A Machu Picchu Proposal

It really pains me to write this review. Due to the increasing lack of inspiration and repetitiveness of Hallmark and other TV movies, I have nearly stopped writing reviews, as of lately. Yet, I have personally cherished Rhiannon Fish very much. She is beautiful, lively and, often, funny. So I approached this movie with some expectations and, now, I feel betrayed enough to openly complain. As I have earlier remarked about Hallmark Christmas productions, when script writers are running out of solid ideas, cannot convey real feelings and emotions, or embrace romance, they tend to engage the perilous slope of the farce. Unfortunately, creating a really appealing farce, while trying to express captivating human sentiments and uplifting values, is quite an arduous task, not unlikely to fail. So, we get these half-baked plots, navigating among the idiotic, the juvenile, the outlandish, and the morally corrupt. The characters result shallow, over the edge, forced, and a bit unpleasant. This is such an entry. I blame the script, maybe because I cannot accept that actors I usually like could be solely responsible for the disaster. How does one give life to an empty character with little integrity and superficial qualities? Rarely before I have sen Rhiannon so much overuse the same stereotyped facial expressions and exaggerated body language. But, she is not the only one that seems uncomfortable in his/her role. The interactions feel false, the romance is vapid, the entire bunch of characters appear amateurish. I do agree with earlier reviewers: the story stinks. Thank you Hallmark, for degrading my consideration of one of my favorite actresses!

On the other hand, and this is why I conferred an extra couple of stars to the film, Peru looks beautiful and the cinematography captures its spirit and attractions more than some documentary I have seen in the past. This may be the only reason why one may want to spend a little time and watch the movie.

Katie (Rhiannon Fish) reluctantly agrees to join her fraternal twin brother Dan and his girlfriend Luciana on a trip to Peru. He promises that she won't be the third wheel. They have brought Luci's friend Chef Carlos (Alec Santos). Dan is actually planning to propose and Katie promises to help. He keeps getting sidetracked.

This Hallmark movie has great locations. My only problem with the locations is that they don't really show them traveling. The characters seem to be walking to all these places. There is a good long hike to get to Machu Picchu. That's a missed opportunity for the first act. Dan could be really struggling on the hike and when he tries to propose, he could pass out. Well, that's my big joke pitch. Katie should probably spend more time alone with Carlos for the romance. It has great background anyways.

I didn't think a movie could be bad enough to spur me to write my first review but here we are.

To echo the sentiments of other reviewers, I used to enjoy Rhiannon Fish in almost anything but lately she seems to be just 'mailing it in', and the utter lack of chemistry between her and Santos in this one is astounding.

Part of Rhiannon's charm has always been her youthful nature and bubbly effervescence but here it falls flat because Santos seems intent on outdoing her exuberance in what is supposed to pass for spontaneity, or so the writers would have you believe.

Not even the breathtaking scenery or vibrant beauty of Peru on display in the market scenes can save this from being a real stinker.

Do better Hallmark.

This movie was horrible. The plot and the actors were extremely dry. It was so bad even the location couldn't save it. The characters lacked chemistry. The person who greenlit this project must be related to the writer. This movie was not a good representation of hallmark movies. This belonged on Tubi or at your local high school theater. I am not sure if different actors could have saved this movie. I also didn't like Rhiannon Fish or the plot in Polar Opposites. I am not sure if the same writer wrote both movies. I know hallmark movies are not in the same league as movies you see in theaters, but this was a major letdown.

6.7 stars.

I've seen a lot of silly Hallmark films, and this is no exception. It's the story about two siblings who take a trip to Peru and visit several sites, Machu Picchu is the first. The brother is trying to find a great place to propose to his girlfriend. He makes a weak first attempt.

The trio meets a man there who is handsome, and sister (played by Fish) is awkwardly interested in him, but she is constantly being tight-lipped about things. She is primarily trying to help her brother find the perfect situation to propose.

As they secretly strategize, they get into various sticky situations to coax the other people into following a plan to meet at the perfect location, without their knowledge. It's all very weird and frankly the story is uneven and clumsy, which doesn't leave much room for a good romance.

First of all my observation is that both male actors seem to be gay in real life, not that I judge, but for me to be convinced of a romance, the men need to be somewhat masculine. Neither one comes close to the threshold on the masculinity scale.

A Machu Picchu Proposal fumbles around to tell a story, and the intended cohesiveness is replaced with fragmented failure.

On the other hand, the scenery is one of the best I've ever seen in a Hallmark film. The Peruvian landscape and the mountains are breathtaking beyond belief. You have to watch this film just to view the scenery if nothing else, just mute the dialogue.