Frozen in Love (2018)

I think this movie is the best of the 2018 Winter Movies by Hallmark. Not exactly a high achievement, but an achievement none the less. However, one criticism I would have is that it really ended king of flat and had a contrived (even by Hallmark standards) dramatic choice that in reality could have been resolved by one phone call.The thing that set this movie apart is that it was actually funny, especially in the first hour. Even though Hallmark movies are billed as romantic comedies they usual focus on romance and not the comedy.Also, this movie had a very good supporting cast of characters which is not always a given in this kind of movie giving the film some depth and some of its funny lines.The other criticism I would have is despite being depicted as a "bad boy" the hero did not really seem as a guy who would keep getting tossed from games and dumped by teams. I mean he had a favorite book. However, that was understandable because Halmark does not want the heorine to fall for a loser. All in all enjoyable, but not quite great.

Rachael Leigh Cook was wonderful, as usual. She developed her character and actually gave her emotions that you could feel. The story was original, The writing was good, even most of the casting was good. Niall Matter is another story. He could be well cast as a best friend, cousin, brother, but NEVER EVER the male lead in a romance movie. He has played opposite several really good actresses always the same result. Absolutely no chemistry between them. He can skate, and read lines but his portrayal is flat and without feeling. The necessary chemistry is missing. Maybe Hallmark can use him in a mystery, but his performance in this one ruined what could have been a good movie. my score...1

I was looking forward to all of the 2018 Winterfest movies. So for the only one I've liked is Love on the Slopes. (Though I have high hopes for Winter's Dream with Dean Cain).In Frozen in Love, I found the female lead, Rachel Leigh Cook, really annoying. I love books and bookstores and libraries, but she was just ridiculous with her adament clinging to the past and refusal to do anything to help her bookstore modernize and survive. Her immediate antagonism for a guy who just wants a freaking cup of coffee comes off as extremely bitchy and rude. For the first half of the movie, she was just so over-the-top snotty. Yes, I know romances need to show character growth, but in this case, it was too extremely and unrealistic. and it made me dislike her character so much, I didn't want the guy to fall for her. I never felt the chemistry between these characters. Nor did it make sense to me a big time jock would fall for this small-minded, snobby woman. Why? The male lead (Niall Matter) was good despite this. I would definitely watch another movie with him as the co-star.The plot is also problematic. A famous bad-boy athlete is paired with a little indie bookshop as a PR stunt to help his rep? Why? This makes no sense to me. And then the way he dumps the store at the end -- a typical romance "angst point" ruse -- just didn't work. It didn't make sense that his team manager would put him on this PR stunt in the first place, and then pull him out of it at the last moment. Wouldn't that further hurt his rep?Overall, this not one of the better Hallmarks. There are plenty of others to watch. Take a pass on this one.

Hallmark has made clear two things: that Niall Matter can indeed skate on ice and that Rachel Leigh Cook remains as a strong leading lady.While I was excited to watch this movie, I finished it a little disappointed. I thought the storyline was great -kudos to Rachel who was part of the creation of the story- I mean, there was a bookstore involved! Mary was an extremely relatable character and Adam was different to all the sweet/charming guys Niall Matter plays. However, I read in social media that the chemistry was crazy good. I'm sorry to say I didn't see it that way. They obviously got along great but it was not the same chemistry Rachel has with Brendan Penny of Niall with Erin Krakow. Yet, their job portraying their characters was good. My favorite part about the movie was definitely the storyline/plot, which was pretty original compared to others, and Rachel's performance. You do want to watch this.