Come in un film d'amore

When Callie gets off the bus, I'm surprised that Hallmark wouldn't get a military consultant to check the authenticity of her uniform. No rank on hat or uniform, American flag wrong orientation, questionable patches, etc. Otherwise, I appreciated the emphasis on the VA.

I will admit that Lauren Alaina has a ways to go in her acting ability. It's not horrible, but there are many times when you can tell that she is making an effort to deliver her lines or her expression rather than having it flow naturally.

But to say that she and Tyler Hines have no chemistry is going too far. For me the chemistry sizzled. The dialogue helped. When they are sparring at the beginning, it is fun rather than mean. Then it transitions into a friendship on the edge of romance which is only held back by the knowledge that he is already in a relationship. They educate one another in things that are new to the other and do it with obvious good will mixed with good natured teasing. I love watching relationships like this one.

Alaina has a spectacular voice. Hallmark has used a couple other ladies whose day job is singing and Alaina's voice is as good or better than each of them. I'm sorry we didn't hear more of "Run".

The only tension or conflict is the already existing relationship, but that's ok for me because I tend to be adverse to nasty conflict.

Set in Tennessee but filmed in Canada, as most Hallmark movies are, and filmed quickly over about 3 weeks in 2021.

For us the best part of this movie is seeing former American Idol contestant, country singer Lauren Alaina. She does three songs as part of the story and for us that was the best parts. She plays Callie who is coming home to her small Tennessee community after a military tour of duty. There is some hope she and her former boyfriend can reconnect but both have changed.

By stroke of fortune a movie man named Luke, aimed at directing a movie in Hawaii with his girlfriend as the star, has a car problem and gets stuck for a few days in the small town, leading up to its annual festival. The story gets a bit interesting with Callie's search for her deceased grandpa's secret BBQ sauce recipe. And as the stories are wrapped up this one takes a familiar path that all Hallmark movies take, and that is why they are all good, clean entertainment.

My wife and I watched it at home on DVD from our public library. There is an interesting 5-minute feature showing some of the "making of" cuteness.

More Lauren Alaina, please. She is such a breath of fresh air, and I love seeing her in a Hallmark movie. I hope she gets more chances to light up the screen. I've been a big fan since Idol. What a beautiful voice. And Tyler Hynes is one of my all time favorite Hallmark guys. Keep casting him as much as possible! This was a cute and enjoyable movie.

'Roadhouse Romance' is the first Fall Harvest Hallmark film of 2021, in a year that was not a consistent or exactly great one but turned out to be a lot better than it could have been. All the previous seasonal blockings of 2021 were a mixed bag, especially the Summer Nights one. Another reason for seeing 'Roadhouse Romance' was for Tyler Hynes, he is one of those actors who has a hit and miss filmography but is nearly always one of the better aspects in all of them.

Which is the case here. 'Roadhouse Romance' is not one of the best Hallmark films of 2021, but it is also not one of the worst. Somewhere in the middle if anything and my feelings on it were mixed to fairly positive. It is not too bad a start for the 2021 Fall Harvest block and is above average. With a good deal of good things, a few not so good things and one big aspect that was very mixed. So not great, but a long way from terrible too.

It is a little bit of a slow starter and some of the dialogue in the early stages is awkward.

The ending is also on the too neat and contrived side and inexperience does show, sometimes badly, in some of Lauren Alaina's acting. Sometimes she is charming and easy to like, but at other times she is stiff and tries too hard.

Hynes however is his usual easy going and subtle self and he and Alaina do have a warm and sincere chemistry on the whole, though more caring mentor than romantic. The supporting cast are solid and the characters were not ones that bored or annoyed me.

The best aspect is the music, which is just great. So infectiously uplifting and soothing on the ears. Furthermore, it looks good. Especially the scenery. The script has some awkwardness but is suitably light-hearted, the rapport between the two leads made me smile. The story may be formulaic and not exactly original, but its energy, charm and ability to lift the spirits more than made up for that. Not to mention that it was to me easy to relate to.

Overall, decent. 6/10.