Note d'amore

The movie revolved around a recording company junior executive hoping to land an up-and-coming band (whose lead singer turns out to be her high school boyfriend) while competing against a bigger company with deeper pockets. (There were other incidental issues in the back story, but they didn't affect the plot significantly.) The 2 leads. Holland Roden and Corey Cott, are attractive, personable and most importantly, decent actors. After losing actors to GAC, some of Hallmark's replacements have been obviously 2nd and 3rd stringers... back benchers. I think these 2 have a bright future with Hallmark. Additionally Cott is a talented singer. Sometimes giving leads singing scenes seems to be more for vanity than talent. Cott carried his scenes well.

My only quibble is with the background scenery. And it's with many movies, not just this one and not just Hallmark. It seems like no effort is made to make the scenery look like it should. The movie takes place on the Outer Banks of NC. The OBX is a giant barrier sand bar. There is only 1 spot that's more than a few feet above sea level: the hill in Kitty Hawk where the Wright Brothers first flew their flying machine. There aren't even many large trees let alone mountains and forests. But this movie showed large rugged forested mountains everywhere. I get most of these movies are made in Canada and especially around Vancouver. The city and area is beautiful in its own right, but it looks *nothing* like the OBX. It's too bad more effort isn't made to find backgrounds a bit flatter, less mountainous and a little more like a sandbar. It would be more believable.

I'm getting a little tired of this premise. Music agent sent to her home town to check out a new band. A promotion is at stake. The boss keeps pressuring. The boss is overly controlling and this one is cliche, no she is worse than that. And if you love overused plot devices, there is a big development company looking at sucking up everything in the small town, so save the family business.

The fact that Amelia's high school boy friend is the lead of the band she's looking for might have been interesting, but that cat is out of the bag pretty early not to mention network previews gave that away. Were they going for that shock moment. If so, they blew all the suspense. The tension in the story is about signing F8's. So the way both of them act regarding the band makes no sense at first although that gets better.

The two main supporting actors are really bad.

The movie takes good advantage of the music venue. There is some original music.

The conflict, climax and ending go exactly like so many other movies in this genre, except for the part that is over the top sappy just before the final songs.

British Columbia is a sad substitute. Will Hollywood ever get it?

The film is OK but sadly is just using OBX to sell a movie. I can only think of one that comes close, Nights in Rodanthe. I am only speaking of movies. Message in a bottle was the worst location wise.

Why? Cost? Then call it something else. Why not SC or GA if desperate for a location.

Meanwhile, the characters are fleshed out fairly well. Story is OK but this is a Hallmark formula movie as are so many others. Predictable, boss is also predictable. Friends too. Money hungry Real Estate developers etc. At least it isn't about Christmas.

Starting to wonder why I watched. That is on me.

Amelia (Holland Roden) is a new executive at a small record label. She's struggling for approval from her boss who is in a battle with her exes' bigger record company. She goes home to attend a music festival to find elusive indie band "Figure 8". It turns out that the band is led by her former teen sweetheart Will (Corey Cott).

It's a Hallmark romance and that part is pretty simple. Holland is a solid lead. I expected a taller hunk to be the male lead. It's just visually more fun to have short girl looking up all the time. I guess they needed a real singer for the role. The song is above average. That is a nice side to the standard Hallmark main dish.

Obviously not filmed anywhere in the southeast of the United States...there are no mountains near our beaches! Watched this because OBX is one of my favorite places to vacation, when I leave my home in Virginia Beach, and was sorely disappointed at the first shot of "The Outer Banks" when I saw ot looked nothing like anything even remotely near this area....almost not sre I want to finish watching this, but will try push through, depsite the review already posted. Maybe someone should scout locations a little better to at least come close for those of us who are familiar with these areas..........................