The script surrounds two protagonists, Sam and Becca, in their twenties. Unlike Hallmark's standard roles of generic business people, bakers, nannies or home shoppers, the protagonists in this flick belong to today's gig economy. Becca stars in an off-Broadway Friends parody while Sam is a weekly Quizzo master who hangs with D&D friends. In a way, this script feels more realistic and in touch with the jobs held by early 20 somethings. It also serves as a love letter to the city with quiet raw footage.
When two childhood best friends unite, everyone in their rural Tennessee community, including their significant others, neighborhood cheerleaders, their parents, a scene stealing juggler, the local minister, and a Dolly Parton wannabe are convinced the friends belong together. But ... the friends themselves remain clueless.
The script is great but the film suffers from a restricted budget: The sound is echoey, scenes rely too frequently on natural light and the houses are very generic suburban with minimal set decorating.
My biggest frustration is the film's limited budget contrasted with other Hallmark flicks with bigger budgets but cardboard acting, one-dimensional scripts and static directing. Early Hallmark typically forced the cisgender female to choose between love and her career. Unfortunately, despite breaking other templates, it adheres to this pretty closely.
There are a lot of great moments including a hilarious setup by their parents, a breakout musical number and numerous relationship focused scenes. If you're accustomed to the polished Hallmark look, this might not be for you. But, it is nicely inclusive including a deaf character and various representations of the LGBTQIA+ community.
