El ingrediente secreto

I've never heard of a contest cooking show where the contestants were unknown to each other (and my wife watches dozens of them). But of course we can figure out why fairly early in the game and it's not a mystery for long. There are some twists and turns, but most of them are predictable.

These are two veteran Romance movie stars and they mesh well together. The two of them are more appealing than the story. This was a good role for Cahill. Without them, or actors of the same caliber, this would be more like 5 stars.

I'd like to see Chelsea Rankin again, but her resume is short and spread out.

This is simply a sweet Hallmark movie! Brendan Penny with his crinkly-eyed smile is getting better with each movie and age. Erin Cahill is lovely and these two had good on-screen chemistry. The formula was refreshingly different which is why I liked it. I think it would have helped to up the humor which would result in a higher rating. Worth a watch for Hallmark fans!

7.4 stars.

If you like reality baking shows you might find this movie familiar, although this is a strange sort of reality baking show. Kelly stays home in a small town and builds a bakery from the ground up, while Andrew leaves her behind and moves to Paris to become a chef. Several years later he comes back to visit and both of them seem to be over the breakup. They quickly rekindle the friendship.

The rest of the film is about a reality baking show in New York City that Kelly is a contestant on. Meanwhile Andrew is also in NYC for business. They happen to run into each other and grow a little closer. Will they have another chance at love?

I sense that people really enjoy this movie for the energy and fun of it. It does not lack for liveliness and activity in the big city. For any foodies out there, "The Secret Ingredient" might have some appeal.

The end was wrapped up very nicely, you could say it's the icing on the cake, however it wasn't enough to elevate the movie beyond average. For me this is just another attempt at a reality show themed Hallmark. It's not terrible, bad, good, or great. It's just okay.

Really liked the idea of the setting, which was quite different for Hallmark, even if some of the plot tropes are very familiar. Have also liked Erin Cahill and Brendan Penny in other things, Cahill in my view has been more consistent (also excelling in this kind of role without being too samey) whereas Penny has times where he is good and other times where his characters and leading ladies work against him. The title is also a lot less cheesy than some Hallmark films.

'The Secret Ingredient' was a more than worthwhile and charming watch. A great film it may not be, but it is one of the better 2020 A Little Romance Hallmark films and better than the previous two. While liking 'Matching Hearts', 'A Valentine's Match' didn't really do it for me. While there are shortcomings with 'The Secret Ingredient' and it could have afforded to be fresher, it also had a lot of things that came over as well done. As far as the 2020 Hallmark films go, it's closer to being one of the better ones rather than the worst.

Not everything works. It could have done with more freshness, really liked what was done with the setting but the basic story is pretty formulaic and there is not much surprising about the twists and turns. Maybe it could have had less characters, 'The Secret Ingredient' is not one of the films that is too thin and uneventful but has the opposite problem of at times trying to include too much.

Have often found Hallmark endings too neat and on the rushed side, and that here is no exception.

Both Cahill and Penny are immensely likeable and both of them have an easy going charm and characters that suit them perfectly. Their chemistry is also very natural and genuine. The supporting cast are solid. The direction is not innovative, but 'The Secret Ingredient' is one of those films that doesn't require that. It still shows a nice understanding and control of the material and the character interaction doesn't come over as static.

Production values are well crafted and never look cheap, the scenery is especially nice. Hallmark tend to over-score their films, the music here fits nicely and doesn't come over as constant or too loud. Certainly not to the extent where you can't hear the dialogue. The dialogue here is suitably light-hearted and playful, while also having the right amount of seriousness without being melodramatic. The story makes great use of the setting, which has great nostalgic value, and while unoriginal and formulaic it is also lively and has a light and warm heart.

Overall, pretty good. 7/10.

A close copy of Just Add Romance (2019) with a few different plot details and different lead actors. Overall the story is a cute premise and not terribly angsty which is a nice change for Hallmark.