Just One Kiss

Two moms set up their romantic offspring who have both loved but had their hearts broken. Mia Rivera is a college professor of literature who was inspired in her youth by the Turkish poet Nazim Hikmet and him poem "on living". Tony Romano is a piano bar singer who wears a fedora and likes to sing the crooner classics.

"So many of us when it comes to love-the journey from aspiration to fulfillment is a very bumpy road."-Professor Rivera

Tony and Mia meet first while heckling each other in a theater and then run into each other on the street...thanks to a little help from their moms.

"I'm not in a funk."-Mia. "All hermits say that"-bff

Mia moves into Tony's appartement building with her daughter and is in the process of divorcing her good-for-nothing husband. Her daughters first friend in her new home happens to be Tony's niece who he is looking after while his sister is away.

Tony and Mia agree to be friends...and get to know each other...the rest is history!

The dedication at the end is sweet, sentimental and beautiful.

"Ralph Waldo Emerson says shallow men believe in luck, strong men believe in cause and effect."-Mia.

"Stab the body and it heals, but enter the heart and the wound lasts a lifetime."-Mineko Iwasaki

"Deny me bread, air, light, spring, but never your laughter for I will die."-Pablo Neruda

This was sweetly romantic in an old fashioned way that is very sentimental. I highly recommend this to any romantics out there.

There's a lot of great things to appreciate about Just One Kiss if you can get past the first 10 minutes. The male lead (Santino Fontana) doesn't exactly shine at first and there's an extended and infuriating scene in a movie theater with people talking like they're in a loud bar. Such a heavy, heavy dose of rude, inconsiderate thoughtlessness doesn't do the movie's key characters any favors.

You also have to overlook the exaggerated displays of mood killing self pity that show up right after the manufactured misunderstanding trope that often gets forced into these movies in the 4th quarter to create conflict just as the romance starts heating up (although I did like the quiet commentary exchanged between the 2 female students)

But, in between, there's some well written and well played banter and sparkling repartee between the leads (Krysta Rodriguez is particularly good and Fontana will grow on you). Their mothers are played by skilled veteran character actors Ileana Douglas and Aida Turturro (with a twist) and the movie features a normalized gay couple (Matty Finochio does a nice job as the level headed gay friend with common sense).

I've been defensive about the unfair criticisms that "all Hallmark movies are the same." We want those movies to depict romantic stories, between attractive and likeable leads, that reaffirm important values like love, family, friendship, and personal growth, with a few laughs along the way. And we want happy endings, new movies every year, and lots of them. But it's not easy to come up with something different while honoring the tried and true (and lucrative) formula that has made the Hallmark Channel the huge ratings success that it is.

And that's why Just One Kiss should be forgiven for its few missteps. It seems very different both in terms of the story and the style (like the dream sequences). And there was no sugar coating the realities of a painful divorce, and the even more painful chore of giving a child of that divorce an honest explanation. The few Hallmark movies with kids that break from the convenient dead parent trope and acknowledge divorce, usually do so by having the ex conveniently on assignment in Finland, or by presenting a healthy, but usually unrealistic, approach to co-parenting where everyone gets along great. Not here.

And while I wasn't wowed by the opening rendition of It Had To Be You (even though that's a great song), the performance and placement of Gershwin's classic Someone To Watch Over Me was quite beautiful, as was the use of Fly Me To The Moon.

Another reviewer, who inexplicably gave the movie one star because it "didn't make sense", actually raised a few valid points. But then that reviewer undercut those points by revealing a narrow mind and a complete lack of understanding of what "woke" means and using it in a pejorative way (it means being alert to injustice). Nick shouldn't have done what he did, but being gay doesn't necessarily mean that person is "woke" and there was nothing in the movie relating to any social issues of injustice. Plus, there are, sadly, plenty of gay people who have their own intolerant prejudices and are blind to injustice when it doesn't affect them personally.

And that reviewer missed the main reason why Mia wouldn't take back the alcoholic ex husband; he repeatedly lied to Mia and had failed to turn his life around, despite repeated attempts. Apparently, things got so bad, they lost their home. That's no small thing. When trust is lost, it's usually fatal to a troubled marriage.

That said, Hallmark movies often create worlds in which many of the financial realities of life are ignored unless they're plot points that drive the story. People often live in lovely homes that they couldn't possibly afford. A nice 2 bedroom apartment in Brooklyn near the water with a view of the bridge would cost around $7,000-$10,000/month. I don't know what an English professor with 20 kids in her class makes, but if she lost her home when her husband lost his job because she couldn't afford to pay the mortgage, it seems unlikely that she makes enough to afford $7,000-10,000/month. And there's no way the lounge singer across the hall can afford that either. But hey, if these 2 move in together, that might make it more affordable.

Also, Mia is referred to as an "ex wife" after they visit an attorney together. But then she balks at signing the "divorce papers" until the end of the movie. And just signing such "papers" doesn't instantly make you divorced. In fact, the "papers" that she signed were actually part of a California Judicial Council form for Petition for Dissolution of Marriage (the producers probably figured no one would notice and realize it wasn't a New York form). And that Petition, once filed, STARTS the process. It doesn't end it.

Finally, here are some lines I liked:

"Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect." quoting Ralph Waldo Emerson.

"For so many of us, when it comes to love, the journey from aspiration to fulfillment is a very bumpy road."

"Music is like a magical elixir."

"We tell people how to treat us by what we're willing to tolerate and I was just tired of being lied to."

"Stab the body and it heals, but injure the heart and the wound lasts a lifetime." quoting Mineko Iwasaki.

This was a really good romantic TV movie. Very original, well acted, and a bit of old Frank can never hurt. You always know how a Hallmark movie ends, but this journey was better than most. Very enjoyable.

Just One kiss is a genuinely heartwarming story with a lot of charm. The soundtrack is pretty great, too. Recommend watching around the holiday tine, because why not??

Don't want to spoil anything because the writers actually put a lot of great twists and turns and the ending...

But definitely don't miss out on this one.

Just One Kiss is the most welcome Hallmark movie in a very long time. It departs from every standard device that Hallmark movies have used over and over. Of course, there is the aborted kiss, and the misunderstood moment that leads to separation and reconciliation. But other than those two standard cliches, everything about this films is the most refreshing breath of fresh air in a very long time. The hero is a musician who sings the oldies in a supper club.. He actually sings old Sinatra favorites, classic love songs, and sings them well. Once in a while , there is a slight quarter note off key..but not enough to daunt the listener. Our leading lady is a single mom, in the process of completing a contentious divorce, She is actually an intelligent college professor, and not the typical Hallmark smiling blonde who is looking for romance. She teaches a course in poetry, and is the object of some very insightful comments from her students, mostly about their observation of her love life.

There is a gay couple, portrayed with incredible maturity, love, intelligence, and not in a gratuitous manner. Bravo, Hallmark! Long overdue.

Added to this wonderful mix are the two mothers of the leading actors. One is a "typical" Italian mom, the other one a "typical" Jewish mom. While their behaviors, their love of their children, their efforts to make a match happen are a bit of a cliche, the roles are beautifully played by Aida Turturro and Ileana Douglas, two very established and competent actresses. A surprise ending is very creative and very emotional, bringing tears to ones eyes.

In all, this is a mature, very intelligent movie, with some wonderful music to listen to. Even the leading lady sings and dances beautifully. The relationships are intelligent, love develops in an intelligent, sensible way. This is a definite departure from the Hallmark films we are used to . In the very best way. Hallmark, please, send us more of this kind of movie!