To Barcelona, with Love

To Barcelona, With Love is easily one of the best Hallmark movies of the year - and I say that as someone who watches a lot of them. The true standout here is the dynamic pairing of Ashley Williams and Alison Sweeney, two top-tier actresses who share the screen beautifully. Their chemistry is warm and effortless.

I've seen some comments calling out their age or their quirks - and honestly, that's missing the point entirely. These are accomplished women playing layered, funny, and yes, occasionally awkward characters in a way that feels authentic and earned. It's rare (and deeply appreciated) to see a Hallmark movie that allows its characters to be both vulnerable and vibrant without leaning on tired tropes.

The writing is another high point. It's smart, timely, and genuinely funny - balancing the scenic escapism of Barcelona with relatable emotional beats about friendship, purpose, and unexpected love. I found myself laughing out loud in moments and fully invested in the characters' journeys.

If you're tired of formulaic love stories and want something with a little more heart and humor, To Barcelona, With Love delivers. Looking forward to the second part!

Most of the other reviews found flaws with the characterization and age of the leads. While I see where they're coming from, I can't agree with them on much.

I think they come across as real people, with real issues. The plot is not especially unique, but Hallmark rarely has totally original ideas. This was better than average by a good measure. Yes, the characters were quirky to say the least, but Ashley Williams is playing a character who lives in the moment, and she does it well.

One of you said they are playing as if younger, but I don't see that. They are mature women, still struggling with discovering themselves. For some that happens as teenagers, but some of us take much longer.

I think this is a story of discovery and hope, and having seasoned actresses makes it more meaningful.

After a long week and my daughter in bed, it was nice to just lay back, have a snack and watch this sweet comforting movie. It was the same feeling I got when I watched Vicky Christina Barcelona. I want to go to Barcelona, drink wine, discover hidden places, and eat delicious food off the beaten path all the while doing it with a friend. I think both actresses are so genuine together. To be honest, I could watch this movie without the men and just pretend I'm on a girls trip with Ashley and Alison. I read some of the reviews prior to writing this and I have to say what world are we living in that women in their forties can't go and rediscover themselves all the while accusing them of having too much plastic surgery. Both women are adorable and look great, and frankly being a woman in my forties I don't need to watch a 20 year old find themselves in a romantic city in order for it be believable. Elizabeth Gilbert wasn't in her twenties when she traveled the world on her book advance for writing Eat, Pray, Love and that sold 30 million copies! Go watch this sweet feel good movie and ignore the haters.

I have loved both female leads in many previous Hallmark movies. But it is time for these two to move into different roles, unless the plot actually supports their ages. Both are within spitting distance of turning 50, yet these characters are supposed to be in their early to mid 30's. They just do not work in these types of roles anymore.

When AW was in her late 30's playing characters in their early 30's, it was believable. But now, the plastic surgery and over the top happy shiny manic behavior just doesn't work. The added distraction of terrible hair just makes this a tough sell.

The same goes for AS, who, while not as overboard in her acting, at 49, is just too old for this role. There is a conversation of wanting marriage and a family, part of which is not going to happen at 49 and 47.

Hallmark's loud background music has also become a horrible part of their movies now. Why?

Hallmark movies run the qualitative spectrum from bombs to masterpieces. One thing they do particularly well is adapting the premises of old literary classics to modern times. (My personal favorites of those are the ones adapted from the works of Jane Austen.)

I agree that the two lead females, Alison Sweeney and Ashley Williams, were a little too long in the tooth for their characters, but I'm not sure any two other actors would've done a better job with the chemistry between themselves and with the other characters. Both are in their 40s; Sweeney's character Erica is supposed to be an American who moved to Barcelona ten years earlier after breaking up with her boyfriend, so is at least in her early 30s and nothing says she can't be a bit older than that. Not a deal-breaker for me. Williams's character Anna is supposed to have just published her second romance novel, which readers and critics say indicate (correctly) that she has neither been to Barcelona nor ever been in love. Not a deal-breaker for me either; speaking of Jane Austen, she was one of the greatest romance novelists of all time and, granted that she lived over two centuries ago under the mores thereof, by all indications she died a 40something virgin; she was a great success remembered to this day while Anna's budding writing career is sinking fast. So age of the characters does not make for implausibility.

The promos for this movie didn't give any hint that there was going to be any kind of adaptation of an old classic. I thought this was going a be a run of the mill Hallmark Rom-Com for the first several minutes of the film. I was pleasantly surprised when the plot twist revealed that adaptation, which I recognized immediately, and was doubly surprised by the fact, since this was a movie set in Spain with two American characters and the remainder of the characters being Spanish, that the old classic was a French literary work about French characters, totally unexpected.

I don't want to have to post a Spoiler Alert, so as an unpublished novelist myself (I've been procrastinating on self-publication of one novel for literally decades) and having read a number books originally written in a foreign language, I've always wondered how accurate the English translations I've been reading were to the original work. Let's just say that the answer to that figures heavily in the plot and leads to the adaptation of the old classic. I can hardly wait for the second half of the story next weekend. Enjoy!