User reviews

'Rip in Time' (2022)

Opening thoughts: The 2022 Hallmark Movies and Mysteries block was a mixed bag. While there were hits such as 'North to Home' and 'The Presence of Love', there was also duds like 'Cut, Color, Murder'. While time travel is not a new concept for Hallmark, it is something that has worked remarkably well in the past and is actually yet to feel stale. Torrey DeVitto and Niall Matter have been very watchable and more in other things, so expectations were high actually for 'Rip in Time'.

Luckily, 'Rip in Time' did not disappoint. Of the 2022 Hallmark Movies and Mysteries films, it is one of the best and the most refreshing, seeing as it is different to what is typically seen in Hallmark's Hallmark Movies and Mysteries films. 2022 was a year that saw a lot of recycled ideas that varied wildly in execution. As said, the time travel concept is not new for Hallmark, but there was something about how 'Rip in Time' approaches it that felt fresh. After seeing a large number of Hallmark films with over familiar execution of samey formulas, this was a relief.

Bad things: Did feel that it felt a little too rushed at the end, where the imagination also goes and the films wraps up conventionally and a bit too neatly.

Also did feel that the quantum physics explanation was not particularly necessary and maybe a little more complicated than it should have been.

Good things: However, it is a very attractively photographed film with lovely scenery with effects that didn't look amateurish at all. Also pleasant is the music, which has presence without coming over as over-bearing or too constant. The direction shows a good deal of confidence and a sense that they knew what they were doing and trying to achieve. The script flows well and is light hearted, witty and nostalgic, shining particularly in the hilarious and affectionate references and the lead banter. Which has a lot of playful wit and not over-hostility heavy.

Furthermore, the story has a lot of heart and charm, and has a nice liveliness too. While not innovative, the time travel element never comes over as confusing or cheap. The characters were ones worth caring for, and DeVitto and Matter are very confident and charming in the lead roles and have a strong spark together. Actually got the sense they enjoyed working together. The supporting cast are solid.

Closing thoughts: Overall, very good.

8/10.

This movie is not your usual Saturday night Hallmark rom/com, but then it was featured on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries which specializes in being different from the usual rom/coms.

There are some echoes of Timeless Christmas but even some differences from that story. Both movies attempt to come up with a scientific explanation that makes the stranger more than a crazy person. Both deal with his adjustments to a future world and the skepticism of those who don't take the time to know him. In this movie there is even a threat from one of those skeptics.

Torey DeVitto and Niall Matter have chemistry and their characters develop a sweet relationship.

I enjoyed the ending because I think it is just a bit unexpected.

Really enjoyed this. It was engaging & nicely written. It was not the usual Hallmark formula and I think it gave Niall Matter a chance to really shine & stretch his talent.

Torrey Devitto has never been more beautiful, warm and alluring. She positively glowed, and Niall Matter was charming as a character with old timey manners and speech patterns from the 1700s. And I loved the script by C. Jay Cox (who wrote Sweet Home Alabama with Reese Witherspoon and last year's Hallmark gem- Love Strikes Twice).

It's a "fish out of water" time travel tale that's been done countless times before, and in many different ways, but that's because this kind of story is often quite entertaining. Rip in Time is a nice, pleasant, easy going version of the old movie trope, and it's a lot less creepy than the new Time Traveler's Wife series (ugh). It's like a reverse Outlander without all the disturbing, cruel, and hard to watch nastiness on that show. It reminded me of A Timeless Christmas, with Erin Cahill, and Ryan Paevey, which I also liked.

The script had some clever bits about modern mores and the evolution of a woman's role in society. Devitto's Sarah is written as a strong, brave, self assured, kind, confident woman who at one point initiates a scene that struck me as an homage to the "it's still not over" scene from The Notebook. Unfortunately, the scene where Rip noted how "flawed" Thomas Jefferson had been in excluding women from "all men are created equal", would have been a good time to point out how flawed and hypocritical it was for him to own slaves. That was a missed opportunity.

In order to enjoy these kinds of movies you need to buy into the fantasy and hope the story is as "realistic" as possible within that fantasy construct. And, for the most part, Rip in Time succeeds, except for the "leg injury" which would have manifested far worse symptoms. I also wondered why no one took Rip to a dentist to confirm he had no modern fillings. Heck, his teeth would likely have been in pretty bad shape. Also, I doubt he would have had access to a quill pen and ink in 2022. But these are minor quibbles.

