Love by Design

It was a cheesy but cute film. I was really hoping that there would have been more traditional Romanian things than just making some dresses and the small amount of spoken Romanian. According to the credits it was filmed partly in Sighisoara, in central Transylvania. (and set in that region) I live in Sibiu, which is a larger culture city in central Transylvania and even here English is not widely spoken, especially by the elderly population. It's even less believable they speak fluent English on farms and in the markets in a smaller town like Sighisoara. I wish they would have had them speak more Romanian and use subtitles. It was annoying to me that as a Romanian who could "understand" what her grandfather was saying in Romanian, she never responded to him except to say "Da." (Yes) Also, I haven't found fish and chips at a restaurant here yet. 😂

I really enjoyed this movie! For me, it rates right up there with the best Hallmark movies. It is a lovely story about romance, family, and friendship. I loved seeing the beautiful scenes in Romania. It brought back memories of my visit there and made me want to return. There are plenty of Romanian actors and the beautiful Romanian language was used as well. I loved how authentic it was. I enjoyed the fact that the females in the movie are strong, independent women, yet feminine. Casting Jane Seymour into the movie was a big plus too. Most actors here are unknown, but they did a fair job of acting with room for improvement. I think this was Guila's first movie production.... I hope to see more from her! I would have rated it a ten, but it was rather predictable, though not much more than most Hallmark movies.

So nice to see this blend of Transylvanian views with NY perspectives, young Romanian actors with Jane Seymour. Great movie, even comparing to a Hallmark production, would have loved if they spoke more Romanian, especially in the family and with the locals. Hoping for a next one, filmed in this beautiful land, with less stereotypes or going for the extremes. A great film debut for Giulia, Toto; good acting from Manuela, Ela;

Yes, I am from Romania, and I expected much less authenticity. I was quite impressed. This is the Romanian village, this is the way families are in Romania, this is the beauty and originality of traditional Romanian clothes. Anyone that says it's bad acting doesn't know anything about how Romanians are. I loved it!

I loved the way they integrated the Romanian language in the movie. Of course, most villagers in Saschiz, where this was filmed, don't speak' English, so it was nice to see that their parts were played by Romanians, not some native English speakers who would have had English accents, and who wouldn't have been able to create the authentic atmosphere.

Yes, it's a romantic comedy, but it's so touching and simple, you simply have to enjoy it.

If you expect Oscar winning movies, look elsewhere If you want to see something that makes you feel good and takes you away from your worries, this is it!

Honestly I was with really high hopes for this movie but the problem here is the bad acting of pretty much the entire cast. So disappointed I don't recommend at all