It really pains me to write this review. Due to the increasing lack of inspiration and repetitiveness of Hallmark and other TV movies, I have nearly stopped writing reviews, as of lately. Yet, I have personally cherished Rhiannon Fish very much. She is beautiful, lively and, often, funny. So I approached this movie with some expectations and, now, I feel betrayed enough to openly complain. As I have earlier remarked about Hallmark Christmas productions, when script writers are running out of solid ideas, cannot convey real feelings and emotions, or embrace romance, they tend to engage the perilous slope of the farce. Unfortunately, creating a really appealing farce, while trying to express captivating human sentiments and uplifting values, is quite an arduous task, not unlikely to fail. So, we get these half-baked plots, navigating among the idiotic, the juvenile, the outlandish, and the morally corrupt. The characters result shallow, over the edge, forced, and a bit unpleasant. This is such an entry. I blame the script, maybe because I cannot accept that actors I usually like could be solely responsible for the disaster. How does one give life to an empty character with little integrity and superficial qualities? Rarely before I have sen Rhiannon so much overuse the same stereotyped facial expressions and exaggerated body language. But, she is not the only one that seems uncomfortable in his/her role. The interactions feel false, the romance is vapid, the entire bunch of characters appear amateurish. I do agree with earlier reviewers: the story stinks. Thank you Hallmark, for degrading my consideration of one of my favorite actresses!
On the other hand, and this is why I conferred an extra couple of stars to the film, Peru looks beautiful and the cinematography captures its spirit and attractions more than some documentary I have seen in the past. This may be the only reason why one may want to spend a little time and watch the movie.
