La maison sur la plage

With a better than usual cast, a slightly more serious story and pretty scenery this is above the usual Hallmark standard. Minka Kelly is prettier than TV movie standard. Andie Macdowell is lovely here. Chad Michael Murray uses a rather exaggerated accent.

A city girl comes home and of course you know where she will end up. Her mom is not well. The turtle births are cute to see.

Worth one watch.

The plot is a bit more unusual for a Hallmark movie, though not completely original. Some scenes were frustratingly uncomfortable. Chad Michael Murray's attempt at a southern accent made me laugh at times. The beautiful scenery of the South Carolina island is the best highlight! I saw lots of advertisements for this movie leading up to the premiere, but I was not expecting the story to be so emotionally heavy. Have tissues ready!

Saw 'The Beach House' primarily for that it was part of a Hallmark completest quest that was begun just over three years ago, beginning with just the Christmas output and then moving on to the other seasonal blockings. Really appreciate it too when Hallmark tackles serious family issues and relationships (and they have done this very well numerous times) and some Hallmark Hall of Fame films are well worth watching. Chad Michael Murray has come on a lot generally.

'The Beach House' impressed me a lot on the whole and is up there among the better 2018 Hallmark films, a strong contender for the best of the films aired between January and April of the 2018 output. It does fall short of being a great film, but it is not hard to see why it was chosen as a Hallmark Hall of Fame film and has the trademarks of them and the quality of the best of them. A lot of things are done really well and the issues and relationships that 'The Beach House' were tackled very well indeed in my view.

It isn't perfect. It does agreed end on an anti-climactic note.

Also thought that Murray was on the wooden side here in an underdeveloped role and his terrible accent is a distraction.

However, there are a lot of very good things here. Most of the acting is very good, with Andie MacDowell and Mackenzie Vega giving nuanced, moving performances and Minka Kelly to me did bring heart and charm to her role, despite the film being a case of the supporting characters being more interesting and fleshed out than the leads. Donny Boaz to me was fine. While the two lead characters are rather typical, a lot of effort was done developing the characters and allowing one to relate to them. MacDowell's is especially well realised.

For me, Kelly and Murray did have a nice low key chemistry that didn't feel forced but it's the family relationships that are more developed and investable, the mother and daughter one was relatable.

It is a good looking film, especially the scenery. Something that Hallmark often delivered on, even in their misfires. The music isn't over-scored or too constant. The script isn't awkward and has a few amusing moments amongst the many very sweet and touching dramatic ones while keeping sentimentality at bay. The story is not innovative but clearly knew exactly what it wanted to be and do, and has lightness, warmth and charm. As well as well meaning honesty and poignancy.

Overall, very nicely done. 8/10.

Set in South Carolina but filmed in Georgia, Savannah and Tybee Island. A 30-something daughter left home some 15 years earlier to make her career in Chicago. A very difficult dad was her impetus. Now dad is long gone and she is coming home to visit mom and brother, but also with a secret, she has lost her job and has some life decisions to make.

She quickly meets up again with an old friend who had been more, they have sparks right away but she is very reluctant. She fully expects to head back to Chicago soon and doesn't want to start up something again.

This get really complex when her mother tells all of them she has an inoperable condition and this is probably her last summer. The movie follows a typical clean Hallmark path and my wife and I enjoyed it as pleasant entertainment.

At home streaming from Amazon .

I'm glad to see Hallmark finally getting back on track with a good Hallmark Hall of Fame movie rather than their usual Hallmark romantic junk.