In my opinion, the other couple of reviews on this movie so far are a tad harsh.
Is this movie predictable and cheesy? Yes, of course it is! You'll be hard pressed to find a GAC or Hallmark movie that isn't. They definitely have a formula they tend to almost always follow for their plots. It does get old. But that's what you sign up for when you choose to watch these movies.
That being said, is it unwatchable as other reviewers have claimed? Absolutely not. I've seen FAR worse from these channels.
I can't say that I'll be going out of my way to watch movies with the female lead in the future. But I did actually enjoy the male lead (Aaron Ashmore). I was pleasantly surprised by how genuine and relatable his acting was in this genre. I've only ever previously seen him (and his twin) in action/sci-fi shows and movies. I'd enjoy seeing him in future romantic movies.
Now... one of my pet peeves in these movies is that most of the time they tend to finally get the couple together and then immediately end the movie afterwards. Kiss. Gaze. Bam, the end. You don't even get that much in this movie! The end of the movie cuts into credits mid-kiss. You don't even get the satisfaction of seeing the entire thing! I literally exclaimed at my tv "what was that?!" So disappointing.
Overall, do I regret watching this movie? Nope.
Would I watch it again? Also, nope.
Plot summary
Marley Kennedy is a proposal planner for a Chicago-based company, that job which entails assisting primarily potential grooms plan for how to pop the big question in the most magical of ways. Marley's next job is arguably her most important in that not only is a promotion to partner at the company on the line, but that that the client, a very nervous Grant Noble, is wanting to propose to his girlfriend, Lara Ashcroft, Marley's best friend since childhood. In addition, Grant wants to propose on what is his and Lara's first anniversary of dating, making the time-frame for completing this job much shorter than usual. Regardless, Marley believes she has the perfect idea: for Grant to propose at the apple orchard in Little Brook, OH where Lara grew up. Marley knows the town as she used to spend time there at her now deceased grandparents' home. Her plan hits a snag upon meeting one of the current owners of the property, Curt Richards, who does not want anything impeding his business during harvest time. Curt eventually relents, he admitting part of his initial reluctance being being burned once in his own proposal of marriage to his former girlfriend. As Marley and Curt spend time together both preparing for the proposal and as she helps him with harvest, they start to fall for each other. Hurdles to them coming together are if Marley oversteps her role in she learning that Curt and his partner, his sister Rachel Richards, are deep in debt, they trying to find a way to diversify in Curt behind the scenes trying to come up with the perfect cider, and Marley discovering the identity of Curt's ex.—Huggo
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Tech specs
720p.WEB 1080p.WEBMovie Reviews
Cute enough for a one-time watch.
I feel sad for Aaron Ashmore.
This Great American Family movie is like a Great Value version of a Hallmark movie. The premise follows the usual formula-a woman is hired by her friend's boyfriend to plan an over-the-top proposal. She travels to her friend's hometown to orchestrate it in a special apple orchard and meets, butts heads with and falls in love with the apple orchard owner.
Compared to made-for-TV movies in the same genre, this one is terrible. Aaron Ashmore (Curt) has way too much talent for this garbage-I cringe for him. The female lead, Erin Agostino (Marley),has no charisma, and the writing and direction are terrible. Some of the scenes ask you to suspend disbelief beyond reason, such as when Marley teaches Curt to cook dinner, asks for loquats to offset the flavor of the apples and yes, he just happens to have them! Or when Marley shows up in a white tank top, dress shorts and a pair of 4-inch wedges to clean out an entire barn by herself! The whole tone of the movie is awkward and plodding, in no small part due to the distractingly dissonant background music. This one is a hard pass.
Yes marriage proposal planner is a thing
The premise is not too far off the common formulas. We have a marriage proposal planner up for a promotion goes back to her home town to plan a proposal. (Do an internet search and you will find there are companies that do this. There is even a Wikipedia article.) Meanwhile, Curt is trying to save the family orchard which is in financial trouble. To help, he is trying to win a contest.
I thought Erin Agostino and Aaron Ashmore had chemistry. I liked that the usual antagonistic meeting was toned down to merely chilly. Marley is a likeable leading lady, unlike the last two movies I watched on this network.
The acting was decent and likewise the dialogue. I loved one scene fairly late in the story where Marley is using Curt to test the sound and cameras. This was one of the funnier scenes that I've watched lately.
When I saw the envelope on the car window, I thought the ending was going to be slightly different and mine would have been so much better, but still it was a good ending, albeit predictable.