Un coup de foudre en héritage

6.4 stars.

Hallmark burnout is the best way to describe 'Love, Once and Always'. This is the story of a woman who left her summer hometown in Rhode Island 10 years ago and went to London to pursue a career working in a museum. This whole idea of female protagonist leaving town, going to London, or some other big city, and coming back to town where she left a man behind...It's way too dreary a plot once you've seen it 126 times.

We aren't sure if she actually grew up in this town, but she says she loved the memories of spending the summers there at her great aunt's estate. She left a man behind who should have begged her to stay, but he didn't and the rest is history. Note the usual Hallmark repetitive stuff: she was gone for 10 years exactly. When someone leaves town and comes back it's almost always for 10 years. Sometimes 15 years, and rarely 20, but we never see an odd number like 13, or a reasonable number such as 6, 8, or 11. And when people have died, it's always 2, 4, or 5 years ago, sometimes 10.

She returns to town because they have both inherited half of her great aunt's huge estate. This whole "inherit half the estate" madness has been beat to death and it's so unlikely, so I'm just bored with it at this point. But the film was in 2018 so maybe if I'd seen it back then I would not feel this plot was overly abused at the time.

There is a lot of tension and anger for the first 45 minutes of this film which is quite alienating for the audience. These two leads have very little chemistry. He's a very good looking man, and I don't recall ever seeing him as a lead, so maybe his acting is a bit off. I've seen her in several Hallmark films, and I typically enjoy her work.

I won't be re-watching this movie ever again, unless perhaps I'm stuck watching it at a car dealership or the doctor's office waiting room.

I've watched a hundred or more Hallmark movies. This was one of the few that I have deleted before finishing it. I gave it two stars because I like Amanda Schull, who can pull off a romantic role. I found the male lead so unlikeable that I chose not to spend more time watching a light romance, when the hero is just plain mean. Hallmark movies often are based on the exact kind of conflict as used in this movie. One of the keys to the movie's success is a hero who disagrees with the heroine but is charming enough to make the viewer want to get to know him further. Andrew Walker handles this kind of role superbly and did so in a movie first shown within the last year. Porte is not charming and it's not the script in the part that I watched.

I agree with the other reviewer who pointed out that the "mansion" is ugly. It also is nothing like the mansions built in Rhode Island by American tycoons during the Gilded Age.

The story, by Sidney Sidner, would have been a good starting place for a real writer to develop a good story. As written it had holes you could drive a tank through. It had no feeling, no emotion, no chemistry and no spark. I watched it 3 times hoping I was missing something because the cast was great. It was not at all what we have come to expect from Hallmark.

Lucy (Amanda Schull) is the Director of Development for a London Museum. When she inherits the Wycliff Mansion in Rhode Island, where she spent her favorite summers, she travels to the U. S. to complete the paperwork. But she finds the situation is complicated; half of the estate is owned by Duncan (Peter Porte), the son of the property caretaker.

Each has a different vision for the property, which is in a state of disrepair. While they struggle to reconcile their differences, they must share the dwelling.

The two protagonists, who dated years ago, each work on plans to convince a developer that his/her plan is better. Lucy wants to preserve the historic property, while Duncan thinks the only practical solution is to develop the property as a golf course.

I have always been a fan of Amanda Schull ("Suits") and she enchants as usual in the role of Lucy. Peter Porte has a strong, affable presence that makes them a good pairing.

One cute scene comes when Lucy admits she is self-conscious of dancing. Those who have followed Ms. Schull's career know she started as a ballerina.

There is a wistful moment when Lucy says, "That's the great thing about history...it lasts forever." Since this film was made, those words have taken on deeper meaning, as recent history has seen the intentional destruction of many historic artifacts and the elimination of many historic names from the public marketplace of ideas.

If you like this film, you might want to check out another Hallmark film that has some similarities: "Autumn in the Vineyard".

This Hallmark romance is centered around real estate. But the house isn't that nice - definitely not real estate eye candy. Amanda Schull is cute - always been a fan. She and Pete Porte are okay together. They are ex couple who both jointly inherit an old house. She wants to preserve and he wants to sell and move on. When they agree to preserve the house and still have a Golf course there is a little misunderstanding. Not too bad.