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.
Plot summary
Seattle-based Kendall Turner is an author writing about the science of love, she not believing that love is a matter of chance, but rather something that can be achieved only by following scientific principles. She is in stark contrast to the anonymous writer going by the pseudonym Doctor Love Struck, whose column appears exclusively in Pacific Sounder magazine, that author who espouses the notion of romance and the "grand gesture" leading to love. In reality, Nathan Hart, a staff writer at Pacific Sounder, temporarily took over the column solely in showing his editor, Jim Perkins, that he is a team player in wanting the Features Editor position when it opens up. However, he does believe what he writes. Because of Nathan's position as Doctor Love Struck, Jim assigns him to write a profile of Kendall as a feature article. While he will not and cannot divulge that he is Doctor Love Struck to Kendall, Nathan goes into the assignment questioning her approach to love. Conversely, Kendall, who is having trouble coming up with a concept for her next book, decides, after meeting Nathan, for that book to test her scientific theories with herself as the the subject and him as the potential mate in there being an attraction, but in knowing that the two of them aren't obvious on paper. The question then becomes whether these secrets, when they ultimately come to light, will affect not only what happens with each professionally, but with their relationship, especially if they do fall for each other before knowing the secrets.
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Director
Top cast
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Balancing the odds
Good social chemistry
The premise was a common one and several of the usual tropes were used, but as another reviewer pointed out, some of the romantic elements were missing like physical touch and longing stares.
The social chemistry was there as the leads had great dialogue and verbal interaction. Brooks Darnell always has a comfortable presence and his voice draws you in. I thought Erinn Westbrook was perfect for the part and carried it well. This Kendall is a true nerd with a little bit of naivete especially in the experiential aspect of romance. I liked how the two contrasted the science vs the feeling aspects. Watching these two together was fun, but they didn't carry it through the finish line.
Another reviewer said the movie was choppy and that's one way to describe how the conflict and the ending just didn't flow or make sense. The conflict was forced without enough justification and then all of a sudden the conflict was gone, again without enough justification. In other words, that part of the movie was rushed like the director ran out of time to make it feel right. I was loving this movie up to that point, but the last part brought the whole movie down a bit.
Kendall Turner (Erinn Westbrook)
Favorite scene with
Kendall Turner (Erinn Westbrook) - Her Furious reaction when she Discovers that Nathan is Dr. Lovestruck and erasing her Book Board. BTW, I Loved this movie!