Consigli d'amore

As said in some reviews for other 2021 Hallmark films, 2021 was a hit and miss year for Hallmark but actually was expecting in all honesty it to be a lot worse than it turned out. Have seen Brooks Darnell in other things and he strikes me as a very likeable actor who is usually well above what he is given in too many of the films he's starred in. Most of the 2021 Fall Harvest films didn't do much for me, the best by far being 'Love Strikes Twice' as that felt like a refreshing attempt at doing something different.

My overall thoughts on 'Advice to Love By' were mixed to mildly positive. As far as the 2021 Fall Harvest films go, it is one of the better (or at least one of the more watchable) ones. There is a good deal to like here, Darnell being one of the biggest pluses. But this reviewer also had some big issues with 'Advice to Love By', even when knowing what to expect as someone who has seen a lot of Hallmark films (a number of them being above average and more), namely some of the storytelling and the female lead.

Beginning with the plusses, Darnell is very amiable and charming in his role, a character that is interesting and easy to like (felt sorry for him at times). Samantha Cole stands out in the solid supporting cast, bringing some welcome energy without being annoying or over-compensating. The characters are typical but generally no real issues. The production values are attractive, once again the scenery delivers on the beauty. The music isn't drab or repetitive, and it isn't discordant, maybe it could have been used more subtly but other Hallmark films do much worse at this.

Furthermore, 'Advice to Love By' is often very cute and heart warming. Some of the dialogue and interplay are quite fun.

Having said all of that, Erinn Westbrook seemed rather stiff too often, she does get better later on but she tends to overdo her character's naivety and abrasiveness. Characteristics that at their worst were pretty hard to take. While the chemistry does get warmer as it develops a little more, it does take quite some time before anything progresses and even then the spark never feels enough.

One expects a Hallmark film to be formulaic, and 'Advice to Love By' is certainly that. It just doesn't do much new or enough really with too many typical elements and the dialogue can be very corny and stilted (especially early on). Do have to agree with those that say that the story can feel very choppy, especially the severely underdeveloped and forced conflict, introduced suddenly, near-discarded and resolved too easily and unrealistically so. Which did make some decision making not easy to fathom.

Concluding, above average and quite decent but didn't blow my mind and could have been a good deal better. 6/10.

The premise was a common one and several of the usual tropes were used, but as another reviewer pointed out, some of the romantic elements were missing like physical touch and longing stares.

The social chemistry was there as the leads had great dialogue and verbal interaction. Brooks Darnell always has a comfortable presence and his voice draws you in. I thought Erinn Westbrook was perfect for the part and carried it well. This Kendall is a true nerd with a little bit of naivete especially in the experiential aspect of romance. I liked how the two contrasted the science vs the feeling aspects. Watching these two together was fun, but they didn't carry it through the finish line.

Another reviewer said the movie was choppy and that's one way to describe how the conflict and the ending just didn't flow or make sense. The conflict was forced without enough justification and then all of a sudden the conflict was gone, again without enough justification. In other words, that part of the movie was rushed like the director ran out of time to make it feel right. I was loving this movie up to that point, but the last part brought the whole movie down a bit.

Watched this for the lead actor!! I'd watch any of his movies!

Not much of a script, foolish premise, not impressed with female actors.

Nothing else to watch & hubby likes rom coms!

This was a good movie with good acting. The leads were beautiful and looked cute together. It was very odd, though, when the final scene took place, the kiss was perfunctory and brief. Not a usual Hallmark end of movie kiss. There were no romantic moments between the couple during the movie, such as a look of attraction, an almost-kiss, a hug. One falling down together earlier in the movie was not as usual for these Hallmark movies. Usually with the couple looking at each other in a moment of awkward chemistry. Nope, didn't happen. There was one momentary hand-holding. Not sure what was up with this. And it's NOT due to Covid, as some have said, as if there were no protocols in place during filming or there's any evidence that the virus can be transferred through a real kiss, but not a lip peck. Lol . But the movie was interesting, anyway. Gave it a 7.

First off, it's a Hallmark movie so you can't expect Oscar level anything from it. Once you remember that, it's really easy to enjoy the movie. Dialogue could be better but it's par for the course. Overall, a very cute and enjoyable movie.