Lead with Your Heart

This is not a fluffy Hallmark romance comedy. It shows in an entertaining way a very real issue between couples not necessarily just ones that are married a long time - having things in common and being interested in what interests the other spouse. William Baldwin has a rather strange expression on his face but the rest of the cast is good.

The couple are empty nesters, she likes the ballet, he likes baseball. Do couples really have to like what the other one is interested in? Or is it okay to have separate interests?

More Hallmark movies could be like this - prettily made but still deal with a real life problem.

This movie deals with reality: kids about to leave, 2 careers, busy life, outside people relationships, past the first romantic years. The empty nest period is when a GREAT NUMBER of marriages break up. If the above describes you, this is a good movie to use as a wake-up call. Not only that it is well acted, has a note of realism & shows a couple still in love, but....watch it you might like it also. James Welch Henderson, Arkansas 1/17/2021

Lead with your hearth is an OK movie: good, not great. It's a family movie which you can see with everyone, including kids and teenagers (and talk about later). It is not the typical romantic comedy, and there is no melodrama either. The characters represent very normal people facing a real issue. Few twists and turns but enough to keep you tuned. A couple for twenty years. But the nest is on the verge of becoming empty with all kids in college. Wife and husband have different tastes and have to face the challenge of a great job opportunity for one of them that may make them drift apart. The plot follows from there. Sober and good acting. Enjoyable.

Ben (William Baldwin) and Maura McCabe Walker (Kari Matchett) seem to have a perfect life with their teen son Adam applying for college and daughter Lacey is away. Maura has a possible promotion at the bank taking her away to the big city of Minneapolis. With an emptying nest and underlying personal differences, the couple finds themselves drifting apart.

The drift is too slow which keeps the movie rather bland for the first half hour. Instead of talking about it, they need to be hit with something. I know that Hallmark doesn't want real drama but it should try. I don't really care about the kids. I don't care about the parents. I'm not rooting for some sitcom contrivances but this movie needs something. The reality of the slow drift does not give much intensity.

Have always admired any film that explores family relationships and mature themes. Hallmark have proven more than once that they can explore family relationships and mature themes well, where there are good intentions well executed, where the results are heart-warming and heartfelt. So not all their films explore merely one formula, and 'Lead with Your Heart' is not one of the too formulaic ones. Really liked the idea for the film and the themes, so expectations were not low.

'Lead with Your Heart' is pleasant and inoffensive enough and has a lot to recommend it, with its emotion and good intentions. It is though very uneven, with some real pacing issues and one performance that didn't really pass the mustard. As far as 2015's Hallmark's films go, 'Lead with Your Heart' is not one of the best. Nor is it one of the worst. In ranking, it is probably somewhere in the middle, being a decent time passer but not an awful lot more.

There is a lot done well. Most of the performances are committed, moving and charming and the chemistry sincere. The production values are strong, with photography that is not drab or garish or static or overblown and the picturesque scenery is even better. The music isn't intrusive in placement and isn't used too much, while there is not much memorable it is easy on the ears.

Furthermore, the script flows well and doesn't go too far on the cheese or the sugar. The story isn't perfect, but is often poignant and heart warming and a nice job is done with the themes, done in a sincere way and never coming over as childish.

On the other hand, not everything works. William Baldwin spends his whole screen time looking perpetually befuddled and like he was in pain and his character annoyed rather than charmed or warmed me. His interaction with his colleagues generally is too distant feeling.

Also felt that the story execution was patchy, with a very draggy and uneventful first half an hour, too much pedestrian pacing and a serious lack of tension in the too little conflict there is. With so little conflict and how easy it is to see how things would resolve and resolved very easily the film did feel bland as a result.

In conclusion, decent time passer but not an awful lot more. 6/10.