Okay, I am always down for MJH, and honestly she looked GREAT in this one. I mean, she is looking fine in those cowgirl duds, even though there's no way she could saddle a horse or pitch hay in that some of those, erm, form fitting outfits she's wearing. That said, most of the previous commenters hit all the worst goofs: No snow, bad night filters, weird cowboy costumes, lack of chemistry, low production values (the beautiful scenery notwithstanding). I forgot Kellie Martin directed, I thought MJ was pulling double duty but her stuff is more self assured. Keep workin KM you'll get there.
The "square dance" was the low point for me, it felt more like a drunken house party if the drank was Hawaiian Punch laced with Nyquil. But really there was no energy in this one at all. Zero heat between Merry and Mark (and I realize this is a family film but zzzzzz indeed). I guess the frigidity is to substitute for winter weather? And the attempts at comedy were just sad. Oh no he threw the ax! Everybody duck! Oh look he cant ride a horse yuk yuk....
Biggest disappointment: The city slicker heartthrob is a Brit. For some reason, it made the dynamic between him and Merry weird. The one clip from the preview ("Just a buncha yahoos and giddyups") gave no clue he was English, and it ruined the movie for me. I love a British accent as much as anybody, but it just made things awkward. I was intrigued by an interracial romance, but between the clashing accents, wooden dialogue, and the fact that Duane is literally twice MJ's height undermined whatever romantic connection they were trying to emulate. Only the french toast scene came close to anything resembling a spark. Alas, there's only so much froth one can whip up with a whisk....
Much like the fake starfields previously mentioned, I kept waiting for the stars to morph into something like a winged horse or a polar bear or something, but they just twinkled a 110w glow as the would be lovers stared blankly at the green screen.
The "square dance" was the low point for me, it felt more like a drunken house party if the drank was Hawaiian Punch laced with Nyquil. But really there was no energy in this one at all. Zero heat between Merry and Mark (and I realize this is a family film but zzzzzz indeed). I guess the frigidity is to substitute for winter weather? And the attempts at comedy were just sad. Oh no he threw the ax! Everybody duck! Oh look he cant ride a horse yuk yuk....
Biggest disappointment: The city slicker heartthrob is a Brit. For some reason, it made the dynamic between him and Merry weird. The one clip from the preview ("Just a buncha yahoos and giddyups") gave no clue he was English, and it ruined the movie for me. I love a British accent as much as anybody, but it just made things awkward. I was intrigued by an interracial romance, but between the clashing accents, wooden dialogue, and the fact that Duane is literally twice MJ's height undermined whatever romantic connection they were trying to emulate. Only the french toast scene came close to anything resembling a spark. Alas, there's only so much froth one can whip up with a whisk....
Much like the fake starfields previously mentioned, I kept waiting for the stars to morph into something like a winged horse or a polar bear or something, but they just twinkled a 110w glow as the would be lovers stared blankly at the green screen.