Movie Review: Truly, Madly, Sweetly (2018)
Synopsis: Natalie Morgan loves to bake and while she has had moderate success selling cupcakes out of a food truck, dreams of having her own bakery. Her wish seems to come true when a recently deceased customer leaves her a historic bakery in her will. There's just one problem, the customer's nephew, Eric, was also left the business and rather than be partners, would prefer to sell the property.
Who's in it? The movie stars Nikki Deloach, Dylan Neal, Karen Holness, Alison Wandzura and Bailey Skodje.
Review: I don't think any of us intended to have a lazy Sunday yesterday but that's pretty much what happened anyway and after spending most of the day watching re-runs of one of our favorite shows, she suggested a Hallmark movie. I've had Truly, Madly, Sweetly in my library for a while and after watching it, thought it was an OK, albeit predictable movie.
As far as the plot is concerned, the movie followed the same basic format as most romantic comedies - an independent and semi-successful woman is falling just shy of her ultimate dream while overcoming the heartache from a bad breakup when she meets and then is forced into a business relationship with a divorced dad that, on the surface, seems to have nothing in common with her but they still slowly grow closer together until a last-second misunderstanding created by a bitter romantic rival threatens to tear both the business and romantic relationship apart.
That said, the movie still managed to be entertaining. Part of this was because Natalie (Deloach) was such a fun character to watch, one of those protagonists that always manages to be optimistic even if things don't go her way. Plus, while I am still on the fence about the chemistry between her and Eric (Neal), the various personality differences did make some of their disagreements seem organic.
The obstacles they faced relating to the business being in a historically protected building also kept things interesting because it wasn't as simple as remodeling and opening, they had to prove they weren't making any changes that would destroy the history. Plus, with it being an older building, there were bound to be unwanted surprises relating to that as well.
My only real complaint is the movie might have had one too many antagonists. Eric's ex, Courtney (Wandzura) was a good fit both because of her lingering feelings/jealousy and because, as a realtor who was looking to make some money, had the potential to throw in a few wrenches to make selling the business the better option.
In comparison, Natalie's ex, David (Matt Hamilton) really wasn't needed. Yes, he broke her heart but other than showing up to remind us of that, had zero impact on the plot. He could have just as easily been a faceless character that was occasionally referenced.
Final Opinion: As I mentioned, I wasn't able to give the movie a whole lot of points for uniqueness. However, I thought the characters were likable and there were just enough twists to make the movie entertaining anyway. At minimum, it isn't a bad choice if you're having a lazy Sunday.
My Grade: B
Here are some reviews of other Hallmark movies:
Movie Review: Hidden Gems (2022)
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