Célibataire et fabuleuse!

This was very very frustrating to watch. Almost unbearable. But before I get into it, I just want to say how sad it is to see so many narrow minded reviews on IMDb criticizing Hallmark's impressive move towards being more diverse and inclusive. The people who throw around phrases like "woke garbage" and "woke agenda" just because Hallmark no longer ignores the lives of the billions of people who aren't heterosexual or White really need therapy. It's "disheartening" to read reviews that characterize tame vanilla depictions of same sex love as "immoral" and "filth". I'm a huge Hallmark fan and have been for many years. I have been generally impressed with how these new kinds of characters have been added to story lines, usually quite effectively (Love, Classified for example). But having diverse characters doesn't magically transform a bad movie into a good movie.

Teri Hatcher (who's 57) plays Mindy, who's turning 50 in the movie. She spends a lot of time telling everyone she's having a mid-life crisis and whines about getting older even though she's generally attractive and seems to have her health, a daughter who loves her, a fulfilling job, and lives in a beautiful home on a lake. None of that insulates her from feeling depressed, of course, but it's hard for the average viewer to have much empathy for someone like her, or be entertained by a movie with wall to wall whining and irrational behavior.

James Tupper (who's also 57) plays Sam, Mindy's first love from high school. He's a month younger than Mindy and, coincidentally, the uncle of the woman that Mindy's daughter Rita wants to marry. He is, according to Mindy, very "chill" and seemingly unbothered by the aging process. But, he later admits to feeling "insignificant and lost" and complains that in high school, Mindy made him feel that he "wasn't good enough". He certainly does his share of whining too. Indeed, one gets the feeling that all this angst and unhappiness would have played out better in a lengthy novel than in a Hallmark movie.

For reasons that are never explained in a satisfactory or believable way, Sam joins his adult niece Emily at the home of Emily's future mother-in-law (even though Emily didn't then know that Mindy was going to be her future mother-in-law). She's basically there for her girlfriend Rita, who's determined to plan an over the top birthday party for her mother- over her mother's repeated objections. Meanwhile, Sam and Mindy haven't said a word to each other in over 3 decades but, suddenly, he's staying at Mindy's place for a week because ....?

Mindy's home is quite nice, and presumably has plenty of room for her, her ex husband, her ex boyfriend, her daughter and her daughter's girlfriend. It also has a lovely private dock, a private beach, a lakeside fire pit, amazing rock work, a huge kitchen, a long wraparound deck, and it has a lake on one side and something akin to a National Park with a thrilling suspension bridge on the other. I realize that her EX husband is a doctor, but that house would have been pricey for 2 doctors who were still married. And yet she is somehow able to live there even though she's divorced and living on a teacher's salary. And she inexplicably thinks nothing of giving up her job as a teacher with no plan for what's next, or how to pay the mortgage. And her ex, who was presumably paying her alimony (which would have been based on their incomes), isn't thrilled with that development. But, as usual, Hallmark doesn't bother with pesky things like financial realities.

And no one thinks it's weird that Mindy's ex-husband Marc is invited by his daughter to live at Mindy's home for a week? Joining Emily, Rita, Mindy, and her ex boyfriend Sam? Actually, Mindy's therapist/friend does question the odd (ridiculous) arrangement:

Nathalie: "You could have said no" Mindy: "We both know that's not my forte"

Really? She couldn't say no, even though she was all too willing to share her strongly held opinions about what her daughter Rita should do with her life? No one who's been through a bad divorce, following a long marriage, would think of this arrangement as anything other than BONKERS. In the real world, Mindy would tell her daughter: "No, I don't want your father, who was the one who wanted the divorce, moving back in with me for a week, while my old high school boyfriend is also living with me for a week, while your future wife is also living with us for a week, while I'm having a complete mental breakdown over the fact that I'm turning 50."

There's a lot to not like about Mindy:

Sam: 'I can't say yes to you if I don't mean it" Mindy: "Really? I do it all the time"

What a peach. She even steals Sam's line later in the movie because, you know, growth.

But one of the worst moments occurs when she screams at the Octoberfest bar maids. Ugh. I REALLY hated her character at that point.

And then revealing special secret plans in a self absorbed hysterical fit? Ugh.

Although the love between Emily and Rita was believable, they shared Mindy's unrealistic approach to life. Quit their jobs and travel the country for a year together ? With what money? The problem wasn't that they were gay, the problem was that they were making very questionable choices which, as usual, ignored the fact that food, gas, shelter, etc. Costs money. Ugh.

This was a really unpleasant viewing experience. But it doesn't represent the far better quality movies that Hallmark has been making. See one of those instead.

A woman, beautiful at any age, has a crisis because she is getting older? Join the club! Not everyone has the DNA option of being physically attractive as they go through all the unfair trails of life as they grow older. And turning 50? Healthy and attractive and financially set? Get real! Such a dumb movie, based on shallow, empty characters with empty matters pressing on their shallow lives.

I have no more words to add to the required 600 characters, just want to say this movie makes me cringe. On my shallowest day, I was never this bad. So self absorbed and oblivious to what is going on.

A woman, beautiful at any age, has a crisis because she is getting older? Join the club! Not everyone has the DNA option of being physically attractive as they go through all the unfair trails of life as they grow older. And turning 50? Healthy and attractive and financially set? Get real! Such a dumb movie, based on shallow, empty characters with empty matters pressing on their shallow lives.

I have no more words to add to the required 600 characters, just want to say this movie makes me cringe. On my shallowest day, I was never this bad. So self absorbed and oblivious to what is going on.

The first part I saw it with interest and sympathy. I ignored the invoked age - no doubts, about to have 60, not exactly 50- and the dialogue on beach has nice dose of realism in this context.

I loved the actors and few scenes parent - daughter.

But the second part has the mission to ruin everything. Because the story seems only an improvisation in drinkness - deep tire condition, the lesbian love and total carefree of girls works to a kind of manifesto not so pleasant, the men in her life are a sort of pieces of selfish game and the end seems reduced to rain and three anniversary cakes.

The virtue - good idea of romance about 69 crisis.

Had this movie been geared toward 60 it would have been perfect. I love the actors; however, from the beginning there was absolutely no way Teri could pull off 49 at 57 - so the entire movie had no believability, especially those that know age. Other than that cute film but it was never a connection because if the age place on her. Looks great at 57 but not 49. You can clearly tell once the movie started and she announced 49 from her hands face etc. I'm 60 and look (from others 55) but there's no way that I could pull off 49 either. I literally have watched every hallmark movie made (even twice) this is my first review.

So many bad reviews here, but I found it to be a lovely easy watching movie. Are they sometimes a bit of a stretch... yes! But that's what we've come to enjoy...I always look forward to the new movies. It's a great way to spend an evening.

Happy to see that Hallmark has become a progressive company with real world story lines.

People that are offended by same sex relationship are not living in 2022. Everyone deserves to be represented in film or tv.

Terry Hatcher was great! Yes she is playing a character a few years younger but who cares... I would recommend this movie. It's hallmark people... just enjoy!