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jdhuston
Reviews
Love and Mary (2007)
Sweet predictable romance
New frou frou sweet treat bakery owner Mary cannot seem to make anything work - her shop is in trouble, her fiancé seems allergic to everything she likes,and her family wants her to come home for a visit which turns into an engagement party and then....her fiancé's twin brother (Jake) enters the mix.... and brings more smiles than growls of irritation than Mary could have imagined.
The characters in this film were down-to-earth, from allergic reactions to stumbling on stage. This movie was a joy to watch given it was void of unnecessary sub-plots and character reveals who divert the attention from the main storyline. Simple and easy-going from start to finish with a focus on the importance of family no matter how quirky those members may be made it even better.
I Hate Valentine's Day (2009)
Torn appeal
Nia Vardalos and John Corbett had chemistry in My Big Fat Greek Wedding like Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks in You've Got Mail. To my greatest dismay, their chemistry was off in this film.
Nia plays the flower shopkeeper who everyone loves - but she wears a smiley facade as well as any scarf or dress she owns. John Corbett, the suave-but-not-too-handsome tapas-restaurant owner who needs a pick-me-up in life, works down the way. The problem - flower shop girl does not believe in love and tries to teach her friends and fellow business owners her 5-step-plan to have the perfect dating relationship.
Although this movie had the elements for a funny love story and the actors were suited for the part, the aspect of funny was muddled by the deeper emotional baggage divorce causes than the movie could handle.
Beautiful Creatures (2013)
Unexpected and sweet
As a fan of most simple romance stories (Bed of Roses, When Harry Met Sally, Benny & Joon, Twilight, PS I Love You, etc...) I thought this was great! It has twists I did not expect and although it was slightly predictable, the actors portrayed their characters well and the writers were not cheesy. I paused the movie 10 minutes in to say, "This reminds me of Chocolate and Blood" and then "Oh my gosh he's quoting literary books! This is awesome!"
Truly - a sweet story with a sweet ending. Can't wait to read the book now! (Cause you know the book is better than the movie!) Last but not least - the effects in this film were (for the most part) realistic... over the top once or twice but otherwise...very fulfilling to this simple romantic.