The story was strong, the conflict wasn't over done, and I actually sympathized with the cop even though he was the token "bad guy" (although he really wasn't a bad guy- he truly cared and, let's face it, Rip's story was bonkers).

Another solid win for Hallmark. I hope we get more good stories from C. Jay Cox and I'd love to see more Torrey Devitto (loved her in Write Before Christmas)

Im not realy into Hallmark movies, but this one was such a sweet cool time travel one. The actors are likeable and it has a good story, it reminds me of the man from earth and is very dialog driven which I like.

I know that's not necessarily saying a lot, but this one was so well done. Greta acting by Torrey DeVitto and Niall Matter and the supporting cast. A script by C. Jay Cox that was funny and clever. Wonderful understated directing that didn't try to get in the way of the story. Will watch again.

Sarah Majors (Torrey DeVitto) is a single mother and runs the family farm with her father Calvin Majors (Eric Keenleyside). They find a homeless guy hiding in their barn. He has spotty memory and the name Rip (Niall Matter). He seems to be from the past and a fish out of water.

This is a fun concept for Hallmark but it does need better writers than their standard level. I would have liked him asking the year much earlier and go down the road of his sanity. That's a more fertile and reasonable path. I can do with much less sci-fi exposition and going to the big city. I don't want the magic to be explained away. I like the suspicious cop and the small town rumor mill. That's a great second half story arc. This starts off well but it doesn't develop well. There are elements that I like. I even like the ending but the writing needs a few improvements.

"Rip Van Winkle" is a short story by the American author Washington Irving, first published in 1819. In this movie "Rip" turns out to be the son of that famous orignal Rip, arguing that the original story was real, not fiction.

The story in this Hallmark movie takes it a step beyond towards modern ideas of Quantum Physics, namely that if young Rip in 1787 had been in the cave at the right time during a lightning storm then space-time could have warped to form a wormhole to the present, 2022.

So he appears in the barn, he assures the young boy he encounters that he is not a danger, both are confused at who he is and what period he is from.

Whenever a fictional time-travel story is written there must be a "proof" that this isn't just a dream, or a ruse. In this story it comes in the form of a musket ball removed from a wound he encountered in battle in the 1770s, an object that could only have been in his leg if he truly was from the period he claims.

So the mysterious Rip and the single mother of the young boy get along, he starts to help on the farm, while the town deputy who is sweet on the woman tries to get Rip to leave.

All-in-all an interesting movie concept presented in an entertaining manner. However, the usual "Hallmark Kiss" comes not during the final minute, as is usually the case, instead it comes with 13 minutes left.

My wife and I watched it at home after our usual Saturday evening steak and wine dinner with chocolate cake for dessert, on DVD from our public library.

I was actually excited for this one. Great cast. Great premise. And the ball was embarrassingly dropped. It reeks of arrogance and distain. Where it could have highlighted true character it played the ridiculous blame game. It refused to acknowledge gratefully gifts of the past and pretended the past was mostly flawed. Rather than build on what they were given they tried to downplay and criticize. They can't make grown up assessments and instead refuse to even be spoon fed the way they try to annoyingly spoon feed their audience.

One of the most wonderfully potential opportunities drowned in a deluge of misplaced self righteous wokeness. It only received more than one star because of the two compliments I could manage.

The words of the past "all men are created equal" was not flawed. It's willfully misunderstood by the people pushing their agendas rather than truth.

And then they wrapped it up so hastily. If they hadn't wasted time they might've given us a less rushed ending.

Rip in Time felt like a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie from years ago. C. Jay Cox wrote a wonderful script directed beautifully by Jessica Harmon. The casting was perfect. Niall Matter gave a very nuanced performance as Rip and his chemistry with Torrey Devitto felt natural as did his chemistry with Eric Keenleyside and Joshua Black.

They even filmed part of the movie in New York-how great is that!

Loved it so much I actually didn't want it to end-haven't had that happen with a Hallmark movie in a while.

Initially when I sat down to watch the 2022 Hallmark movie "Rip in Time", I was a little bit hesitant, given the fact that this was a Hallmark movie. You know, with all the sappy clichés and all. But I opted to give writer C. Jay Cox and director Jessica Harmon's movie a chance nonetheless.

And while the storyline told in "Rip in Time" certainly is somewhat sappy and corny, then it was actually a rather enjoyable one at the same time. Yeah, it was predictable and generic, I will admit that, but there was just something about all the sap that actually worked.

