Caribbean Summer

A refreshing change from the typical Hallmark story and a lovely island location! Great chemistry between the characters although the first third of the movie felt a bit choppy and slow. Wish every Hallmark movie didn't have an awkward dance scene although the one in this film was a bit less awkward than most. Hallmark needs to give their actors quality scripts that are less formulaic. There is always some sort of festival/party, awkward dance scene, then a misunderstanding causing conflict 15 minutes before the end, followed by a quick resolution. There must be writers out there that can come up with more unique and original scripts.

First, most of our exposure to Hallmark romances are Christmas movies, so it was GREAT to see something with no fake snow. :-) This movie was filmed entirely in Belize, so the scenery is both relaxing and gorgeous.

The story reminds me of some books I used to read as a kids, where a family goes on vacation to somewhere like the Florida Keys and the kid stumbles into a mystery. Here it isn't a family, but a cable news producer who rents a house on a tropical island and find out she's been scammed into renting "some guy's" house. He lives there. He doesn't rent it.

He hesitantly offers to let her stay (and what real man wouldn't ... she's beautiful with a great figure LOL).

As they do pleasant island things, she wonders if he looks familiar, and thus begins the mystery ...

We VERY much enjoyed this movie.

I really enjoyed this movie and would watch it again. It has a strong cast and gorgeous scenery - I felt like I'd been on an island vacation myself by the time I had finished watching. The 2 leads were great together and the character development of both of them was well done. They became more likable as the story played out. I was unfamiliar with Ser'Darius Blain but really enjoyed getting to know him here. Loved his character with the laid-back kindness. A lot of just plain goodness in this movie, which is refreshing. We should all have so much loyalty from those around us. This is a winner for Hallmark and I hope we see more of all these actors in the future.

While there are echoes of some familiar themes, play this movie through and it is a different kind of story. The major difference doesn't show up until more or less the middle. Starting out, it looks a little familiar. Jade has an embarrassing breakup and needs to escape for some recuperation. She's not a reporter, but she has that instinct and thinks she sees a story in the scam she got caught in. The workaholic doesn't want to let go and keeps communicating with her buddies back at the newsroom in NYC. Meanwhile, pretty much everyone else is telling her to slow down and relax. For a while, we see her start to do that, and in so doing she begins to notice that Ford is a hunk (which everyone else is pointing out to her).

The twist in the middle changes the whole story and peaks the viewer's interest. Unfortunately, a lot of predictable stuff happens as a direct result of that twist. Even so, I thought the twist was good and the pacing of the story also.

I didn't recognize that I had seen and loved Heather Hemmens last Christmas but also another movie I didn't like. I can't say I've seen Ser'Darius Blain before. I thought they had good chemistry even if the Ford character is pretty laid back. I liked that their initial confrontation was totally reasonable given the ridiculous circumstances. Ford had sympathy for Jade's situation and Jade, whom I thought was going to be a prima donna, acted appropriately apologetic. The obligatory misunderstanding, or really secret exposure, was also reasonably done. Jade maybe could have explained better, but it made sense how Ford reacted. These are little things, but I liked how they ran just a little bit contrary to how those things are usually done in these movies.

The dialogue has some high points. The scenery has breathtaking moments. Supporting actors are good.

I've been a fan of Hallmark Channel for several years now as it's been difficult to find a TV show that's worth watching. Though Hallmark Channel movies are formulaic with many having the same basic story, they're still better than most network programing. And of course some are better than others with Caribbean Summer one of the better ones! The story here is somewhat original and Heather Hemmens and Ser'Darius Blain do a great job in the leading roles. The supporting cast is very good and the location scenery from Belize is terrific! Definitely one of the good ones from Hallmark.