Colin is arrested in small-town Idaho. But when Deidre faces her own fiasco, Mandy finds herself with unexpected career (and romantic) opportunities.

Review: The plot is one you’ve seen before. Innocent girl meets prince, falls in love, prince founds out the truth about her, and the happy ending. However, suspend belief and just fall into the magic of the story. It’s very entertaining and the characters are easy to care for. Give this one a go.

Scoring: 4

Paris, Wine and Romance

Rated: G

Genre: Romance

Starring: Jen Lilley and Dan Jeannotte

Synopsis: Isabella, the owner of her family's Oregon winery, takes a big leap and enters a prestigious wine competition in Paris. There she meets her biggest competitor, Jacques, from one of the world's foremost winemaking families.

Review:  I really loved this movie.  If you’re looking to see Paris you may be disappointed as there are few scenes that show the city.  Lilley was perfectly cast as Isabella.  She manages to be a smart, vulnerable, strong, and kind leading lady.  It’s great seeing friendly competition.  There are also not too many details about the wine as they focus more on the characters and their stories.  Don’t miss it.

Scoring: 4

Pearl In Paradise

Rated: G

Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Romance

Starring: Jill Wagner and Kristoffer Polaha

Synopsis: An adventurous photographer and a less than adventurous novelist search for a mysterious pearl in the Paradise of Fiji.

Review: You can’t go wrong with the beautiful backdrop of Fiji. The story uses it to its full advantage. I loved seeing two people who are different go on an adventure together. I won’t say if they found the pearl but it doesn’t really matter in the end. It’s the adventure along the way that makes this so exciting.

Scoring: 4

Perfect Match

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Starring: Danica McKellar and Paul Greene

Synopsis: Forced to work together, two event planners learn that opposites can produce the most unexpected results.

Review: Imagine a groom who had strong opinions about a wedding, that was more like a bachelor party than a wedding and a bride who wanted a super feminine wedding trying to blend the two.  That’s what we see here.  Of course, they find a middle ground and learn that neither way is better than the other.  McKellar and Greene did a great job bringing their characters to life.

Scoring:4

A Ring By Spring

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Romance

Starring: Rachel Boston, Kirby Morrow

Synopsis: Always cynical of marriage, a confident business consultant finally gets a wake-up call when a fortuneteller predicts she will have a ring by spring or never marry and scrambles to avoid a destiny of a lifetime alone before it's too late.

Review: Somehow Rachel Boston always manages to keep her characters light and fun.  It’s the same in this movie.  It’s amazing how her character so immediately bonds with people.  I figured out who Mr. Right was but I wasn’t sure how the ring would happen.  It was a fun surprise.

Scoring: 4

Rome In Love

Rated: G

Genre: Romance

Starring: Italia Ricci and Peter Porte

Synopsis: An unknown actress lands the role of a lifetime in Rome.  Paired with an American journalist writing a profile, she will discover surprises about love and life.

Review: I had really high hopes for this movie given the Roman Holiday influence.  Unfortunately it fell just a little short.  It felt like they were trying to put too many stories into one plot.  That being said, It's not a bad movie.  Give it a shot, for the beauty of Rome, if no other reason.

Scoring: 3

Season For Love

Rated: G

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Autumn Reeser and Marc Blucas

Synopsis: After her divorce, a woman returns to her

hometown to spend the summer with her daughter and mother. At her daughter's urging, she signs up for the town's annual barbecue competition, where she runs into her high school sweetheart. Old feelings resurface as they spend time together, but she convinces herself that she has no time for distractions when there's a competition to win.

Review: It’s a fairly standard Hallmark movie. If you enjoy likable characters, cute children, comfortable tension, and a lovely home town, this is for you. I enjoyed Reeser and Blucas together in this film. I knew it would have the obligatory happy ending (which I love) but I really enjoyed the challenges the characters faced getting there.

Scoring: 3

Summer In The City

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Romance

Starring: Julianna Guill and Marc Bendavid

Synopsis: The star manager of a small-town clothing

store is suddenly promoted to run a company's flagship store... in Manhattan.  To make it in the big city, she must combine her newly acquired New York City street-smarts with a dash of homespun charm.

Review: It’s really interesting seeing the Midwestern girl attempt to adapt to New York while maintaining her true self. She’s attempting to survive in this new environment but she’s not trying to change herself, rather she’s trying to meld the two. Of course, romance follows. It’s a fun watch.

