All Summer Long

Considering the elements of a great cast and the theme of boating... what could go wrong? Simple, Hallmark once again has no eye for detail.

Hallmark has a way of messing up some obvious details to the point where it can spoil watching it. Note Hallmark people... when you mess up things like this, it pulls the viewer out of the movie and can just be frustrating.

Some examples:

• There really is a difference between sailing and managing a large motor yacht. Having the lead female suddenly become captain of a large and antique motor boat simply because she has a lot of experience sailing just would never work in the real world. These are totally different skills sets.

• The boat never went out for a shakedown cruise. It didn't appear to leave the dock until it was fully loaded with paying guests. This would never happen in real life. Note Hallmark... check with an experienced person now and then. My wife and thought that it was totally ridiculous to have the boat not go though numerous trial runs before launching for business.

• Location: You goofed up again and the fix would have been totally simple. Theoretically the boat was based around San Francisco... but nothing in the area being filmed looked remotely like the SF Bay. You had the lead character travel from Seattle down to SF to manage the boat, instead, had you reversed this, it would have worked. Having a location which looks like where it is filmed matters.

• They are starting a new business yet the lead characters keep going off for picnics and other social outings. Really? If I had owned this boat, I would have fired the lead two people and picked employees who are serious about work.

Hallmark makes enjoyable escapist fare, but these continual goofs keep harming the viewing experience.

I think of using live scenes of the gg bridge and historic lombard street of san francisco but not actual film there is wrong. Please think of the series alcatrez and how much anger the show made for fans who went to sf and found out those locations did not exist.

'All Summer Long' was watched with mixed expectations. Have liked Autumn Reeser and Brennan Elliott (both Hallmark regulars) in other things, with Reeser being more consistent in my view. Liked the idea of the setting. Having said that, the story didn't sound that attention grabbing and most the 2019 Summer Nights films were generally not too great (apart from 'Love and Sunshine', one of the best 2019 Hallmark films, and to a lesser extent 'A Summer Romance').

While not being irredeemable, 'All Summer Long' was not too great and was actually even less attention grabbing than it already sounded. Mediocre if you will, while not being one of the worst 2019 Hallmark films. The different setting sets it apart a little bit but could have been used better and everything that happens in the film is a long way from different or refreshing. If 'All Summer Long' works for others, that's fine by me but overall it regrettably was not my cup of tea.

There are a few decent things. The production values are at least professional looking, nothing drab or garish here and did like the ship setting a lot. The music is not over-powering or too constant.

Reeser does a good job carrying the film and is suitably effervescent, did appreciate that her character wasn't too perfect and that any flaws weren't exaggerated.

However, Elliott was a lot less good. Have liked him in other Hallmark films, but here his character is too much of a wimp and Elliott comes over as very bland and not particularly comfortable. He and Reeser don't just don't have spark in their chemistry, they seem disconnected and the relationship itself felt under-cooked. The supporting cast don't really register and of the characters only Reeser's has any degree of likeability. The others don't come over as real and either don't have much personality or are annoying.

Furthermore, the script is filled with cheese overload and is very awkward sounding too often. The backing and forthing comes over as contrived and there could have been less of it. The story is very flimsy in the first place and also suffers from a pedestrian pace and being extremely predictable and silly. The final act is contrived and the ending feels too pat and doesn't feel worth it for a relationship that wasn't investable. Goofs are very high in number, the film is full of them, showing little understanding of the setting, and some of the editing lacks cohesion. The direction never rises above routine and that's being generous.

In summary, very mediocre. 4/10.

Trivia comments mention Mariners tickets and the film being in San Francisco, CA where the baseball team would be the Giants. Tia and her dad live in Seattle, WA based on the wide shot of The Space Needle just before she speaks to him about a leave of absence. When she was speaking with her Uncle Roland she mentioned flying down to see him, in San Francisco, based on those wide shots. Hence, Mariners season tickets for her dad in Seattle.

This lame effort is saved by the appeal and the talents of the two stars, Autumn Reeser and Brennan Elliot. As always, their superior acting skills saved the day. They are very engaging with whomever they are paired with and it's about time they were paired together. I was not disappointed. i just wish they had been given a better vehicle worthy of their talents. And I got to say that "Admiral" character gave me the creeps for some reason. Also, a shout out to Christopher Russell, who played the romantic rival for Autumn's affection. He was her leading man in one of my very favorite Hallmark Romances, Midnight Masquerade.