2014's 'A Ring by Spring' did sound very charming even if the plot synopsis was nothing earth shattering. My Hallmark film completest quest (which has gradually overtime included Lifetime and UPTV), that is still ongoing with no intent to stop just yet, has been a very uneven endeavour but an interesting one with some real winners. Rachel Boston has been good in other films, though her films are uneven, and have always liked the much missed Kirby Morrow's voice acting.
'A Ring by Spring' is a winner, not quite one of the standout viewings of the whole Hallmark completest project but of the early 2010's films it is one of the better ones in my view. It is not earth shattering or anything out of the ordinary, but it was watched by me in the want of something charming, light hearted and heart-warming. 'A Ring by Spring' succeeded in all three of those areas on the whole, even if not every single area quite comes off. It is also a good representation of both leads, which is a good thing as that would have been a big problem if their performances were the opposite.
There is admittedly nothing new story wise. It is very easy to tell what is going to happen before it happens and the ending is the pretty typical Hallmark Christmas film sort of ending (meaning easily telegraphed and on the too neat side) not in doubt.
It is a slight film too, meaning that there are times where it drags a little.
Despite those few things, 'A Ring by Spring' is a charming, heart-warming charmer that succeeds at a vast majority of its aims. One of the biggest strengths is the very winning performance of Boston, very honest and moving performance as well as very sweet without being sugary. Liked her character too, it was easy to root for her and overcoming adversity and she's one that doesn't start off too perfectly and goes on a convincing journey. Morrow is very subtly charismatic, easy going and charming and their chemistry is very warm and never stiff. The supporting cast are solid.
Visually, 'A Ring by Spring' looks nice. It's not drably lit, is cohesively edited and the locations are made good use of and photographed in an easy on the eyes way. The music is not constant or overpowering. The dialogue doesn't have too much cheese and doesn't fall into schmaltz, it's amusing and sometimes movingly delivered with spirit. The direction is more than capable and while the story is far from perfect it is light hearted and heart-warming, with the sentiment never becoming too much.
Overall, very well done. 8/10.