Scoring: 3

Summer In The Vineyard

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Romance

Starring: Rachel Leigh Cook and Brendan Penny

Synopsis: In the sequel to Autumn In The Vineyard, Sorrento Farms' first vintage is about to be bottled in

time Summer Fest, the town’s largest event.

Review: I wasn’t a huge fan of Autumn In The Vineyard and this movie has the same feel. I don’t know if it’s my lack of interest in winemaking or the lack of chemistry between the leads. It’s not a bad movie. It still held my interest enough. I suggest giving it a try.

Scoring: 2

Summer Of Dreams

Rated: G

Genres: Romance, Musical

Starring: Debbie Gibson and Pascale Hutton

Synopsis: Washed up pop-star has to move back to her

hometown and finds a new direction by teaching young music students at the local high-school. Romance is not far behind.

Review: This had the potential to be a really great movie. What made it less than that, for me, was Debbie Gibson using her song “Only In My Dreams”. It brought me back to seeing her as herself, rather than the character. Her acting was pretty good and I liked the rest of the cast. The students were well casted.

Scoring: 3

Summer Love

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Romance

Starring: Rachel Leigh Cook, Lucas Bryant, and Travis Milne

Synopsis: A widowed mom gets a summer internship at a tech company and draws the attention of two very different executives while learning about accounting, app designs and finding love.

Review: This was a refreshingly new take at a love triangle. I found myself rooting for Maya and wanting

her to make the right choice (I’ll let you decide who you think her right choice is). The backdrop of the tech

world with a lead who is finding her second act. I really enjoyed it.

Scoring: 4

A Summer To Remember

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Family, Romance

Starring: Catherine Bell and Cameron Mathison

Synopsis: Jessica Tucker, a widow and doctor, is trying

to juggle work and family. She takes a vacation to bond with her daughter.  Jessica books a stay at a resort in Fiji and strikes up a friendship with Will, the charming owner of the resort. As Jessica and Will spend more time together, she begins to relax and starts to wonder if this island paradise can give her the life - and love - she's always hoped for.

Review: It’s nice seeing characters with so many layers and real depth. It’s not a surprising ending but the scenery alone makes it worth watching. The growth and change within Jessica is, not surprisingly, relatable. It’s a good sit back and just enjoy movie.

Scoring: 3

Summer Villa

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Romance

Starring: Hilarie Burton and Victor Webster

Synopsis: A celebrity chef who is getting over a bad

review and a romance novelist who can't seem to get her next book started meet accidentally at a French villa.

Review: This may be my favorite of all the summer movies. The scenery is not only beautiful, there’s a

serenity to it. The characters have a realness to them. They could step right off the screen into life. I loved

watching how they evolved as people and as individuals. A must see.

Scoring: 5

Sun, Sand & Romance 

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Starring: Tricia Helfer and Paul Campbell

Synopsis: Kate reunites with an old friend when her boyfriend spends too much time working during their vacation.

Review: Here we have the usual “perfect on paper” boyfriend vs. the old friend who reminds you to enjoy life.  Not exactly a new plot but this movie puts its own twist on the old story.  Shep and Kate's adventures are amazing and the scenery is beautiful.  Paul Cambell seems to fit every character he plays perfectly.  It’s fun and an easy watch.

Scoring: 3

A Taste Of Summer

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Romance

Starring: Eric Winter and Roselyn Sanchez

Synopsis: Gabby moves to the town of Bright Shore, MA to open a restaurant after a stint as a sous chef in New York. Upon arrival, she encounters Caleb Delaney, a single father who runs his own restaurant and coaches the girls' softball team. Both restaurants will compete in the Taste of Summer Food Festival hosted in Bright Shore. During the course of the summer, Gabby finds joy in running her own restaurant as she rediscovers her passion and gets to know Caleb.

Review: Of all the Hallmark movies I’ve seen, I think this had some of the worst acting and lack of chemistry I’ve seen.  Eric Winter was fantastic, as usual, but the rest of the cast, minus the kids,  were pretty bad.  It took away from the story, which had potential.  The problem is the story is based on the parallel between the two leads’ competitiveness in the kitchen and as people but they were buddies too quickly.  The plot is there but the story didn’t promote it.  It’s not terrible but I wouldn’t watch a second time.  Eric Winter and the children are the only reason I didn’t give it a 1. 

Scoring: 2