TheresaWhetstone

Beauty and the Billionaire: Bali is about a doctor, Ivy (played by Charlotte Hemmings), who practices at a clinic in Indonesia which desperately needs funding to keep operating.

Dylan (portrayed by Samuel Whitten) is the billionaire who desperately needs positive publicity for his company as it faces negative headlines due to financial irregularities. He thinks offering funding to the little clinic would be a great move to make his company appear in a positive light.

The meet and greet between the two MCs was a disaster, ending in Dylan storming out of the clinic threatening to cancel funding.

In the meantime, his uncle Blake, Dylan's confidant and right-hand man in the company falls and hits his head developing a concussion.

After treatment at the very clinic he stormed out of, Dylan insists that Ivy drop her patients and stay in the villa with them to care for his uncle around-the-clock.

Yes there was the educated, caring beauty (Ivy) who would only take so much from the billionaire before a well-deserved clap back.

And yes, there was the cold, heartless rich guy (Dylan) who only thought of himself and treating everyone else as though they were put on the earth as an afterthought.

And of course, there was the back-and-forth dialog between the MCs gradually leading to the realization that opposites really do attract even ones who appear totally polar.

What happens afterwards is a journey neither one saw coming.

"Bali" captured the spectacular landscapes and touched on challenges facing the community. The film's pace may be a bit slow at some points, but that should be no surprise in tropical spaces.

This 2024 Beauty and the Billionaire: Bali has no character relations to the original Beauty and the Billionaire (also written by Brittany Wiscombe) released in 2022 other than the film's preface.

As of this writing, IMDB has no rating for this movie.

I would rate this movie a solid 6.0 for two reasons, 1) The beautiful scenery and 2) without giving too much away, the surprise motive of one of the characters.

Check out Beauty and The Billionaire: Bali. That surprise motive and ending alone makes "Bali" worth the watch.

A professor, Joselyn, travels to England to fulfil a quest she'd made with her mum, to someday visit the farm where her mum grew up.

Carol, Jos's mum, who died the year before, had already set in motion plans (plane tickets, reservations, etc) to turn that someday into reality.

In this Hallmark movie, each of the 4 main characters had intertwining challenges to overcome:

Jos suffered from anxiety attacks. Her journey to England included using the peace and fresh air of the countryside to write a research paper that would level her up to tenure. As a guest on the farm, Jos knew she had to return to the states in two weeks, but she found herself falling for the caretaker and his little girl.

Global marketer Daniel's career direction was re-directed to find a way to help his mother make the farm profitable. But his mother Merryn, holding on to the old ways, strongly resisted his idea for change. Daniel was also hit with the realization that his daughter was struggling in school and at the same time, the new guest was capturing his heart.

Merryn, Daniel's mother, cherishes the memory of her husband but often used his memory to guilt Daniel. She resists change to the farm and she doesn't support the growing feelings between Jos and Daniel as she is absolutely sure their "guest" will leave him like his wife did.

I loved little Teagan, Daniel's daughter, who really likes Jos. But Teagan faces her own challenges... dyslexia and knowing she will be faced with reading a poem during the upcoming Literary Festival.

Will Jos be able to help Teagan?

Will Merryn be able to put her differences aside and support her son?

Will Daniel be able to save the farm?

Will Jos secure tenure and continue her life in the States?

This Hallmark movie was no romcom. Nor was it a mystery. But it had a little drama, mystery, fantasy and of course romance.

There was no huge fight or romantic rival to break up the two MCs. This was a journey of people trying to find themselves and trying to find their way.

IMDB rates The Presence of Love a 7.1. I would drop it no lower than 6.8 for three reasons -1) The dialect was a hard for me to get use to and the pace of the movie was a bit slow -2) But a big plus was I loved the landscapes and being out in nature -3) the final boost is that I just like Eloise Mumford movies especially A Veteran's Christmas which was also an emotional Hallmark movie.

Go ahead and pick your day and time, The Presence of Love will be waiting for you.

Cinderella in the Caribbean is a blend of fantasy meets romance, good vs not-so-good and the entitled receiving their comeuppance.

Ashlyn, portrayed by Emma Reinagel, is a hard working student living stateside and supporting herself toward her college degree.

Out of the blue, enter her "evil" stepmother, Miriam, who announces she's getting married again in one week and insists Ashlyn drop everything and come be present at her destination wedding.

Ashlyn quickly finds out that the invitation was not extended because of motherly-love, but because Miriam's fiancé (Bruce) is insisting that Ashlyn join them at their rented villa in the Caribbean for family bonding during the nuptial preparations.

Next we meet the evil step children, a step-sister (Fiona) and a step-brother (Jerry) both playing their parts admirably. Their animosity and jealousy toward Ashlyn only get worse as the week progresses.

Then we meet Bruce's son, Noah. The kind-hearted and cute Noah (portrayed by romance new-comer Conor McGee) senses immediately that there is something off about his new, happy family.

Miriam has a motive for marrying Bruce, and I'm here to tell ya it's not for love. She's about to find out that wealthy, good guy Bruce is no fool.

Kudos to writer/actress Brittany Wiscombe for not only this contemporary take on an old tale, but spinning the same trope in her 2018 adaptation "Not Cinderella's Type," also a good watch.

So, my verdict on the Caribbean version?

IMDB gives Cinderella in the Caribbean a rating of 6.3. I think it deserves a higher rating of 7.5 and a place in your plans for a don't-bother-me weekend escape.