La saison du coup de foudre

First of all. DREAM BIG. Take risks. That's what this movie is about. (Besides love, right?)

One might think that because this is a Hallmark movie it'll just like all movies they have ever made. But every once in a while there are a few that are above average. This is one of those for me.

Two weeks ago I discover that Andrew W. Walker and Nikki Deloach were having another movie together, and after watching "A Dream of Christmas", who wouldn't want to see them working together again? Personally, the chemistry between the actors, in any movie, is one of the most important things for me. In the first the chemistry was there, and in here? Oh boy it is there too. I started smiling like a fool ever since their first scene together.

Nikki Deloach, aka Jessica, seems to be one of those people whose smile brightens the room when she steps in, and Andrew W. Walker aka Chase (appart from being one of my favorite Hallmark guys) seems like a pretty charming guy. Put them together and you have this movie. Both characters were great, they both have a back story and i'm glad we got to see more of Andrew's character this time.

The script was amazing, original - the theme was something I haven't seen before from Hallmark - I was waiting for the moment they would screw up the plot, but fortunately it didn't come. Predictable? Maybe, but in this case it's what made me enjoy the story. I knew there was a problem coming up or that they were about to have a scene alone.

If there is something missing in this movie it's probably that scene between the characters in which the girl falls on top of the guy, or they are stuck together, those clumsy yet adorable moments. And maybe a line that would make me laugh out-loud.

I swear the movie lasted 30 minutes, not an hour and a half, I loved it. It's rare to see two leads working together again, three seems pretty impossible, but I really hope they get to do another movie together.

Although not a bad movie, the plot was pretty well identical to many other Hallmark style movies. I just about fell over laughing though, when the restaurant reopened and people were lined up to get in, as that must have been the point where the director realized the 'open' sign was facing the wrong way and turned it around; if only they had turned it around sooner, maybe those potential customers would have already stopped in, and the renovations wouldn't have been necessary. The idea that a used car lot would have a dirty vehicle for sale is ridiculous and anyone who knows anything about cars would have groaned when the lead actor remarked "the struts need work". It killed some time and had a happy ending though, so that was what was really important. If you are willing to overlook the shortcomings, this is a pleasant enough movie to watch with your mother.

I love the chemistry between Nikki and Andrew sparks fly immediately. She never looks at Brett once like she does Chase. Wesley does a great job as Jessica's son.

It's very refreshing to see a quiet film with likeable leads who seem to inhabit their characters effortlessly. The baseball connection was what drew me in, and the fact that Walker reminded me so much of Elroy Hirsch aka "Crazylegs" who actually played himself in a bio-pic back in 1953 When you get tired of the constant overdone cgi, speed, explosions, and gratuitous violence in much of today's screen fare it pays off to check out the Hallmark films. I've caught a few others with Andrew Walker and he always gives a believable, sincere performance which overrides the sometimes contrived cuteness of the plots. This is the one that left the first and lasting impression...understated, but sweet and memorable. .

Jessica (Nikki Deloach) is a single mom running her late grandpa's small town restaurant while facing new competition. She's dating insurance salesman Brett. Her old flame Chase Taynor (Andrew W. Walker) is back home visiting his parents. He can't find a new team after allowing a grand slam to lose the World Series in game 7. He starts teaching her son Wesley to play baseball.

This is a Hallmark channel movie. It's better than most of its kind. Grading on a curve, this deserves a passing grade. The leads are long time solid actors. Neither really got to be stars but both have worked consistently. They fit the characters and have solid chemistry together. They are photogenic with some depths of lost. The story is basically good looking middle age people finding their way back to each other again. It doesn't get much simpler than this.