Un simple baiser

Sooooo, is Erika havingba thing for Nate and has a boyfriend named Mark????

Courtney Ford really shone as lead character, Erika, in this one. There were a few schmaltzy moments, when it seemed like the movie couldn't decide if it was a light drama or a comedy (I didn't care for the mother character - don't know if it due to acting, writing, or directing - she was too over-the-top for me, and seemed very out of place for this otherwise warm and gentle story). However, there was one hillariously sweet moment toward the end, concerning the the brother-in-law-to-be, in which I was simultaneously laughing and "aw-ing" out loud (Johnny Kramer, as Scott, toed the "dramedy" line quite well). Overall, the acting was well done and believable; the story was enjoyable; I would watch it again.

Can we get a story set in Iowa to be shown halfway right? Probably Field of Dreams, but that might be the limit. There were mountains in the background in this movie, what? Where in Iowa would that be? And if there is corn growing... its HOT, even at night. You're not wearing your Uggs or a flannel shirt. You are sweating in places you didn't really know could sweat, it's in the 90s and 100% humidity in the summer. Plot was okay, pretty predictable.

I don't want to give any spoilers so please just watch it. I think this was beautifully written and acted. Ryan as Nate was incredible. Erica was good. Very well cast. The story is not your typical Hallmaek type romance story. It has a bit of a change in it and I love it. My third time watching it and Ryan needs to be in more romantic movies. He was brilliant. No I am not his mom or friend. I just thought he was great. The actress was also. The sister and her fiancée were an added bonus to this. Put these two together again or a sequel. I loved the military was mentioned. So few movies talk about veterans and military life. Kudos.

"I don't know what I'm doing." True words for the characters in this movie. I suspect different things tie together in a rather clever way, but maybe not. I saw hints of that but I wasn't able to fit all the pieces.

The story is jumbled and messy. And maybe given the situation Erica was in that's totally appropriate. Can you even imagine what she's been through? I think the script and Courtney Ford show all that to some degree, at least enough to make me pause and wonder.

As we progress through the early parts of the movie, we are introduced to an icon - Seth. The writers intentionally build him up bigger than life. Perfect. But the viewer has to wonder if it's true. Later, I think this subject could have been explored better, but there was a hint of something. Actually two somethings. One about Erica and Seth. One about Erika and Nate. Put the two together with Seth's death and anyone who can straighten out Erica's feelings has it more together than anyone I know.

Meanwhile there is April and her fiancée. April is showing her jumbled emotions in an even messier way than Erica. I thought this was a nice parallel thread.

This isn't an upbeat story. There is some humor here and there but it doesn't really lift the tone a lot.

The acting is good. Or maybe it is totally bad because the actors don't understand their emotions, but I think more likely it is good, especially Courtney Ford. I did have a little trouble figuring out David Stanbra's Mark, especially his las scene.

For quality, assuming some of the messier things were played exactly how it was intended, I give 8 stars. For enjoyability 4. Net 6 stars.

BTW, I don't remember too many Hallmark movies (at least it was on Hallmark streaming) where two unmarried people share a bed, and more than once.