Falling for You

Relax people, this is a romance and it's Hallmark... it's what they do! I actually found this movie to be one of the more enjoyable ones. There are small towns like this one portrayed in real life, my hometown is small and has lots of "small town" festivities throughout the year! I thought the lead actors had really good chemistry together. I enjoyed the plot in regards to "chasing your dreams" or "stay and play it safe"... In my opinion, I did not care for the supporting characters, perhaps because there really wasn't any story development for them and the acting was fair. All in all, I enjoyed it! The male lead, Tyler Hynes reminds me of an actor of my generation, I'm 54 but I just cannot recall. He definitely has some "swagger" lol ... in a good way, he's handsome. Good job to all.

Hallmark writers seem to think that things like bake sales (sorry bake off) or starting a baking business on the side can solve all kinds of financial problems. At least it's an original idea to use it to save a radio station.

The acting is OK and the chemistry between the leads is OK, but neither really stands out and grabs me.

It's a pretty simple story. There are a few heartwarming moments when, as is often the case with Hallmark, the ideals of community through small time life are highly celebrated. Parts of the climax surprised me a little.

As part of Hallmark's Fall Harvest, this movie definitely excels at emphasizing the autumn atmosphere it's aiming to immerse the audience in. Each and every room a character enters is full of fall decorations, leaf garlands, gourds and pumpkins, and when paired with plenty of stereotypically fall activites such as apple picking and baking, the film totally succeeds in putting you in the mood for the season! The small town charm is also in full force with neighbors who all know each other and a bustling main street. Another plus is that after playing many icy, business-oriented characters, lead actress Taylor Cole comes across as much warmer than usual in this role., if not a bit juvenile in her pushiness and lack of any financial knowledge.

Unfortunately, the movie falls apart a bit with its logistics. The radio station, which urgently needs a financial boost, is such a loosey-goosey operation (employees wander in and off the air as they please, an "ON AIR" sign is nowhere to be seen, and an intern does little more than stare at circuit boards) that it takes the audience out of the story a bit. The station also relies on the city for its funding, rather than ad revenue, which this station seems completely oblivious to. Even stranger is how the main character, Taylor Cole's Lacey, manages to rope in her love interest to be, Zac, played by Tyler Hynes, who is in town strictly to work (he frequently has phone calls with a coworker who, despite being in a busy, bustling office space, refers to their project as a small and struggling start-up), to join in with her Bake-Off, a fundraising event for the radio station. The "deal" she strikes with him is that she will promise to teach him how to bake in return for him helping with her finances, and at no point does the male lead pick up on the fact that this deal benefits Lacey alone. He willingly submits himself to baking lessons and sessions of financial advice -- sessions, during which, Lacey refuses to accept his professional advice -- for no good reason. Outside of the Bake-Off, Lacey lives with her aunt in her guesthouse, where she routinely bad-mouths guests and walks into the kitchen for breakfast in the morning in her pajamas while guests are present (!).

However, there are a few twists along the way that don't make this movie entirely predictable. Along with the aforementioned autumn ambience, the movie is worth a watch, although isn't a strong contender for a rewatch.

The setting is not a new one for Hallmark, but it is one that has been utilised well in previous and succeeding films of theirs. Taylor Cole is a bit hit and miss for me as an actress, in the right role she is very charming but she can be too much of an ice queen in others. Have always liked Tyler Hynes and cannot think of a disappointing Hallmark film performance of his at the top of my head, to me he is one of the more consistent, and in a good way, Hallmark regulars.

'Falling for You' is worth falling for. It isn't great, could have done more with the setting perhaps and has its flaws. It also however has a lot of good things, the leads being the primary one, and not just one of the better 2018 Fall Harvest films, but one of the better Hallmark films from the last quarter of the year. Anybody wondering whether to continue watching 'Falling for You' if put off by the first fifteen minutes (like this reviewer admittedly) should stick with it, as it does get a lot better.

As has been indicated, it doesn't get off to the greatest of starts, with a lot of very cheesy and awkward dialogue and it all felt very forced somehow.

Did feel that the ending was a bit too neat, which is a common thing with Hallmark but there are also worse cases, and that the music intruded too much at times. And maybe the baker setting is rather underused.

Both Cole and Hynes however are very strong in their roles, Cole gives one of her warmest and most charming performances as one of her more easier to relate to characters. While Hynes is typically subtly charismatic and easy going. They have lovely chemistry and gel like fine wine and cheese. The supporting cast deliver very well too, with a big shoutout going to perky Lini Evans. The characters weren't too perfect or had negative character traits exaggerated, which has been obvious in too many recently seen Hallmark films, and didn't come over as caricaturish.

The production values still manage to be pleasing. It's not too drab or garish in photography, the editing didn't seem rushed or disorganised and the scenery has a real charm to it. Some of the music has some pleasant nostalgic moments. The dialogue is not great to begin with but improves when the plot properly kicks in, not being too sweet and it flows at least. The story isn't perfect, but it is sweet and light hearted without over sentimentality kicking in.

Concluding, liked it while not loving it. 7/10.

I was never a fan of Taylor Cole, but in this one, playing against type, I quite liked her. For one thing, and I realize this sounds very shallow, her hair has gone out and got itself a makeover. It used to be thin and lank to the point it was quite distracting. At least the style she chose made it seem that way. In this one, it has some body and natural flow and her beauty is undiminished by her "crowning glory." Tyler Hynes has always been a favorite and the two have quite a bit of chemistry.

Unfortunately the bake sale plot is a bore. An extra star for having the heroine move out of the small town she loves to pursue her career dream. What a concept usually foreign to the usual Hallmark ethos!