2020 saw four Love Ever After films from Hallmark, 'A Valentine's Match', 'Matching Hearts', 'The Secret Ingredient' and this. Of the four, the best to me was 'The Secret Ingredient' and the worst 'A Valentine's Match'. 'Love in Store' did intrigue me, as the premise did sound interesting and it was great to see a different setting to usual which did make it sound fresh. Although 2020 was a very variable year for Hallmark, some of the films from that year were quite good and more.
'Love in Store' had potential to be one of those quite good and more films, and with the way it started out it looked as if it was going to be. It is just such a shame that the second half isn't anywhere near as good. Of the four Love Ever After films from 2020, 'Love in Store' is the second weakest, although it is a better film than 'A Valentine's Match' (the only less than average one of the four). It's not an awful film, but it's not great and it turns out uneven.
There are definitely good things here. Alexandra Breckinridge and Robert Buckley are very likeable leads, they look great on camera and although their characters do lack depth they were charming to watch and clearly knew what kind of film they were in. Personally really liked their chemistry, they did seem at ease and it was genuine despite having issues with how the relationship was developed in the writing. Most of the supporting cast did a nice job.
It looks good visually, the scenery is suitably photogenic. The first half was very light-hearted and heart-warming, with a lively enough pace and some playfulness, and despite the characters not being explored enough there's nothing about them that makes them dull or annoying. The music is pleasant enough.
Having said that, 'Love in Store' is a long way from perfect. The second half comes over as bland and also feels too rushed, it also becomes very cheesy and where the writers clearly ran out of any original ideas. Particularly unrealistically rushed is the ending, with a very out of the blue big decision that rang very false. More could have been done with the relationship, which despite the chemistry is not developed enough and becomes too hasty.
Also found too much of the dialogue on the forced side and there was too much of an emphasis on bickering. Despite liking the premise a lot, the execution of it could have been more consistent and more could have been done with it. It also could have been fresher, despite a different setting too many of the plot tropes later on are too standard Hallmark. Jackee Harry's performance is truly laboured too to the point of annoyance.
Summing up, uneven but watchable. 5/10.
Love in Store
2020
Action / Drama / Romance
Love in Store
2020
Action / Drama / Romance
Plot summary
Terrie Carpenter and David Crabtree are two of the most popular segment hosts on the SHC aka Shopping from Home Channel. They have an antagonistic professional relationship in being opposites in the way they approach their job. Terrie likes to be prepared in knowing product specs, David who accuses her of being boring in her striving to have an air of perfection. David has a devil may care attitude, his catch phrases, which he didn't even write himself, Terrie finding pretentious in wanting to come across as every viewer's best friend. They and the rest of the staff at SHC discover that the rumors that have been circulating around the station are true: that SHC's founder Sharon St. Clair, who still hosts the prime time spot segments, including the Monthly Pick, which pulls in quadruple the viewership of any other segment, is retiring, she and the Board who will make the decision of her replacement both as host for those lucrative time slots, and as head of the company. Terrie and David are among those on the short list of candidates. With each having a very specific and different demographic as their primary viewers, Sharon suggests the two of them start co-hosting some segments, which become popular not only as each is able to pull in her/his regular viewers, but additionally others who enjoy watching their banter stemming from those differences. They both want to succeed even in this situation in striving for the top job, which leaves them in the dichotomy of trying to work together while having that strain of competing. That fine line between hate and love may be crossed as they get to know each other better, which is only complicated by that competition, and the return of Terrie's most recent boyfriend Noah, who Terrie believed would ultimately become her husband before he suddenly broke up with her after two years of dating.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.WEB 1080p.WEBMovie Reviews
Shopping for love
Good movie
I love this movie the actors were natural and I found their rivalry funny and I wish the ending was not so choppy
Love in Store
Hallmark seem to think that two lead characters sparring off of each other non stop is endearing and funny. Over time though it's really not, and cannot mask the fact that this story is thin, and the format done better elsewhere.
A real slog to get through, which when these films are supposed to be about escapism, rather defeats the point.