Radio romance

I give this an 8 out of 10, on my "hallmark movie scale". That is, sure, it's no Gone With the Wind. But relative to other HMM movies, this was really enjoyable. Even my husband, who is usually beside me napping/browsing the web, piped up that it was a whole lot better than my usual Sunday afternoon light fare.....

Anyhow, Alison Sweeney has got a real HMM thing going on, and is usually pretty charming and likable -as she is in this one. The lead guy is equally likable, and unlike most HMM movies, does not come across as gay (which, as an aside, is a major problem with this channel's movies - it's hard to get into the chemistry of a budding romance when the lead males are all so painfully, painfully gay. I don't know why HMM does this -- maybe they've tested their audiences and found out that they are drawn to this? But i digress....). The characters here have real chemistry, and great that, unlike so many HMM movies the lead woman actually has a real, successful career - and not just as a ubiquitous "event planner" or "marketing woman" or "wedding coordinator". And nice that she didn't quit said job at the end of the movie, as so many of these leads are inclined to do. Anyhow, just a cute fun movie, well acted, well-written, and pretty much lacking the painful awkward script moments that these movies usually have.

If you're looking for a standard Hallmark Romcom with a bit extra to it, this is the movie for you. She's a career-driven radio adviser to women, always advising her audience to "be an island" (especially after her fiancé dumps her); he's also in the business, but his métier is single men who want to stay that way.

With a set-up like that, of course they wind up as a wrangling advice couple on the same radio show. Also, inevitably they will fall in love, but they won't figure that out until the end of the movie.

In the meantime, they wrangle, and Alison Sweeney and Jonathan Scarfe are very good at that, speaking in short, clipped, snarky put-downs. Normally I would credit the writer, the actors or the director, but I'd really like to know who the editor of this one is. The cutting, although simple, helps the pace immensely, which is what editing is supposed to do.

There is nothing that is extraordinary in this one, but here's what happens when everyone does a good job: a superior result.

I like Allison Sweeney. She's a quality actress. I knew her more from her Day of Our Lives tenure, than I did with Hallmark, but I'm watching her in more Hallmark films now these days. I had fun watching this movie. Crawling through the dog door, lol! I've done that before after being locked out of my house. What else can I say? It's worthy of watching over and over again.

Love on the Air is one of my favorite Hallmark movies! It's one of those rare gems that if you keep watching enough movies, one will eventually make the cut. I loved it when I first saw it 5 years ago and the love remains after seeing it again in 2020. I give high marks to the casting with Alison Sweeney and Jonathan Scarfe who have wonderful chemistry and fun banter. Also, the script was well done from start to finish with the perfect ending! They don't seem to be making them like this anymore, so rediscovering a classic Hallmark was a welcome delight. Highly recommend!

This movie is all about the banter back and forth between Alison Sweeney and Jonathan Scarfe. In this movie, the adversarial banter goes on longer than in a lot of movies of this type.

Both characters have very tough exteriors which are difficult to like. And it's a little more than just being tough on the outside. Both are stubborn advocates for their own gender and both exhibit some of those gender mid twentieth century stereotypes. There's a nice touch there in that each also one has at least one major characteristic opposite to those stereotypes.

Nick's softer side starts showing up before Sonia's, but they both have one. Nick also starts to show that inside he respects the opposite sex more than his reputation allows.

The story follows a predictable pattern with some well used plot devices like the misunderstood overheard conversation. But the strength of this movie isn't the story. It's in the relationships and the chemistry between the two leads.