Hidden Gems

I really appreciated that this was a slow build romance...in fact it was a little bit of a hate to love, which is my favorite romantic genre. I am not the biggest fan of Hunter King who played the main character Addy, but I liked her strong character and I thought she had great chemistry with Beau Mirchoff who plays opposite her as Jack.

I am very happy to say that they didn't go with the tired romance formula where there is a misunderstanding or conflict between the two romantic leads at the three quarters point...instead the conflict occurred over Addy's career aspirations and she and Jack have not only talked it through, but he is incredibly supportive.

The backdrop is gorgeous sunny Hawaii and the story revolves around Addy's sister's destination wedding there. Right before the wedding her sister offers her a 50% stake in her fashion business...but Addy really has aspirations to be a marine biologist, an education that she gave up to help her sister. While doing paddle board yoga in the pacific...Addy looses her grandmother's priceless pearl ring, which is how she meets the hotel's dive instructor Jack...who she hires to find it.

These two were more every day people and this was an actual romantic story where effort was put into building the relationship in a believable romance. I highly recommend this film to all the romantics out there.

7.7 stars.

There is love in the air in the tropics with a beautiful Hawaiian landscape and a destination wedding. The main focus is the maid of honor trying to figure out what direction to take her own life, and meanwhile she falls head over heals (ever so progressively) for a local diver and shop owner. What's not to love about this adventure? There is everything exciting to be found in "Hidden Gems". The chemistry between the leads is a tangible young love, the bride and groom are preparing for their beach wedding, mom and dad are a nice addition to the cast, the concierge is an extra special quirky and fun character. This hidden gem of a film is all you need in order to vicariously enjoy a sweet little Hawaiian vacation. This is a far cry from the usual Hallmark of mountains and arctic scenery. The cast is harmonious in providing a particularly smooth and fun experience in this luxurious pre-wedding atmosphere. Who wouldn't yearn to fly to any island resort after seeing "hidden Gems"?

I enjoyed this movie for the sweet romance. The basic plot is the maid of honor loses a precious ring given to her by her late grandmother. She hires the local diving guide/hunk to help her find it, and together they embark on an adventure that includes diving, sailing, dancing, and some smooches. "Hidden Gems" is a breath of fresh equatorial air.

Nice job, Hallmark. Loved the Hawaii setting and enjoyed the story. It was great to see some new actors that seemed natural and believable. I did think the main male character seemed to make a quick turnaround with his attitude but it was a minor point. It is a Hallmark movie after all.

Addie (Hunter King) is in Hawaii as the maid of honor and organizer of her sister's wedding. Her most important possession is a ring from her late grandmother. When she loses the ring, she needs help from chilled dive instructor Jack (Beau Mirchoff).

This is a Hallmark romance. The meet-cute has a good amount of cute and the maximum amount of conflict. These are two young beautiful people in a beautiful place. The leads have fine chemistry. The underwater stuff is pretty and it's Hawaii. The writing and the general filmmaking is all Hallmark basics. The biggest issue with the story is Addie as a master diver. If she's a skilled diver and the ring is that important, she should be spending every moment of daylight to search for the ring. She can't know how to dive for the sake of the story logic. She should be stressed. She should be desperate. She should be trying to find the ring at every hour of the day. Now maybe he could talk her down a bit but the way that he could show he truly cares is to start searching for ring excessively himself. There is also the theme of magic. The movie could do more with that. For example, Jack should give something more personal to temporarily take the place of ring. It's a talisman. I do love her playing with her finger all the time over the ring. This has a lot of good elements of a rom-com. The writing does need to expand and develop into more than what is just another Hallmark movie.

Refreshingly different than the typical cookie cutter hallmark movie. The actress was very hard to watch between her grotesque botox lips and gawdy eyelashes It was hard to pay attention to the story. What am eye sore!