This story has been done a few different ways on Hallmark and similar channels, but they are basically the same. In fact, I watched this on another channel one and a half weeks after Jessy Scram and Niall Matter premiered Country at Heart which has some distinct similarities. They include inviting the popular local girl up on stage to help sing a new song. There were other predictable and well used tropes as well. Trevor Donovan did the celebrity falls for small town girl less than a year ago in Nostalgic Christmas, but this movie is from 2012.
Yet I enjoyed this movie as much as most in the non-Christmas rom/com genre. I barely know Julie Mond (I remember her in Love Begins) but I was impressed by her chemistry with Donovan. I can't argue that she didn't look pretty silly as a Strawberry Queen, but I got the impression that was intentional since she was the only one that looked a little silly. This high school teacher, on summer break, still has enough relationship with her glee club kids to spend her time with them. Jason warmed up to Beth pretty fast considering how vocal she was in pointing out his responsibilities.
I wish the movie had made the mean girl's motivations a little clearer.
The story lacked any serious conflict. What conflict there was seemed pretty tame.
Later in the movie we hear some singing especially by Donovan. I was amazed by his voice and couldn't believe it wasn't someone else, but I can't find any evidence that it isn't and there are a couple of posts on different sites, including a fan site, that strongly imply it is his voice. Note to reviewer looking for "Catching Horses": the song is actually "Tame the Horse" and you can find it using that title. Pardon the pun, but the song is catchy.
