Love Struck Café (2017)

Typical formulaic Hallmark slop with the ending of the story blindingly apparent at the 12 minute mark.They advertize this as part of the Harvest offerings but, as usual, aside from stapling some ripe apples to a tree and putting a pumpkin on a bale of hay, there is no hint of autumn in this mess. They have stopped even pretending to make things realistic, every deciduous tree is leafy and green. And, speaking of color, the entire cast with the exception of a good-hearted waitress, is white as the driven snow. Apparently Hispanics, Asians, or people of color are not welcome on Hallmark lots. Maybe because only long haired Caucasians can wear the same giant-sized curling ironed hairstyle that all Hallmark female actors wear these days.Stock characters (girl who went off to the big city and made good has a workaholic boyfriend, small town ex-boyfriend with dead wife and adorable child, down to earth townies) live in idyllic place that the Big Bad Corporate types want to destroy.Idiotic and implausible story line where demanding boss sets impossible deadline for girl to meet. And then, miracle of miracles, a last minute brainstorm (four minutes before the deadline) saves the day, the heroine, the town, the company, and the big love story.It only got above a 2 rating because of the lake.

The overall story arc is disappointing. Man breaks up with the girl he wanted to marry without an explanation to her, she later finds out that it was because he didn't want to hold her back from her dreams, she remembers her feelings for him 12 years later after he's been married, had a kid, and widowed. He then abandons her again, and still she write him a note telling him she'll be his forever. That's when they get back together. So, without taking her feelings into consideration he walks away from her twice and still she gets together with him. He doesn't apologize for doing it or for not talking to her about his concerns, doesn't admit he was wrong either time, just wins the prize when it's convenient for him to do so.This isn't a love story, it's the story of a woman who wants a man who doesn't respect her. She may love him, but his actions just don't show him loving her at all. As a guy I find the this dude reprehensible and wouldn't want him dating my sister or daughter.

As a fan of this genre for reasons I can never fully explain I have enjoy these movies. I think fall harvest 2017 has been below average and dull. This is an exception to that rule.This is a good movie not only for halmark, but for TV in general. It has nuance (never a Halmark strong point), heart, and a little drama. While adhering to the halmark formula it hides the ball well enough to give a little suspense. I have to say I did not fully love the ending, too easy and convenient and everyone gets everything, and it really did not have funny or light moments but all and all it was a good movie.Hopefully this will be a prelude to a great season of Christmas movies, Halmark, your fans are waiting.

We have a Fall Harvest 2017 favorite. Well done Hallmark. Don't get me wrong, this movie is still the formula we all know: girl from the country currently living in a big town has to come back home and runs into ex, yet above average. This one made me remember why I love these movies.After the not-so-good movies Hallmark has been delivering I started this without much enthusiasm (Let's be real, Andrew W. Walker was the reason) and I'm glad I watched it. I'm not gonna lie: Sarah Jane Morris and Andrew made me feel things, okay? After more than a decade their characters meet again and they start spending time together and reconnecting. Megan also gets to know Joe's daughter Lily who is adorable. All of this, of course, happens during that Fall Festival of that small town.Megan had a boyfriend in the movie (and let me tell it's an actor that always plays THAT character we all dislike) and for once i'm glad that he is not the self-centered guy we are used to see. So points for that. Another aspect that surprised me were the flashbacks! I've only seen this element on 2 or 3 movies and they were always one or two but we get to see a few moments of their time together and I loved it!The story/plot made sense. The characters were great. And the combination of Andrew, someone we already know, and Sarah, that we don't, was great. A must watch.