It should be noted that the leading actor Niall Matter (playing Rip Van Winkle Jr.) and Torrey DeVitto (playing Sarah Majors) carried the movie quite well, and had wonderful on-screen chemistry. And they definitely made the movie all the more enjoyable.

Now, the title itself was actually a stroke of genius. I love the way that the time has more than just one meaning.

While "Rip in Time" was a surprise of a movie, and it being watchable and entertaining, this is hardly a movie that will become a classic. Nor is it a movie that I will be returning to watch a second time, simply as the contents of the storyline just doesn't have the contents to support more than a single viewing.

My rating of "Rip in Time" lands on a six out of ten stars.

When producers and directors run out of creativity, the result is a movie like this. The movie is not memorable in any way, you will watch it today and forget it tomorrow. The last 15 minutes are the best part, although the end is predictable. The whole script is very reminiscent of a similar Hallmark movie "A Timeless Christmas" which is far better.

Rip in Time is a fish out of water story that's been done before ... the first time in the 1960s with Monte Markham in "The Second Hundred Years", about a prospector frozen in a glacier for 100 years, then thawed out and somehow in perfect health again. :-)

In this one, Naill Matter plays Rip Van Winkle, Junior, who suddenly appears on a farm worked by a woman, her son, and her father. His speech is archaic and he knows nothing of modern technology, attire, or culture.

Of course everyone believes he's either mentally damaged or a fraud ... at first. Yes, the movie comes up with a possible technical explanation for his movement through time, and it should not have. LOL

However, it's a charming romance and one you'll enjoy ... certainly in the upper tier of Hallmark romances.

Different storyline-enjoyed the time travel aspect of movie. What made the movie most enjoyable was the fantastic chemistry between Niall and Torrey-would love to see this pairing again in a Hallmark Original Movie.

I had very high hopes for this one, and I was not disappointed. It was written by C. J. Cox who penned one the best Hallmarks in recent years, Love Strikes twice, as well as the Reese Witherspoon favorite Sweet Home Alabama and Rene Zellweger's New in Town. It starred Niall Matter as Rip Van Winkle's estranged son who travels from his time to ours and meets single mother Torrey de Vito, and her son and father who are the current owners of the old Van Winkle property. Time Travel stories are always a safe bet and Niall Matter is a favorite of mine. Torrey Devito, not so much, but she was fine in this. Niall seems to have an air of melancholy behind his eyes, which was perfect for this role.

Most of the movie is relationship building with Rip helping Torrey's bullied son, dealing with the jealous suspicion of his rival for Torrey's affection, a police deputy, and of course the slow burn romance.

The writing was full of authentic details, bringing in Washington Irving's tale and farm machinery of the era for example. Flax Breaks--Who Knew? Not to mention Ben Wilkinson attempting to explain the science behind time travel to a stunned Torrey and a bewildered Rip.

The romantic conclusion was a little too pat, with lots of future challenges remaining unaddressed. But the reach across time, by means of a backpack, provided a reconciliation between Rip and his misunderstood father that was touching and satisfying.

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed this rather unique Hallmark movie! Not standard Hallmark, except for the drama towards the end and of course the end. We liked both leads and the story line!

Outstanding retelling of the literary classic. Just the right mixture of history, modernity and fantasy. Excellent character development and period scenery. (And Victoria, BC, makes a worthy a substitute for New York's Catskills.) Well done Hallmark!

Thank you Hallmark for a truly fine movie. The actors had such delightful and genuine chemistry. This film was so far above the majority of Hallmark movies. Don't get me wrong. I do enjoy most of their movies, particularly The Movies and Mysteries. Most of them are top notch. It was so satisfying to see a great movie like Rip in Time.

Rip in Time was excellent. Fantastic cast, great storyline and beautiful scenery. This one is a nice change of pace from traditional Hallmark movies, so it's refreshing. Niall Matter is a particular favorite of mine, so I hope he appears in more Hallmark movies. If you're looking for a fresh, interesting movie that's clean, upbeat and has a very believable and talented cast, watch Rip in Time!

Enjoyed movie and storyline. I was a big fan of a 1967 TV show Second Hundred Years that had over 20 episodes. Lead actor was Monte Marcum who was a miner who was in suspended animation for 100 years Ann awoke to met his son and grandson, his age and had weekly adventures focusing on the changes in their relative historic times and culture. Good retrospective fun and characters.

Well written, spectacular cinematography and music. All casting choices were good, no affirmative action effects that are so common on hallmark today. It's been a while since they've made one this good.