As said in some reviews for other 2021 Hallmark films, 2021 was a hit and miss year for Hallmark but actually was expecting in all honesty it to be a lot worse than it turned out. Have seen Brooks Darnell in other things and he strikes me as a very likeable actor who is usually well above what he is given in too many of the films he's starred in. Most of the 2021 Fall Harvest films didn't do much for me, the best by far being 'Love Strikes Twice' as that felt like a refreshing attempt at doing something different.
My overall thoughts on 'Advice to Love By' were mixed to mildly positive. As far as the 2021 Fall Harvest films go, it is one of the better (or at least one of the more watchable) ones. There is a good deal to like here, Darnell being one of the biggest pluses. But this reviewer also had some big issues with 'Advice to Love By', even when knowing what to expect as someone who has seen a lot of Hallmark films (a number of them being above average and more), namely some of the storytelling and the female lead.
Beginning with the plusses, Darnell is very amiable and charming in his role, a character that is interesting and easy to like (felt sorry for him at times). Samantha Cole stands out in the solid supporting cast, bringing some welcome energy without being annoying or over-compensating. The characters are typical but generally no real issues. The production values are attractive, once again the scenery delivers on the beauty. The music isn't drab or repetitive, and it isn't discordant, maybe it could have been used more subtly but other Hallmark films do much worse at this.
Furthermore, 'Advice to Love By' is often very cute and heart warming. Some of the dialogue and interplay are quite fun.
Having said all of that, Erinn Westbrook seemed rather stiff too often, she does get better later on but she tends to overdo her character's naivety and abrasiveness. Characteristics that at their worst were pretty hard to take. While the chemistry does get warmer as it develops a little more, it does take quite some time before anything progresses and even then the spark never feels enough.
One expects a Hallmark film to be formulaic, and 'Advice to Love By' is certainly that. It just doesn't do much new or enough really with too many typical elements and the dialogue can be very corny and stilted (especially early on). Do have to agree with those that say that the story can feel very choppy, especially the severely underdeveloped and forced conflict, introduced suddenly, near-discarded and resolved too easily and unrealistically so. Which did make some decision making not easy to fathom.
Concluding, above average and quite decent but didn't blow my mind and could have been a good deal better. 6/10.
