Summer in the Vineyard

I found this one and Valentine's in the Vineyard much more enjoyable than the first. The friendly competition between all the vineyards is fun without being malicious, and the characters have good chemistry. The romance seems a little forced at times, but I think that is the lead actress just being a bit awkward.

A pale sequel to the very good Autumn in the Vineyard. The same beautiful landscapes without any of the interesting suspenseful plot points and multidimensional characters of the original. Frankie and Nate are trying to keep their new venture afloat but have conflicting management styles and suffer from a lack of communication. At the end they learn to work together. Thanks to a miracle at the end their vineyard is saved. Yawn.

I enjoyed both movies and I truly hope more will be made. For some reason I like those two actors together.

I think the biggest problem with this sequel is that it tried to do too much, but maybe the acting and direction weighed it down as well.

If I heard one more "The wine isn't ready yet" after Frankie tasted it, I was going to scream.

This sequel adds a romance between Nate's brother, Marco, and Frankie's cousin, Lexy. It's a nice enough side story with some good chemistry. This might have been the best part of the movie, or at least the easiest for the viewer to identify with.

For most of the movie, Frankie and Nate just weren't clicking. Even when they did click, it seemed strained when they definitely should have been nothing but happy.

The fate of Sorrento Vineyard seemed to rock back and forth as more issues were added to the mix that affected their financial future. I think it was too much for the movie to handle. They seemed to bounce from one issue to another without really giving the viewer time to absorb any of them.

As much as I liked Frankie and Nate in the first movie, I just couldn't get invested in their relationship in the sequel.

While not loving the first film in the trilogy 2016's 'Autumn in the Vineyard', it was still a nice film and by far the best film in the 'In the Vineyard' trilogy. Perhaps the only good one, did have quite a number of problems with the other two while not considering either of them terrible. Hallmark varies when it comes to its sequels, some surprised me pleasantly while others didn't feel needed and the quality wasn't the same. Expectations were mixed for 2017's 'Summer in the Vineyard'.

And the execution was rather mixed as well. 'Summer in the Vineyard' is not a terrible film and Hallmark did do much worse in 2017 (as well as better). Considering how good 'Autumn in the Vineyard' was, 'Summer in the Vineyard' wasn't the same, didn't have enough of what made that film click and also didn't feel needed. Also do agree that one does need to see 'Autumn in the Vineyard' to understand what goes on here, otherwise it is likely one will be lost.

'Summer in the Vineyard' definitely does have good things. The scenery is absolutely beautiful and the vibrant photography captures it very well. Rachael Leigh Cook is still perky and charming, she has lost none of that, and Brendan Penny has also lost none of his easy going and subtle charisma. He and Cook still gel very nicely. The chemistry is there still, but it could have been more playful. The supporting cast show a good deal of variety and enthusiasm.

Did have major issues with the writing and the story, but it did have cute and charming moments here and there. The editing is better here, with smoother transitions.

However, there is a lot that could have been much better. The characters are not particularly well developed and feel one-dimensional. Story-wise, the film is on the dull and bland side while also making the mistake of trying to include far too much. Which made it not easy to follow and also feeling over-stuffed. The writing is rather awkward and cheesy and some of the sentiment gets too much.

Furthermore, the direction did feel routine, while there is not much memorable about the music, the final act feels rushed and forced and much more could have been done with the vineyard setting. That aspect was done beautifully before but too underused here.

Overall, rather disappointing but has its moments. 5/10.