Playing Cupid

I thought this movie would be a huge bore. I put off watching it until one day there was nothing else to watch.

So I watched it and surprisingly I liked it. The story is cute. I liked the characters. It was culturally interesting as well.

So if you have nothing better to do and it's on, watch it. You may be surprised like I was.

This one adds elements of real world situations that is much appreciated. Good lead actors. A step above the usual formula, for sure.

I think the story is fairly fresh, although I suppose you could generalize it as kid brings parent and teacher together. I especially liked the last 10 minutes or so beginning with the dance.

I'm a fan of Laura Vandervoort for various TV series. She did a Lifetime Christmas rom/com and I hope she does more for Hallmark. She and Nicholas Gonzalez had chemistry. The obligatory antagonism at the beginning had playful moments and the playfulness carried into the relationship. Most of the supporting acting was decent. This appears to be Mia Quaranta de la Rosa's debit, at least as far as this web site tracks appearances, and hope she can become a regular too.

Nicholas Gonzales and Laura Vandervoort are beautiful together, a seriously attractive couple.

Single newly divorced dad and restaurant owner, David Martinez is very involved in his daughter Clara's life...particularly her education. He meets his daughter's school teacher Miss Fox on a particularly bad night for her. As restaurant owner of Cantina Corazon, he is witness to her waiting for and breaking up with her current love interest. He is very kind and tries to ease the unpleasant evening as much as possible. Then they meet again at her school where he as the conservative dad who does not appreciate the teacher supporting his daughter's outlandish ideas for a big project that will count for 40% of her grade.

David's daughter comes up with an idea to start a matchmaking service. She starts with her classmates to help them find a dance partner for the school's Valentine's Day dance, but grows it into a singles event for adults at her family's restaurant. Clara really goes all out and keeps some of her grandmother's traditions with a mariachi band and heart shaped tortillas.

David and Miss Fox trade off help, her with making candy grams for the PTA which he is president of and him with volunteering to be a mentor in her class for the big project. It is through this that the two grow closer together and get to know one another.

This was not your boilerplate Hallmark romantic comedy, it was a step above and worth seeing.

Now for a couple of small complaints...being a born and raised Seattle native, it kills me to see shows set in "Seattle" that are so clearly not. Why the charade? Just say it is in Langley or Vancouver, B. C. You are not fooling anyone...at least not anyone from the northwest. One stock image of Seattle does not create the ambiance of Seattle. Also at a big school awards program, it should have had images from the kids actual project on the big screen behind the podium...if not examples on stage.

"I'm Cupid Clara dad. I know who is right for each other and who is not."-Clara

"I picked that chair."-David.

Kerri Fox (Laura Vandervoort) assigns her class a project to start their own businesses. She's concerned about her student Clara Martinez and about her inattentive boyfriend. She breaks up with the boyfriend and is comforted by restaurant owner David Martinez (Nicholas Gonzalez). Clara decides to be a matchmaker for her school project.

It's Hallmark. The romance is obvious right from the start. The movie lays out its premise and it's a train on its straight forward tracks. It doesn't get off those tracks. There are no other tracks. The plot is inevitable which makes it perfect for Hallmark. The two leads look amazing and they're actually good. They have a good early safe conflict to heat up their chemistry. The kid is fine. It is perfect... for Hallmark.