Happy New Love

Midnight at the Magnolia is a 2020 comedy romance film. Longtime friends and local radio hosts Maggie and Jack fake it as a couple. It's not your normal romance film but it was still good. A lovely light heated comedy romance to watch, little predictable in places but it's still very enjoyable to watch. The acting was good and Evan Williams and Natalie Hall played the characters well and made it believable. I quite enjoyed it I know it's a Christmas film and I'm watching it in January but I fancied watching something light heated and it certainly put a smile on my face. This movie is perfect for a Sunday afternoon in front of the fire with nice cup of hot chocolate. It's currently streaming on Netflix right now so give it a watch.

The writing was good, the actors (most of them) are talented, the leads have chemistry but then......it fizzles. Who's fault is it when that happens? Director?

The story is interesting enough to get you through to the cute ending but it leaves you with the feeling it could have been much better.

I'll keep it very simple. If you are the kind of person who loves Christmas movies and watches a handful of those cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies each year, then this movie is definitely for you because it is absolutely, positively better than about 9 out of 10 of those. If you don't enjoy that genre, then this probably wouldn't be the one to win you over. Personally, I'm always looking for the next Xmas gem as they start to roll out a little after Halloween (sometimes sooner). Most of them are forgettable, but short and sweet. This one snuck up on me and I really enjoyed it. And the two leads (especially the male) were quite good. 87 minutes of a cute and fun, albeit cliched, romance set to a Xmas background....nothing wrong with that in my opinion.

This romantic movie has a bit of a backward problem. It is one of the first *good friends turn into more* movies where I bought the *good friends* way better than the romance. The move has two characters who have been friends forever and happen to have an AM radio show in Chicago. But this doesn't quite work for me. How does that happen? Ie. your best friend from childhood gets a hosting job with you on radio? Seems improbable. Since all their listeners want them together anyway, they get the great idea to pretend to be a couple to boost ratings and get a syndication deal. The only problem is that this movie failed to provide any hint of a romance. The main male character, Jack, is wonderful but he doesn't do any of the particular things men in love do. No long looks at his beautiful best friend. No jealousy at other people looking at his hot BFF. In fact he doesn't seem to be interested in the female lead at all. The female lead is not particularly a great actress but I do buy that she has always had a thing for Jack which is getting in the way of other relationships. It isn't bad, and it is enjoyable. but you won't really get the UST you might be looking for.

A simple but sweet HOLIDAY LOVE STORY with a heart-warming couple and good chemistry to match.

No hidden Hollywood Agenda, just classic good joyful entertaining that NEVER GETS OLD.