Despite liking surprisingly a good number of the 2021 Hallmark films and looking forward to another chance to see Ireland on film, the premise was one of the least appealing of the year. It did have me worried that 'As Luck Would Have It' would be every bit as impossible to relate to and less than tasteful as the premise, plus it is never nice to see any beautiful location risking being replaced by something else nowhere near as beautiful.
Luckily, 'As Luck Would Have It' was so much better than expected and is much more relatable and tasteful in execution than it sounded on paper. It turned out to be for me one of the best 2021 Hallmark films up to this point and overall and a strong contender for the best of the Spring Fling films (the first good one at least) despite having the least appealing sounding concept of them. It is always interesting when something in execution manages to be the complete opposite of its concept and it is great when it's in a positive way like here.
'As Luck Would Have It' isn't perfect. The ending does feel too neat and could have a little longer to resolve.
Personally also found Allan Leech's character not easy to warm to at first, luckily he got a lot more likeable the more he grew and learned to respect.
Everything else is very well done. The scenery is spectacular, and made me want to book a trip to Ireland in the (probably distant) future. The photography does nothing to cheapen its beauty and actually does everything it can to make its beauty shine as much as possible. The music doesn't intrude or over-bear while still having presence. The direction keeps things moving at a nice clip.
The script is a good mix of funny and touching, nothing feels overdone so no over-jokiness or over-sentimentality. The story has a lot of charm and heart, which is not what one expects reading the premise. It's always easy to follow while not being simplistic, and while it doesn't surprise very much it's not too predictable too. JoAnna Garcia Swisher is a complete natural and is warmly engaging. Despite the character taking longer to find his groove, Leech has a nice easy going charm and has natural and genuine chemistry with Swisher. The supporting cast are solid and there is no stereotyping thankfully, having seen the Irish stereotyped so many times in film and television. The location from a culture aspect is made the most of.
Overall, very good and so much better than it sounds. 8/10.
As Luck Would Have It
2021
Action / Drama / Romance
As Luck Would Have It
2021
Action / Drama / Romance
7.0Keywords: hallmark
Plot summary
Lindsey Johnson has long worked as a manager in the property-acquisition section of Manhattan-headquartered Krispen Group, a chain of upscale modern resort hotels. It is in her ability to close the deal that company CEO Drake Krispen reassigns her from a near completed Paris acquisition to the starting negotiations in a potentially more problematic one in the small coastal town of Kilabbey, Ireland. The problem with the property is that a castle sits on it which Krispen would tear down to replace with a modern building, whereas the Town Council, which owns the castle, has been known to be reluctant to sell to anyone who would not maintain it. Lindsey, who has some Irish blood, is making her initial visit to meet with Council coinciding with the town's historic annual Matchmaking Festival. In meeting with Council, she discovers their reluctance to sell to someone like Krispen, the lead Council member, Alroy, who advises her to learn more about Kilabbey and its environs before ever approaching them again. Purely as a high profile move to show Council that she is listening to them, Lindsey reluctantly stays for the Matchmaking Festival just because she knows most of the Council members are highly-involved in its operation. While most Council members welcome Lindsey's involvement despite knowing her ulterior motive so having no intention of finding a match, one, Brennan O'Brien, doesn't. He's arguably the most protective of the castle, taking any opportunity to sabotage her involvement. While some developments complicate matters, two of the more important are: that Lindsey has no idea that Council has never had the money to maintain the property, so would be more than willing to sell; and that Lindsey and Brennan start to fall for each other. Lindsey wants to close the deal and does not want to hurt Brennan.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
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In the Emerald Isle
Very Good
This is a very good movie that I think the whole family can watch and enjoy, The acting was good. And the script was well written. Yes, I HIGHLY recommend it. James Welch, Henderson, Arkansas.
These two were too adorable for words!
I confess that I may be biased because I have enjoyed everything I have seen JoAnna Garcia Swisher do (and this isn't the first time I have seen her kiss a handsome Irish lad in Ireland). She is beautiful, funny and engaging. Together with her fellow lead, Allen Leech, she captured your attention and then together they made the romance believable. It wasn't over acted which was refreshing...and came across as natural.
JoAnna plays a character who goes to Ireland to talk a town council in to selling their castle to be demolished and redeveloped by her development firm into a modern resort to draw tourists to the town. The town, as luck would have it, has a matchmaking festival which she enters because the council doesn't even listen to her pitch due to her not being familiar with their community. As it turns out she is thoughtful, engaged and hard working...she earns the respect of the head of the council...and a shot at a new pitch.
Sweet film, worth watching...especially for JoAnna.