Love on the Air

I give this an 8 out of 10, on my "hallmark movie scale". That is, sure, it's no Gone With the Wind. But relative to other HMM movies, this was really enjoyable. Even my husband, who is usually beside me napping/browsing the web, piped up that it was a whole lot better than my usual Sunday afternoon light fare.....

Anyhow, Alison Sweeney has got a real HMM thing going on, and is usually pretty charming and likable -as she is in this one. The lead guy is equally likable, and unlike most HMM movies, does not come across as gay (which, as an aside, is a major problem with this channel's movies - it's hard to get into the chemistry of a budding romance when the lead males are all so painfully, painfully gay. I don't know why HMM does this -- maybe they've tested their audiences and found out that they are drawn to this? But i digress....). The characters here have real chemistry, and great that, unlike so many HMM movies the lead woman actually has a real, successful career - and not just as a ubiquitous "event planner" or "marketing woman" or "wedding coordinator". And nice that she didn't quit said job at the end of the movie, as so many of these leads are inclined to do. Anyhow, just a cute fun movie, well acted, well-written, and pretty much lacking the painful awkward script moments that these movies usually have.

Sonia Mayerick (Alison Sweeney) has her own female empowerment radio show in Chicago. Her selfish boyfriend Scott Ryder ends their engagement on the air after listening to the popular man-cave show hosted by Nick Linden (Jonathan Scarfe). Sonia is substituting for a radio psychiatrist. She and Nick have an encounter. When Nick starts talking about her in his show, she is shocked to discover that she has been talking to the caveman himself. She barges into his show and chemical reaction occurs.

At the start, these are two annoying personalities. They are both know-it-alls. Her boyfriend does humanize her and his history does show more sides later on. I do see what the movie is setting up. Obviously, this is a meeting of combative opposites. It's a classic romantic trope although it's a little more edgy than the usual Hallmark fare. It boils down to the likeability of the two lead actors and the speed of their characters' growth. The explosive meet-hate of the first studio booth encounter piques my interest. They soften quite nicely. The reintroduction of Scott is good although he needs a more compelling actor. Without a better Scott, the triangle isn't strong enough. This is a solid Hallmark with a little spice.

I have watched a lot of Hallmark movies and this is one of the top. The banter is off the chart and made it really enjoyable for both of us watching. You still knew what was going to happen but super witty and great one liners.

If you're looking for a standard Hallmark Romcom with a bit extra to it, this is the movie for you. She's a career-driven radio adviser to women, always advising her audience to "be an island" (especially after her fiancé dumps her); he's also in the business, but his métier is single men who want to stay that way.

With a set-up like that, of course they wind up as a wrangling advice couple on the same radio show. Also, inevitably they will fall in love, but they won't figure that out until the end of the movie.

In the meantime, they wrangle, and Alison Sweeney and Jonathan Scarfe are very good at that, speaking in short, clipped, snarky put-downs. Normally I would credit the writer, the actors or the director, but I'd really like to know who the editor of this one is. The cutting, although simple, helps the pace immensely, which is what editing is supposed to do.

There is nothing that is extraordinary in this one, but here's what happens when everyone does a good job: a superior result.

I suspect that the writers were fans of Jane Austen. I think Austen would have enjoyed this immensely. I certainly did!

The banter is fun and the main characters have a lovely arc. Perfect chemistry between Scarfe and Sweeney. One of Hallmark's best!