Amor e Food Trucks

Cute story. Likable characters. There was a pretty big error though. Movie takes place in Portland with Food Trucks. We have food carts set up in food cart pods. If there are any Food trucks, I have seen a few, they don't drive around like they do in other cities.

The idea is cute, but the set design group really went too overboard on the whole fake flowers in the spring time thing.... Just WAY over the top. Okay we get it, it is spring time in Portland, there are flowers, but come on... way too many fake bunches EVERYWHERE ... Flowers that are not even in season. The morning farmer's market is a joke, it is spring, Romaine lettuce heads that big! And no way are apples, carrots and persimmons ready in April even in Portland. The story line was okay, you can tell how the story will end, but the journey there is so very Hallmark but of all the Spring Fling movies they churned out this year the set design was actually off putting. You know the old saying less is more... it would have been a much more visually appealing movie with far less. There are spring veggies and fruits around work with them and it would still be a good Hallmark flick... whether or not food trucks are in old town Portland is not relevant to me, it is a story and it was actually filmed in Langley BC so the fact that there may not be food trucks i Portland makes no difference. Even in Langley in April those "spring" flowers and veggies are not around... Good Hallmark movie, just bad set decor

While there are a number of establishing shots of Portland, mostly from overhead, the locations for filming are in Canada, which is common for Hallmark movies.

A young lady operating a very popular sandwich food truck gets some competition from a new truck in town, one that specializes in bacon. There isn't much friction, but some, so you know what the story love arc will be. And the story involves a competition, if she can win the $100,000 then she can re-open her grandfather's old restaurant.

My wife and I enjoy the occasional Hallmark movie, they are always pleasant as this one is. This one is part of a two-movie set on a DVD from our public library.

The movie was filmed in February 2020, just before the COVID pandemic became widespread. There is a late scene, supposedly on May 8, 2020, with people gathered in a group to hear results of the competition. Ironically it turned out in May 2020 you could not have had that scene without face coverings.

Despite liking Michael Rady a lot, even in the films of his that are not good (where he has nearly always been a redeeming quality), the groan-worthy title that takes corn and cringe to a whole new level dampened things. Am also not a big fan of Natalie Hall and have been unimpressed by too many of her performances. Still saw 'You're Bacon Me Crazy' as somebody who is on a Hallmark completest binge and who has liked enough of their 2020 output.

'You're Bacon Me Crazy', the second Spring Fling film from 2020 (the first being 'Just My Type'), is better than the title suggests, and is a tolerable effort. It to me is still not particularly good, a case of starting off quite well but running out of steam in most areas later on. It is not one of the best 2020 Hallmark films, but a lot worse was done that year as well. 'You're Bacon Me Crazy' is somewhere around low middle and one of those films that doesn't offend but also doesn't wow in most areas.

Rady is the best thing about 'You're Bacon Me Crazy'. He is such a natural on screen and is a charmer, also looking very relaxed. Liked his character too, the only one to not feel one-dimensional and the only one one warms to straight away. The supporting cast are solid too, everybody gives their all without going too broad.

The production values are decent too, with the scenery being especially lovely. The first half is very pleasant, it has energy, amusing comic timing and is cute without going over the top on that.

However, Hall, apart from relaxing a little later, comes over as immature and overacts. Or at least she over-exaggerates her already exaggerated in writing character's flaws, not much here is done making the female lead character easy to like. The characters generally weren't developed well and were typical Hallmark cliches. Typical Hallmark sums up the plot very well too, which is pretty formulaic. Especially the too pat final quarter, which can be seen a mile away.

Despite starting off well, as said 'You're Bacon Me Crazy' runs out of steam. The momentum goes, in pacing (where it gets dull) and the writing (which gets perfunctory at best), the plotting thins out and becomes increasingly predictable and contrived. While the chemistry is there in spades, the relationship feels rushed and not focused upon enough. The script is too heavy on the cheese and the direction and music are routine.

In summary, tolerable but not particularly good. 5/10.

This Hallmark romance features two main characters that are very likable, making this an enjoyable film to watch. Natalie Hall plays Cleo, a chef who owns a food truck in Portland. Michael Rady is Gabe, a chef who drives his food truck around the country, enjoying new places and new people. When he comes back to Portland for his brother's birthday, he meets Cleo. From the start there is attraction, especially on his part.

When he parks his food truck near hers, a friendship develops that has an element of competition. He is such a nice guy, he goes out of his way to help her. When he discovers she plans to enter a cooking competition in hopes of winning the big prize and financing her dream, he helps her conceptualize her strategies and think outside the box.

She, in turn, treats him somewhat shabbily, but she realizes Gabe is on her side. It's a nice romance that develops organically, without benefit of dates or romantic scheming.

The entire cast is enjoyable, really. And this film rates as one of the better Hallmark stories.