In gioco e in amore

It does seem at times like Chase (Hallmark veteran, Andrew Walker) is a better fit for her son as a stepdad rather than for Jessica (Nikki Deloach) but on the whole this is a good Hallmark film, and a darn sight better than some of the drivel they've been serving up to us recently.

It's not perfect, it does take a long time to warm up, and compared to the father who walked out and Jessica's boyfriend at the start Chase is by far the better option, but this remains a solid if unspectacular Hallmark film, with all the normal moments and plot points being covered in a nice way.

Overall, a good film.

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 not a bad movie, the plot was pretty well identical to many other Hallmark style movies. I just about fell over laughing though, when the restaurant reopened and people were lined up to get in, as that must have been the point where the director realized the 'open' sign was facing the wrong way and turned it around; if only they had turned it around sooner, maybe those potential customers would have already stopped in, and the renovations wouldn't have been necessary. The idea that a used car lot would have a dirty vehicle for sale is ridiculous and anyone who knows anything about cars would have groaned when the lead actor remarked "the struts need work". It killed some time and had a happy ending though, so that was what was really important. If you are willing to overlook the shortcomings, this is a pleasant enough movie to watch with your mother.

I love the chemistry between Nikki and Andrew sparks fly immediately. She never looks at Brett once like she does Chase. Wesley does a great job as Jessica's son.

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.