As Gouda as it Gets

I'm someone who quite frequently judges a book's merits by its cover, and I'm also a sucker for the unapologetically sentimental, super-smiley Hallmark brand. In truth, it was wholly inevitable that I would be drawn to a product appetisingly garlanded with such a deliciously pun-tastic title! While 'As Gouda as it Gets' isn't the goat of cheese ball comedy dramas, I'm quite sure that the fragrant, Fromage-clotted courting of these Philly Steak-stuffing lovebirds is bound to spread a little joy in an increasingly lactose intolerant world! On a more subjective note, when Brie reluctantly visited the formal Cheese Festival meet and greet, I thought her pleasing abundance of curly tresses were quite lovely!

Light, easily digestible romantic fare, 'As Gouda as it Gets' explores the love/work travails of sweetly obsessive artisan cheesemaker Brie (Kim Shaw) and blandly handsome Fondue maestro, Jack (Clayton James). While the dramatic ingredients are often curdled, the playfully romantic interludes of our inevitably amorous, cheese-feasting gourmands proved whey more satisfying than I expected. I usually Camembert such overtly gloopy sentimentality, but when a product is primarily an earnest love letter to the world's greatest foodstuff, I'll cut it some major slack, Jack! Lovers of Hallmark's glutinously cheesy fare should make a note in their dairy to catch 'As Gouda as it Gets'.

This might be the cheesiest movie title of all time, which to be honest was the only reason I initially watched it. This is your typical Hallmark style love story, there will be no major twists and the ending won't surprise you, but it might put a smile on your face. One this I can't figure out is why it's set in Vermont when half of the actors speak with a Canadian accent, set it in Canada, we're not stupid!

Didn't even get past the first scene with her stirring her open exposed pot of milk with a spoon with no hairnet or gloves on and manhandling every bit of cheese from the back to rubbing the Gouda with her bare hands as she put it into the display case and serving it to the customers. Listen I know it's cheesy Hallmark quality (yes I said cheesy lol), but have the writers never been to the deli counter at the grocery store before? That's about all the expertise you need to include these tiny details. You don't need to work at a dairy farm for a year to learn the craft. I'm an avid cheese hound, lover, eater, devourer, I have NeVer ever in my entire life been to a deli or cheese counter where the person behind the counter manhandled my cheese with their bare hands. Nor have I ever been to a dairy farm or cheese farm where they did not wear gloves or hairnets during production. If the first 20 minutes of a movie can make me contemplate never eating cheese again, then it must be bad.

I really like the plot and tough decisions made along the way, however the cheesy jokes and ambiguous 'he/she/they' line all gets too much - trying too hard, especially when the storyline shines well enough anyway. On the upside, it is a calm movie and rewatching would have been good at sleep time - apart from the music in the montage and end credits, which will surely wake me up! Whilst it isn't cross-generational like many, it is all-age friendly, with references to former generations and the best friend's kids. I like the characters, so would probably enjoy a second portion in a sequel, seeing how the new opportunities are panning out.

It's a tradicional hallmark-style romance movie but it's quite pleasing to watch. Of course, the story is predictable as ever, but it was really enjoyable. The actors are cute and the chemistry between the leads is nice, the supporting characters didn't bring much to the story besides the antagonist but still I really liked this one. Or was it because of all the cheese-food?...