That's Amor

IN A NUTSHELL: After her job and relationship implode on the same day, Sofia starts from scratch and meets a dashing Spanish chef who might be her missing ingredient.

The romantic comedy was directed by Shaun Paul Piccinino, and written by Ali Afshar, John Ducey, and Tiffany Dupont.

THINGS I LIKED: I had never seen Riley Dandy in anything before. She is a cute actress, although her character's personality was a bit self-centered and annoying. That's a serious problem for a romantic comedy if you don't like one of the romantic leads.

Nancy Lenehan was adorable in her role. It was great to see her in something again.

I lived in Spain for two years, so I loved that element of the story; however, some of the characters didn't actually look or sound Spanish. That was disappointing.

I had foot surgery and had to wear one of those boots for months.

I really enjoyed the cooking class scenes in the restaurant.

I was impressed with all of the secondary characters, even those who didn't have very many lines. They all seemed believable and natural. The director did a great job creating a realistic, fun environment on set.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: It's super predictable and full of rom-com cliches.

The ex-boyfriend and ex-girlfriend were paper thin, making it way too easy to not like them.

Isaac Gonzales Rossi's character is sweet but almost too smiley all of the time.

TIPS FOR PARENTS: Kissing Fighting Superficial characters

THEMES: Choices and consequences Romance Second chances Food Relationships Courage to walk away from bad relationships.

Sweet movie... good actors... the actress who plays the mum should get a major drama feature film from a big studio... she's at a Sally Field level of good. It is interesting though that they have someone from Spain looking like he is from South-America (I read the actor has Cuban roots?)... which is okay but let him then be from a South-American country and not from Spain. Look at an actual Spanish production on Netflix and you'll see what the Spanish look like. He is a good actor though who has to deal with bad dialogues and poor directing skills from the director. The main actress is also very skillful, and also has to struggle with bad lines and direction... so ... lots of good actors (the actor playing boyfriend Richard needs some more training) .... and a nice film if you feel like emptying your mind. I sincerely hope that all the actors I mentioned will get better chances to display their acting skills. (Ah, 1. I love the square shaped ceramic mug that is used in the film, would like to know where to get one and 2: Sofia gets at one point an email from Spain. The language used is toooooo American, it is not how the Spanish would write in English and they write 'Diseno' and not 'Diseño'... that's just bad research and execution. I paused the film to read it, if you don't pause it passes by quickly, but still ...). And... a compliment for the set designers/dressers and costume design... they are the true stars here. I do like to see a part 2 though: in Spain. With better script writers!!

I don't remember seeing Riley Dandy in anything before but she was the best part of this movie. I loved watching her and she delivered some snappy lines with style.

Her boyfriend was obviously a piece of crap, but Sofia was, as her friend Olivia pointedly told her, letting others make decisions for her- the uncaring boss, the cheating boyfriend, and even her well intentioned mother. So one would expect a character arc where she eventually takes control of her life and ends up making a big life decision based only on what was objectively best for her (and realistic).

But not in this movie.

Matias was a nice enough character, but I didn't see him as anything other than a convenient and pleasant rebound guy that could help boost Sofia's shattered self esteem. And I HATED his hairstyle. I just wanted to grab a pair of scissors and cut off his long bangs.

The problem with movies like this is that they try turn a perfectly fine new casual relationship into an epic romance between soulmates without making that believable.

Sofia needed some time to work on Sofia before getting involved again so soon. Her career was dead in the water at 30. Not a good time to jump right from a long term bad relationship into an unrealistic and impractical one. And why was she even thinking of forgiving that first guy? Ugh. She'll never be able to unsee what she saw.

There were some nice moments, but it just didn't work for me. Aside from their annoying refusal to acknowledge that their characters have sex, Hallmark usually makes better movies than this.

By the rating I thought it was going to be terrible. It was fine. I actually found myself quite enjoying it at times and even got a bit emotional towards the end. It followed the usual pattern of a cheesy romcom, but I've definitely seen worse. The acting was pretty decent for a movie of this type. No known names of faces to me bar the mum who I recognize from somewhere. There was also no weird over-acting or weird clumsiness of the main character like I'm used to seeing in these Hallmark type films. The chemistry between the loved up couple seemed real. Well worth the watch if you're in the mood for something cheesy, girly and a bit cringy.

Great chemistry between the two leads. Some familiar supporting cast and others I have not seen. Typically I don't enjoy new actors but this cast was very likable and fun. Liked the story, the locations etc.

I have found it hard to find quality, interesting, fun, and entertaining television shows even with network tv and all the streaming services so finding an interesting film with good acting is a rarity these days.

Some other reviewer compared this to a Hallmark movie and must say this was a better quality film than most Hallmark fare these days This was a lot of fun to watch! Thank you all involved.