Love on the Danube: Love Song

(The first of a trilogy of films set on European cruise boats to launch the Hallmark + streaming service)

To be honest, "Love on the Danube - Love Song" moved along at what could charitably be called a gentle pace and there really wasn't a whole lot of drama. It's a feel-good story with a spectacular European backdrop.

Wes Brown is a reliable Hallmark star. I could name a half-dozen of his appearances, and he's always very good. I'd not seen Nazneen Contractor before, but she does a good job in this movie. However, the scenery is arguably the real star of the show. Good to see Hallmark filming on location. It makes a huge difference and more often than not results in a much better movie, from an atmospheric standpoint.

"Love Song" benefits from an on-location shoot and two well-cast leads. Brown and Contractor have good chemistry, which is 80% of the battle won with these Hallmark movies.

What is going on with Hallmark? The stories are tiresome and the new replacement actresses are lacking. Wes Brown is reliable and can be fun, see him in Haul Out the Ivy, but not in this snoozefest.

He could not breathe life into this sinking cruise. The plot with the adult children trying to set up their parents and finding each other as romantic partners was too predictable. Adding the older mother ( who looked the same age as her daughter) , a professional singer who has stage fright was just silly. The only thing that saved this shipwreck was the scenery. I fell asleep in the middle but didn't miss anything. Hopefully the next two installments will be an improvement.

6.4 stars.

The story could have been excellent, but it's lacking real drama. This is simply a feel good story about a gal and her mom traveling in Europe, and they meet a guy and his dad on a river cruise on the Danube. The foursome get along and there are intermittent sparks, but so much is missing.

In the category of romance it comes up very shy. The parents have almost zero chemistry and the leads have only a scant more. If the leads had more affinity for each other, it might be more entertaining. But if you take all the romance (lack thereof) and dialogue away from the film, what remains is a feeble storyline and a drab script. Seeing a movie that turns out like this only proves that real filmmaking requires heart. No heart was put into this one. They dotted the i's and crossed the t's with a nice setting, lighting and music, but there is no passion.

Because the acting and cinematography are stellar, I will rate it at 6.4, but not 6.5, because that would round up to 7.

I wanted to like this movie. Having done a river cruise and recognised the locations. But I ended up wondering if I should get off at the next city.

The two main characters had about as much chemistry as a fizzled firecracker. Wasn't sure if I was to wait for the excursion to finish or fast forward to the next one.

If you do a movie using a river cruise on the Danube, at least try to add some sort of passion and romance. It felt like the characters had just met two minutes ago throughout the whole movie even when they were more than halfway through the cruise.

However, I give it five for filming on the Danube. But please, Love on the Danube it isn't. I wanted so much to like this movie.

So boring, weird peppy background music, atrocious costuming. Zero chemistry between the two leads, and while Wes Brown and Nazneed Contractor are the same age, 43, but the way she is dressed in this make her seem many years older. I'm not sure what it was, but she seems the same age as the actress playing her mother.

The costume department must have an overload of button down collared shirts and over sized jackets.

I probably would have stuck it out, if not for the annoying loud background music. The dialog was very unrealistic as well. I like Wes Brown, but even he can't save this stinker.