Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone

This is a romantic story about a separated couple being shepherded back together by a supposed 16 year old niece. For me, the niece Gemma was the highlight, but the reconciliation story was sweet also.

Acting is good. There is chemistry between Mía Maestro and Tom Everett Scott. Despite the separation, Gemma's line that they are hopelessly in love (or just hopeless) is accurate even from the beginning. Emilia's character has been too much taken for granted and she needed far more comfort from her husband through their failed efforts at conceiving a child. That's where Gemma comes in. All of this is laid out fairly early in the story.

The general outcome is predictable as is Gemma's role in it. Even so Ella Ballentine's energy as Gemma, and how she infects Benedict with it, is a joy to watch. Maestro is immediately sympathetic as Emilia. She has a elegant beauty and a appealing personality.

Perhaps I should have expected the conflict because something from that direction was inevitable, but it caught me a little by surprise in how it played out.

My only complaint is that the 20 year old, Ballentine, seemed even more mature to me and I had a hard time accepting her as 16.

I really liked all the cast. I thought both Scott and Maestro did a excellent job but. Ballentine (Gemma) was the real reason this movie was so very good!

Wow! This movie was the first "marriage recovery" story I've ever watched that didn't feel at all depressing. In fact, it was beautiful and sweet and full of hope. For me, it was the niece's bright cheeriness and the uncle/husband's precious loyalty and gentlemanliness that made this movie so good.

Benedict Stone (Tom Everett Scott) is breaking up with his wife (Mía Maestro). One rainy night, his niece Gemma Stone (Ella Ballentine) suddenly shows up. He's been estranged from his brother for 20 years and has never met his niece. She claims to have lost her phone and can't remember her dad's phone number.

The movie starts with the obvious question of who is Gemma. There are some obvious possible avenues to take. One must also remember that this is Hallmark. There are a few possibilities. One big clue is Ben's comment that she looks like her brother. That zeroed in on a couple of solutions and it becomes a matter of waiting. The story itself is not that compelling. The characters are not that interesting either. Ben is moppy. In Gemma's case, she's random and obviously pushing an agenda. The mystery is not actually that mysterious. In that sense, the mystery remains the same throughout and it's a lot of waiting for the reveal. In the end, the reveal is underwhelming. It's probably the safest and least interesting of all the possibilities. This is not that interesting.

I did not get very far into this movie. I just couldn't get past the character of Gemma. I can put up with a lot of convenient plot, bad acting, and general "cheese" from Hallmark stuff, but bratty children plot devices are my line in the sand. Gemma is, quite possibly, the most annoying adolescent character I've ever come across in a Hallmark film. Not even Mary from The Secret Garden (1987) is this annoying and she's *supposed* be a snot at the beginning. Gemma just shows up out of nowhere, claiming she's Benedict's niece. The next thing you know she's living with him, managing his diet, and telling him how to run *his* business! Now, she might be right about the client not wanting the more traditional ring, but there's a time and a place, and that was neither. This might be a perfectly fine, straight down the middle Hallmark film, but the annoying lead girl irritated me enough to turn it off. I don't understand how this is getting so many 9 and 10 reviews.

4/10 Because I liked the actors who played Benedict and Emilia, and that beautiful, beautiful location.