A Picture of Her

Beth is a fisherwoman, one could say, who is going to LA to take care of her fractured aunt. Jake is a freelance photographer who happens to be in a assignment when he runs into a beautiful scenario and takes a soon-to-be famous picture. Meanwhile, he meets Beth, go out with her and is infatuated with her from the very first moment.

I don't know what's with Tyler Hynes lately, I'm fascinated by the bad boy energy and looking forward to every movie he is in. Both him and Rhiannon Fish play the kind of characters that both of them have before. Him the mysterious, laid back guy and her the next door type of girl. (I even believe there is a reference to one of her previous movies: orcas) But it works. I thought their chemistry was decent.

Things about the movie that were weird or didn't like: the lies, it dragged on for more time than it should have. I thought it was the worst aspect of the movie. The character of the agent was suspicious, hints were given about him but we never got to find out what was going on. And the pace of the movie was weird for me, maybe because it completely shifted halfway through it.

Overall, it was a good movie. I wouldn't mind watching more movies with them, whether it's together or separately.

8.0 stars.

The film opens with a fisherwoman named Beth as first mate on her dad's boat in the Pacific Northwest. They learn of her aunt being injured so Beth goes to Los Angeles to take care of her while she convalesces. While in the city she meets a photojournalist named Jake and they fall in love. She soon finds out he has been lying to her, and in the midst of her grief she leaves the city never to return. Jake is left hanging and wishing he could have saved this fragile relationship he so callously dismantled.

The story is different than any Hallmark I've ever seen. First of all, there are few movies that showcase a professional photographer of his caliber, and the fact he's a paparazzi is interesting and fresh. Her character is not very fascinating, but I think she is a very pretty actress so there's wiggle room. Fish does have some idiosyncratic mannerisms that might be disenchanting for some viewers, but I still find her alluring. I feel I'm strangely in the minority based on the multiple scathing reviews.

'A Picture of Her' is an entertaining film for two reasons, the first being that the synergy between Hynes and Fish is undeniable. When they kiss it's real, there's no faking that level of chemistry. I like that she initiates the affection most of the time leaving us to feel like he's a real gentleman in spite of the biker boy/bad boy image he manifests. Secondly, this film provides a solid romance and a very enticing story. Don't focus on the nonessentials, keep your eye on the vibrancy and mystique that Hynes and Fish exude on the screen.

This movie is romantic in a way that is more than a relationship between the lead man and woman. It celebrates the beauty of life and the things around us. Many of these moves do that to some degree but this aspect really struck me in this movie.

I think Tyler Hynes is perfect for this move. He is quiet and thoughtful as Jake. Hynes and Rhiannon Fish have a nice chemistry with some banter between them, but quieter than in the movies where the leads are going hard at one another in the first third or half of the movie. The dialogue is representative of that and decent but not sparkling.

The story has a few borrowed elements from the formulaic, but it is mostly fresh.

I didn't think the bit between Beth and the agent made sense especially since the worldly and experienced Jake should have seen what was going on immediately or at least warned Beth beforehand.

I have always liked Tyler, but was surprised that this character was so complex... so perfectly portrayed. For me, the in-depth picture was not in the girl's picture he (as a paparazzi type), took of her. Rather, it was the male motorcycle driving, self introspective photographer Tyler created for us. You know him by the end of the film: inside and out.

The film is well written, well filmed, and so very well acted and directed. I highly recommend this movie to all audiences.

And, for those Tyler fans, those who know him as not only an actor, but also in his roles as writer, producer, and director... you will not be surprised, but thankful. For, with this picture, we see Tyler at his best. Enjoy!

Whenever Tyler Hynes is involved, I'm in, I really, really love his work and personality. This movie had not the greatest script, but Tyler and Rhiannon Fish did their best with incredible chemistry, humor, and I liked the instant genuine connection between the two. The aunt and the father were perfectly casted too, I liked their input very much. The movie was a lot quieter and slower in a good way, than we had seen both leads before. I've read a comment from someone, who thought, that Tyler Hynes didn't want to be in the movie, but I felt, that it was his way to play a somewhat disillusioned character, a photographer, who couldn't earn his living with his art and hated his own paparazzi work, but needed it nonetheless. Rhiannon is her bubbly, vivacious self, if you watch her interviews, she is just the same. And so I felt, that I get to see here a lot Tyler and Rhiannon, not only Jake and Beth. I already watched the movie 3 times, and believe me, it grows on you. Thank you, Hallmark, for the development of your movies from the boring formula to something fresh and genuine and for the support of interesting actors and their ideas!