The Wish Swap

I was kinda fixated on the crazy orange hair in the beginning but then thought maybe it helps her eyes look so bright blue. But then, over halfway through the show, when they are doing standup, suddenly her eyes were brown and her hair color was more auburn which was actually nice. The show itself was good, a typical hallmark show. I just wanted to comment on what I thought was kindof a big mistake.

The wish swap premise is clever. Two birthday parties at a restaurant but one family didn't have a cake, so they shared. And when birthday boy and birthday girl blow out candles together, their wishes get mixed. He wants a farm. She wants to be on a TV dance show. She inherits a farm and he gets on the show. So they kind of rent out their wishes to one another and presto, they are thrown together for the rest of the movie.

We find out pretty quickly that Casey didn't really have A wish, but a list of three wishes. And she won't tell what the third one is.

I like this type of movie best when the two leads have a lot of screen time together and this movie ranks way up there in that category. Emily Tennant (of whom I am a huge fan) and Jake Foy have excellent chemistry. I thought their dialogue together was good. There were some good laughs even if maybe a little cheesy, but they humor didn't fall flat for me which isn't always the case.

Most viewers can probably guess what will be the conflict in the romance.

When Casey (Emily Tennant) and Henry (Jake Foy)celebrate their birthdays at the same restaurant, they make birthday wishes at the same time, which are granted. However, they end up getting each other's wishes and teach each other to try things out of their comfort zone. Yes, its a bit Hallmark usual formula, but there's still enough creativity and uniqueness to keep you entertained. Emily Tennant and Jake Foy have great chemistry and are perfectly cast for their roles, Casey the adventurous optimist, and Henry with his hesitation to try anything new. You can sense their attraction for one another from the first time they meet and feel it grow as the story evolves. Of course there's the usual "conflict", and the scenery provides a nice backdrop. Overall a sweet, enjoyable, and entertaining romcom. BTW anyone else thinks Jake Foy resembles NFL Bill's Quarterback Josh Allen, he also happens to be a farmer in the off season.

I first thought the plot of swapping wishes was hokey, but as it played on, it got better and better. The two leads Emily Tennant and Jake Foy had chemistry and it showed. As it moved along between the farm, family, friends, comedy and dancing, it was fun to watch. It was funny and light and the many challenges that Henry and Casey faced kept it from bogging down. It wasn't filled with inane dialog like many Hallmark films. The supporting cast was good, mostly strong well known actors and actresses who have been in other Hallmark or Canadian films.

And beautiful British Columbia where it was filmed, a picture wherever you looked. Loved the old trucks. Maybe they'll do a sequel, "The Farmer's Wife".

I really liked the premise of a birthday wish swap. I do WISH they had built an even better plot around the concept, but it was pretty good. It was definitely cute and funny. The main characters were both likable all along, and they grew together with the storyline.

There were a couple of pieces I would have changed and/or emphasized more, especially towards the ending. It felt a bit rushed in some places and slow in others. There was a huge build up to a conclusion that wasn't quite as umm "celebrated" as it should have been in the end. I don't want to say anything here that rhymes with boilers, but if you watch to the very end you will know what I mean. My rating dropped slightly due to this little questionable result. But as the overall movie was enjoyable, I wasn't too harsh.

It was a very cute movie. It's definitely worth a watch if you like romantic comedies. It's easy fun that has some decent laughs.