In gioco e in amore

Jessica (Nikki Deloach) is a single mom running her late grandpa's small town restaurant while facing new competition. She's dating insurance salesman Brett. Her old flame Chase Taynor (Andrew W. Walker) is back home visiting his parents. He can't find a new team after allowing a grand slam to lose the World Series in game 7. He starts teaching her son Wesley to play baseball.

This is a Hallmark channel movie. It's better than most of its kind. Grading on a curve, this deserves a passing grade. The leads are long time solid actors. Neither really got to be stars but both have worked consistently. They fit the characters and have solid chemistry together. They are photogenic with some depths of lost. The story is basically good looking middle age people finding their way back to each other again. It doesn't get much simpler than this.

Nikki Deloach takes the plaudits for this small-town tale of a single Mum trying to make her Grandpa's diner business work, whilst juggling he role as Mum, having a no-risk taker of a boyfriend and finally having Chase, an old flame Baseball star, walk back into her life. She has such transparent ,emotional & photogenic features that takes you into her story. Good job ! I also loved Andrew Walker's struggle to get a good relationship with his Dad, which will resonate with many men out there. A cute film & the chemistry between the 2 leads works well.

First of all. DREAM BIG. Take risks. That's what this movie is about. (Besides love, right?)

One might think that because this is a Hallmark movie it'll just like all movies they have ever made. But every once in a while there are a few that are above average. This is one of those for me.

Two weeks ago I discover that Andrew W. Walker and Nikki Deloach were having another movie together, and after watching "A Dream of Christmas", who wouldn't want to see them working together again? Personally, the chemistry between the actors, in any movie, is one of the most important things for me. In the first the chemistry was there, and in here? Oh boy it is there too. I started smiling like a fool ever since their first scene together.

Nikki Deloach, aka Jessica, seems to be one of those people whose smile brightens the room when she steps in, and Andrew W. Walker aka Chase (appart from being one of my favorite Hallmark guys) seems like a pretty charming guy. Put them together and you have this movie. Both characters were great, they both have a back story and i'm glad we got to see more of Andrew's character this time.

The script was amazing, original - the theme was something I haven't seen before from Hallmark - I was waiting for the moment they would screw up the plot, but fortunately it didn't come. Predictable? Maybe, but in this case it's what made me enjoy the story. I knew there was a problem coming up or that they were about to have a scene alone.

If there is something missing in this movie it's probably that scene between the characters in which the girl falls on top of the guy, or they are stuck together, those clumsy yet adorable moments. And maybe a line that would make me laugh out-loud.

I swear the movie lasted 30 minutes, not an hour and a half, I loved it. It's rare to see two leads working together again, three seems pretty impossible, but I really hope they get to do another movie together.

It's very refreshing to see a quiet film with likeable leads who seem to inhabit their characters effortlessly. The baseball connection was what drew me in, and the fact that Walker reminded me so much of Elroy Hirsch aka "Crazylegs" who actually played himself in a bio-pic back in 1953 When you get tired of the constant overdone cgi, speed, explosions, and gratuitous violence in much of today's screen fare it pays off to check out the Hallmark films. I've caught a few others with Andrew Walker and he always gives a believable, sincere performance which overrides the sometimes contrived cuteness of the plots. This is the one that left the first and lasting impression...understated, but sweet and memorable. .

Although it didn't sound particularly original story-wise, 'The Perfect Catch' was still seen because of the two leads. Nikki DeLoach and Andrew Walker very seldom disappoint, their filmographies are hit and miss and so are their characters, but they are often among the best things of the misses. Do consider them two of Hallmark's best regulars and ones that near-consistently deliver, and have also seen them together before (and liked them).

'The Perfect Catch' really is well worth catching, and that is not being hyperbolic. And it is not just for them, though they are the main reasons. Was not all that impressed by the 2017 Spring Fever films on the whole, especially 'Like Cats and Dogs', but 'The Perfect Catch' did impress me a good deal and is easily the best of them. With it being the only one to be above good. Liked 'Moonlight in Vermont' too, though with some reservations, but the others didn't do it for me.

Not much to criticise, though there is very little new which did make it very easy to tell where the film was going to go. Especially in the final quarter, which was a little over too soon and neat.

Did think too that while pleasant enough the music had a bit of a repetitive quality to it.

However, both DeLoach and Walker are terrific and equally so. So many nuanced emotions and sparkling feel for comedy, and they wholly succeed in making their characters likeable despite seeing those types of characters before many times. Their characters, and the characters generally as an overall whole, are not meaty but they enagge and don't bore or irritate or make frustrating decisions. Being neither too perfect or have too many overblown character flaws, have seen plenty of those recently so that was a relief. Their chemistry is very genuine and truly endearing, can really tell that the two love working with each other. Lisa Durrupt steals every scene she's in and makes a potentially annoying character entertaining.

Visually, 'The Perfect Catch' is slick and attractive. Hallmark often did deliver on the scenery, the locations were seldom authentic to the real thing but they still looked great and lovingly shot, and this film is no exception. The script doesn't feel stilted or cheesy and there is a very good natured feel good vibe to the playful, charming interactions. The story is very cute without being too cute and is very heart warming and light on its feet.

Summing up, well worth catching. 8/10.