An Unexpected Valentine

You know how formulate these things can be. A few minutes of heavily expositional dialogue where the characters say things to each other that they already know, strictly for the audience's benefit. A series of contrived events designed to illustrate the quirks of the leads and their apparent incompatibility. Gradual attraction. Then, at 9:35, one of them says something on a phone call that the other one overhears and misunderstands. Followed by reconciliation.

Not this one. This found a fresh path, with reasonable obstacles and a valid payoff. Very pleasant and unexpected. Still, I have one concern: Why did the radio DJ have to pull a 12-hour shift?

With a whole host of Hallmark movies that are hard to differentiate from each other; this one doesn't just step out of the box, it leaps. And the leap pays off.

Excellent and original script, charming characters, some romance & humor and it was shot beautifully.

As the characters drive through NYC, searching for the owner of a ring, they experience all forms of Valentine's Day - couples in various stages of their relationships. It's done with fun, instead of the typical schlocky romance you might get in a movie like this.

Robert Buckley and Lacey Chabert are really good, letting us watch their attraction grow as we get to know them through one evening of various Valentine celebrations.

I can be cynical when it comes to these movies, but this won me over. I loved everything about it.

The story is not important in this movie. The allure is in the time spent on screen between Lacey Chabert and Robert Buckley. The chemistry is great and the two of them are completely in sync. There are great lines. There are great moments. There is a little physical comedy, but not in a big way.

Mostly it is just two people who never met before on a quest in downtown New York City to find the owner of the engagement ring that was left behind in Finn's car. Along the way, they make a lot of stops. Some are in hopes of finding the owner. There are others involving deliveries. And a couple of rest stops.

If there were any of the usual check-off items for a rom/com, there were barely noticeable. Oh, there were the main character's close friends egging them on to pursue love, but I really didn't notice anything else cliche. Unless you count the inevitable.

7.3 stars.

I would classify this as a laid-back romance that is unusual for Hallmark. I've seen Hallmark produce movies like this but not in many years. This is a tribute to some of the older stuff they did maybe back around 2005 through 2012 give or take. It doesn't fit into the usual formula, however, it still has the same feeling of all the usual movies they produce. They simply inserted a completely foreign storyline, utilizing the hallmark blueprint.

It's the story of a man who delivers things in his large SUV around NYC. He also transports people, somewhat like an Uber driver. The rest of the film is about an adventure between the man and the woman as they try to find the owner of a lost engagement ring. They drive around the city for several hours. They both have prior engagements that they need to attend so they are on a time crunch.

It's a very laid-back and feel good film. The romantic aspects didn't knock me off my feet, but it was original enough to entertain without the usual over used tropes.

The movie was cute but it seemed kind of long. These are two of my favorite Hallmark actors. And they didn't disappoint. I really liked the fact that there was no tragic incident to make them break apart and then get back together at the last minute as in a typical Hallmark movie. They did, as usual save the kiss for last as in all of their other movies.

One more thing that didn't sit well with me was the fact they both had events to get to, but they sure took their time on their stops on the way. Who would stop and bake cookies.? I did like the fact they played familiar music when they were at the dance club.