Falling in Love in Niagara

Madeline's (Jocelyn Hudo) fiancé breaks up with her just before their wedding because she is not spontaneous. Her sister Harley convinces her to visit their honeymoon spot, Niagara Falls, anyway, since the accommodations were paid for. And it would give her a chance to show him that he was wrong about her.

At the falls, the two women go for their arranged tour, and Mike (Dan Jeannotte) is assigned as their guide. Things do not go smoothly, and Madeline---who really is not flexible or spontaneous---complains continuously. Fortunately, Mike does not give up easily. He mends their fractured relationship and spends considerable time convincing Madeline that she can be adventurous. She slowly learns to live outside of her comfort zone.

The best parts of the film are the numerous shots of the falls and the surrounding area. It's like a panoramic travelogue that, no doubt, will spur actual bookings to the Niagara area.

I often think that the setup in Hallmark-type movies is extended too long, especially when it is overdone tropes like this movie starts out. Come on, I think, get to the real story. Well this movie shows me that concept to a miserable extreme. Another extreme that goes along with that was the cardboard caricature of the jerk fiancé. Such a creep and he was bad from the first second on screen. (I'm sure the actor was playing it the way he was told.)

All this might be OK if the leading lady was OK. Jocelyn Hudon had definite moments of being likeable, when her character was halfway normal. In fact, she is one of Hallmark's most likeable young lady actors. She killed it in some of her outfits. But Maddie is more than just quirky. She is flat out neurotic and crazy. To make it worse, the movie rushes her through first neurotic, then normal, then neurotic again, then normal again. Some of the confusion might make sense since this is a woman who had been put down first by her parents (backstory) and then by her fiancé. Mike and her sister show her freedom from that. This all might have worked in the story, but the transitions were rushed and the traits were exaggerated. It all left me cringing. She makes instant decisions that are absolutely insane towards the end. Maddie's character arc was not the only thing rushed, but it was the most significant.

Hudon and Dan Jeannotte are good together after they get past the ridiculous meet-cute, which wasn't that cute. Their relationship is also rushed with a lot of screen time being spent on shots of them enjoying Niagra scenery. Niagra was the star of the movie.

Madeline is a type A kind of person, she likes color charts, everything planned to the minute. So, when her fiancee leaves her five weeks before the wedding all her plans go out the window. She decides to be more adventurous and go on her planned honeymoon with her sister.

There she meets Mike, he is adventurous and just let's life flow. They have a meet cute, maybe not to so cute, and they later meet when they discover he is her tourist guide.

The movie started out great, it developed great, they go on great adventures and it's fun. The actors have great chemistry. I really enjoyed their banter.

The ending was disappointing for me. It makes total sense if you consider the journey the characters went through. But I expected better from Madeline. And maybe Mike deserved better.

I totally recommend this. It follows the classic formula of a Hallmark movie.

7.8 stars.

A quirky woman gets dumped 5 weeks before her wedding and is persuaded to go on her honeymoon anyway; but instead of going with her fiance, she lets her older sister tag along. While in Niagara, she ends up falling in love with a man who is dealing with his own emotional baggage. They don't get along at first (go figure), but eventually she warms up to him in spite of his standoffishness, and he tolerates her eccentricities. He is a tour guide who likes to be spontaneous, and he helps her be more impulsive and adventurous (she likes to make lists). She doesn't realize what a catch she actually is, because her fiance has belittled her for too long.

Hallmark finds it fascinating to paint a picture of a stunningly gorgeous and sophisticated woman as being nutty and unorthodox (she is somewhat of a control freak). No wonder her fiance has had enough. Although the actress makes the character totally endearing, a real person would make anyone crazy after a few years.

This is not how life works. We don't find women like this exhibiting these particular traits. It just doesn't mesh with reality. And then she meets a fun-loving and insanely good looking man, but he's just a defeated and disheveled shell? Again, it doesn't ring true, at least, not in the sort of environment or circumstances portrayed in this film.

Unfortunately, this installment of the Hallmark universe (I think this is Hallmark) is so eerily similar to so many forerunners of its kind. Frankly, I think they were foaming at the mouth to film in Niagara falls. I can only imagine it's probably one of the most expensive locations in the world for permits. I'm betting it was all filmed in the Canadian section. I know the skywheel is in Canada (online maps show it in Canada), but for the rest of the footage, it's all conjecture.

But whatever, I like the actors, because they were all charismatic and entertaining.

That should have been the name of the movie. She is probably one of the worst heroines Hallmark ever created. Maddie is next level, and not in a good way. Her fiancé is a piece of work. Their interaction in the beginning screamed red flags. Her personality is quite vexing, and it continues as she takes her sister on her honeymoon because Jason, the jerk, ended their relationship.

The main lead is fine-probably one of the best parts of the movie-but they didn't have an ounce of chemistry.

The icing on the cake was the end when Jason demanded he and Maddie get back together, and she agreed. What?!?! After he treated her poorly and continued to do so, she went back to him and shattered the tour guide love interest. I actually screamed at the television.

It truly was annoying, even when she told Jason to peace out. The scenery was amazing. That's the only plus.