The story had good potential. It has been turned into an awkward mess. The evident, painful, effort to include as many woke messages as possible has diluted and chopped the action with a series of unnecessary, intrusive cameos, more bothersome than the included commercials. The sequences are so out of place that even actors and actresses involved seem uneasy and appear phony. Of course, some of these thespians may be drab to begin with.
Possibly because of these foreign elements and diversions, the story does not run convincingly. The end result is a tale with uneven tones, wrong nuances, and questionable chemistry even between the main characters.
Hallmark has to decide whether to produce honest and good entertainment or lectures. It cannot be done on the same canvas. Too often in their recent productions, the lack of clear objectives translates into erratic and totally uninspired films.
The Secrets of Bella Vista
2022
Drama / Romance
The Secrets of Bella Vista
2022
Drama / Romance
Plot summary
Tess Delaney gets the surprising news by estate executor Damhnaic McAuley that she has inherited half of an apple orchard from the father she never knew and has a half-sister she didn't know about. When she visits the orchard and connects with her new-found family, she learns that the orchard is deep in debt. Using her knowledge as an antiques expert, Tess and her half-sister work to unravel the mystery of their grandmother's "treasure" that could hold the key to saving the orchard. And, in the process, Tess ultimately finds a new understanding of herself.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.WEB 1080p.WEBMovie Reviews
Perhaps, it should be better kept a secret.
Confusing movie
I find the movie book adaptations are very confusing. I didn't read the book guessed it came from a book given the very confusing and overly complicated plot line. I was excited by the commercials and the description but then then the guy showed up with like a million different job, disappears, reappears, and keeps sticking around randomly. The mom was also treated like a weird guest appearance that I didn't follow. The friend who we see at the beginning and forget about suddenly has a baby so she leaves again- I think she left 3 times or more? There was a random cooking scene with kids and typical hallmark music, and then the guy is flying her somewhere again. And then there were soooooo many names of people who were not physically in the movie that made it that much more confusing! I don't know what I just watched!
What happened?
This Hallmark movie started out hopeful. As other reviewers have mentioned the Hallmark formula gets a little old after a while, however, this was not the solution. The male interest started out ok, but he disappears completely in the storyline after an awkward moment where he pushes her hair back out of her face. I'm not a fan of the 'woke' term, but honestly, there are only so many issues you can champion in a single movie and the result is simply that you are trying too hard. And the sudden ridiculous appearance of the mother, who is close to the same age as her daughter and suddenly has lots to say. It just doesn't make sense. I couldn't finish this one.