Kiss at Pine Lake

Watched 'Kiss at Pine Lake' primarily because of liking the idea of the story. It may not be life changing or original, but it did sound very cute and have seen a lot of films recently that went the serious themed route and mostly did it well. Have seen some of the cast in other things and liked them enough to keep watching them, seeing Brennan Elliott in an early supporting role prior to the romantic lead roles he would be cast in regularly later was an interest point.

'Kiss at Pine Lake' was watchable enough and worth a watch for fans of the genre, thanks to a great male lead, good production values, some nice emotional impact and its good intentions. It didn't really wow me though and instead left me with mixed feelings, due to not all the cast working, the romantic chemistry not igniting enough and the flawed story execution. Have certainly seen far worse films recently than 'Kiss at Pine Lake', but also have seen a lot better. This is one of the middling ones.

The best thing about 'Kiss at Pine Lake' is Barry Watson, who is an incredibly likeable and charming lead. There are moments of sweet understated chemistry between him and Mia Kirshner. Generally the supporting cast are more than competent and do sincerely with what they are given.

Furthermore, the production values are attractive with the picturesque scenery being very easy on the eye. The film has enough moments where it is sweet, charming and poignant, and its good intentions in its approach to the subject were obvious and commendable.

However, 'Kiss at Pine Lake' could have been a good deal better. Kirshner looks and sounds bored in her blandly written role. On the whole, her and Watson's chemistry was too lukewarm and took too much time to get anywhere. Do agree that the villain was too overplayed and very annoying, also found him too at odds with the rest of the film. Concerning Elliott, having mentioned him as an interest point in the first paragraph, he definitely went on to much better things, this role doesn't suit him and it looked as if he knew that.

While there are emotional investment and good intentions, for me the story was too draggy and does too little new with familiar and overused territory. The dialogue could have been tighter and less awkward sounding and the ending has a too neat quality.

Concluding, watchable but rather average. 5/10.

Some spectacular outdoor shots on location at Evans Lake, Brackendale British Columbia. (North of Vancouver).

This is sort of a sweet, sentimental movie. Its not a great film by any means but it is pleasant enough. If you ever attended a summer camp or had a summer girlfriend/boyfriend this might be right up your alley. The scenery is nice and the extensive use of natural lighting was especially memorable. The actor who plays the corporate bad guy wanting to buy and destroy the camp; he is a real hoot and steals a lot scenes. Barry Watson also does a good job as the zany optimist who owns the camp.

...I liked this, the thing that made it for me was the interesting plot device involving the old girlfriend undertaking the mission to buy the camp away from her old summer beau. She is stuck in a fun paradox. While this is hardly heavy drama, there were some pretty touching scenes as old lovers rediscover each other. I almost watched this twice, it was fun.

Luke Garvey and Zoe McDowell have a summer camp fling. They kiss in the end and promise to stay in touch. They don't. Fifteen years later, Luke Garvey (Barry Watson) is a rich philanthropist. He buys the camp to run it as it was during his childhood. The camp is in desperate need of repairs but he is short of cash. Zoe McDowell (Mia Kirshner) is a high-powered lawyer and she is ordered to buy the camp from under the new owner to be torn down.

There is a movie called Indian Summer which has a very similar story. That one is much better but this one is fine. The villain is trying too hard. The pairing of Watson and Kirshner has a sincere romantic feel. They are good together and that keeps the movie going. The plot isn't that complex. It's a very simple romance feel-good Hallmark movie. I just don't like the villain constantly being villainous for every second on screen.

Look, the movie didn't change my life. It didn't have a story line that blew my mind, and the acting isn't genius. With that said, I still gave it 5 stars because I thought it worth watching. It wasn't bad and it is a good movie to watch if you don't want a movie that is all about explosions, manipulation, and all the other garbage. Good, wholesome, and the actors are cute and fun to watch. If you like Hallmark movies you will like this one. James Welch Henderson, Arkansas 1/13/2021