Retreat to You

After watching a lot of rom/coms lately, I've been totally underwhelmed by the dialogue, until now. This movie stood out to me for that reason. There are some funny gags also. Usually I don't like this kind of humor, exaggerated embarrassment, but somehow it clicked for me. Emilie Ullerup is almost always a winner for me and this was no exception. She and Peter Mooney have good chemistry.

This story is pretty simple. It's based on the premise of childhood best friends where one leaves the other at a bus stop and they go years without speaking to each other. Now they reconnect at an "adult summer camp". Lots of time is spent in the wilderness.

There is one flaw which occurs in a lot of movies. Abby is royally ticked at Sean when they see each other at the camp. Royally. Then all of a sudden they are spending time together like old friends despite not having hashed out the past yet. It's like the bad never happened they way they act. This gets even weirder when the past dpes come up again and starts the argument all over. My complaint is that the movie is very clumsy in how the two act toward one another without a smooth transition.

There is a secondary romance.

It wasn't horrible yet not great,very typical Hallmark rom-com.

Has all the usual clichés,which are trying to be refreshingly clever.

The lead female always plays in camping themed movies,therefore not shocking seeing her in this.

Of course it's about a cynical female that encounters past hurts,acts all frigid about stuff & suddenly changes based on a guy.. Where have I seen this? Oh right,every Hallmark production.

Just once would love seeing roles reversed,where a man changes his life/beliefs/city or whatever based on a female.

The cinematography was decent,overall casting ok & location fine.

Per usual could fall asleep or step away & feel nothing was missed,which says lots about script.

If you like the actors or corny movies,this one is for you!

7.8 stars.

This starts off like all the usual Hallmarks, two female best friends are heading off to a wilderness retreat to unwind and refresh before returning to their stressful reality. While at the retreat, the lead female's old best friend from high school happens to be attending as well. He sees her immediately, but she is a cynic and has some unfavorable memories of their parting so long ago and the circumstances. She quickly makes herself scarce, hoping to delay the inevitable "reunion" as long as possible. As we get to know her character, we are shown that she indeed is a very cynical person, but she prefers to be called a realist. Evidently, this is ultimately why her friend has dragged her to this retreat. Seeing her male best friend from the past has amped up the drama.

The story of their past is interesting and the director rewards us with some well crafted flashbacks featuring two younger actors portraying them as teenagers. These past shots are expertly done and very favorable to the entertainment value of the movie.

Eventually we learn why they haven't been in contact for so long and that whole trope was not a surprise at all. It's the same concoction of misunderstandings and ignorance amongst youths and the regrets they now feel and how they could have made better decisions...

This film was very well done, no matter what you may read in other reviews, both of these actors bring their "A" game. There are very heartfelt and tearful moments shared between them, and also between her and her best friend. I was surprised that the story doesn't fizzle out at any point, but continues to be entertaining and more endearing as time passes.

The dialogue is logical and meaningful, and I actually learned a few key fundamentals about friendship and loyalty. I thought I'd learned it all by now, but some new sage advice is waiting in the script of 'Retreat to You' if you wish to see for yourself. And when it hits you, grab a tissue.