Despite this being a Hallmark ripoff movie, I actually have lots of commentary. Settle in.
Ethan (Jake Stormoen - Adam in Seeking Persephone) is a writer of adventure books. Mackenzie (Eva Hamilton) is works at a chocolate company and is Ethan’s best friend who pines for him. Mackenzie beta read Ethan’s books for him before he send them to his editor. In exchange, he bakes her what appears to be white bread. Maybe it’s a cake, but it REALLY looks like plain white bread. I suppose that’s a metaphor for this film.
Mackenzie’s biggest criticism is that two leads of Ethan’s stories, Shane and Sabrina, have romantic chemistry and should do more than fist bump. Also, that his villains lack clear motivation to which I say - same, girl, same. Ethan refuses to have Shane and Sabrina be anything more than friends, partially because the characters are based on the two of them. Mackenzie’s token Black work friend Crystal, played by Jazmine Shaw (really, made for streaming movie? I know you’re trying to rip off Hallmark, but there some things you should NOT copy!) states that spending your time reading with a guy does not sound like fun. How dare you, madam! This is one of my favorite date night activities, although my boyfriend calls them “reading parties”.
Anyway, Ethan’s publishers want him to take his new series in a more romantic direction as well. He’s been “building a following”, but they want his work to reach outside of the adventure readers who already buy his books. Ethan complains that adding romance is forcing him to work in a different genre. I disagree. My dude, just because your book has a romance subplot, it does NOT mean you are a romance writer. Mackenzie tells him that no one expects him to be the next Jane Austen. How dare you, other madam! Austen did not just write romance, she wrote social commentary. Double anyway, Mackenzie invites Ethan to go with her on a business trip to Costa Rica for “romantic inspiration”.
If you’re wondering if this will talk at all about how climate change is effecting the cocoa production in South America . . . oh, you weren’t wondering that? That was just me. Either way, it is not brought up. Instead, the pair meets Lucas (Jonny Swenson) who instantly has a thing for Mackenzie and Ethan wants to observe them for his book. He tells her that first rule of writing is to “let the unexpected happen”. I’m not sure that I know that one, so it’s probably not the first rule. Maybe more like rule fourteen.
Ethan is a little bit of a bro, which got on my nerves. But he still asked and appreciated Mackenzie’s opinions. She seemed to be his model for his ideal female character and liked picking her brain. His writing time is referred to as going to his “cave” and I laughed out loud at that. My office is referred to as “my cave” or “the Cave of Wonders”, because I keep it dark, messy, and full of my many books and collectibles. I did enjoy the scenes where the characters in his book act out the scenes they are brainstorming. The actors purposely create over the top action sequences with silly dialogue and I loved it. Also, I enjoyed all of the stock footage of Costa Rica, but the lack of sweat on the actors was distracting. That is no way they are in a jungle. I mean, IMDB says it was filmed in Costa Rica but . . .
SPOILERS:
As Ethan starts to write out the new romance bits of his books, he freaks himself out when realizing how natural it is for his main characters to be together. He becomes twitterpated when Mackenzie explains that love is in the everyday and that’s what his book needs, a little sweet and boring between the action sequences. Ethan and Mackenzie fight after he starts to behave jealously towards Lucas. As she and Lucas grow closer, Ethan can 1) see the ways he pushed her into a relationship that wouldn’t be right for her and 2) finally write sappy, but not too sappy romantic moments in his book. Still, Ethan interrupts her date with Lucas to tell Mackenzie that he loves her (with a lot of apologizing to Lucas throughout). He presents her with the new ending of his book (which for some reason was the middle of the manuscript papers on his desk) where the two leads finally kiss. And for some reason this makes his editor cry? Can someone please check on the editor.
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