Love, for Real

source: Love, for Real

Loved the original storyline without the usual group of Hallmark actors.

Love the tropical location. Seems to be Hawaii but not sure. Its an interesting premises making fun of the bachelor franchise but I found the characters very harsh and irrational. Found the leading actress very annoying and unlikeable, a bit arrogant too. Her best friend was also not likeable and very fake, even before they get on the reality tv show. It seemed like everyone was reading off lines even when they weren't supposed to. Her fashion line was also very underwhelming.

The lead female character is totally unlikable. That being said, the actress cast in the role did nothing to make her more sympathetic. She has a horrible voice: flat, whiny and very nasal. Could make paint peel. There was absolutely no connection with any of the other characters, not the male lead and not her "best friend." She should be cast in silent movies only and even that's questionable.

Not my favorite but the scenery was nice. It's nice to not see the trifecta of regulars (Danica, Candace and Lacey) and glad to see someone new. Thought the leads best friend did great. The lead however, couldn't get past her voice.

First, the litany of bad reviews typical of HM movies I believe are from dudes who's wives made them watch the movie out of desperation. Mainly because they can turn on Fast and Furious 18 without thinking about but haven't turned on their wife in ages. Love, for Real was fun because it wavered slightly from the formula and it was shot on location with beautiful visuals. It was also written with wit, humor, and some good dialogue. The two female leads were adorable, but it was Chloe Bridges that was somehow allowed to act outside of the HM norm and played a real person that you might actually know or meet in real life. She balanced a tough exterior and a vulnerable side with real people flaws that made you root for her all the way. She had good chemistry with the male lead and her best friend, I'd like to see her in more movies.

It appears people either love this movie or hate it. I'm thinking that the haters are die-hard fans of reality shows such as The Bachelor. I've never watched them, but this spoof seems quite accurate. It's all about ratings, after all. The fresh new faces on this Hallmark movie were great! Hope to see more of them in future shows. The script was funny. The lead actress was sarcastic, and funny. I liked the whole cast. Karen Malina White was the best! She delivered her lines flawlessly, and we laughed out loud several times! If you haven't seen it, I urge you to give it a try. Remember it's supposed to be a spoof, so don't take it seriously. An enjoyable evening.

Chloe Bridges, the lead actress, has certainly gotten some bad reviews for her performance. As an actress, I thought she was good with even some decent comic timing. Unfortunately her portrayal was derailed by a god awful case of of vocal fry. Like other, I almost changed the channel. Even worse than early Jessica Lowndes. This somewhat accounts for some reviewers labelling her whiny and sarcastic and unlikable. She kind of was, the first two, but it was made worse by her voice. Her best friend and partner in entering the Bachelor-type competition was a sweetheart. She made Hayley seem even more annoying by comparison. The actress, Taiana Tully, was natural and enthusiastic with a perky charm. She may have been cast for the diversity factor, but hopefully this will lead to more roles. The two best friends enter a bachelor reality show. Hayley, a fledging designer, to promote her line of dresses, sweet appealing Bree, I don't remember why. But neither one wants to actually win. Unfortunately Perky nice girl falls in love with the male star almost immediately and it's mutual. There were actual some good laughs in this one, particularly the scene when the mean chief rival is painting a portrait of herself and the bachelor as mermaid and merman to the nice guy's horror ("did you notice the scales are actually to scale?) The black production assistance was great as well. She reminded me of a young Wanda Sykes. The two male leads were not bad. Perfectly acceptable. And the last few scenes where Hayley foils the phony plans of the phony reality show, ruining their fake storyline without regard to real reality is very entertaining. I have to take it down a star for the sappy cheesy speeches that the bachelor guy had to make. I know it was a send up of that ilk of reality shows, but they were a little too on point for me. I can't wait for those shows to go the way of westerns, afternoon soap operas, and afternoon game shows.

Yes that's reality TV which is the basis of this story. I'm not a fan of reality TV especially the Bachelor type ones so it was hard for me to get into this. The leads didn't win me over and even they weren't exactly honest. Chemistry? 5/10 at best for that.

I'm enjoying this, I missed the premier. Lead characters are fine, not your cookie cutter usual run of the mill types. Refreshing when Hallmark does that lol. Humorous, beautiful scenery, believable romances here, you might root for them, I did. Put this on your watch list.

Snappy dialogue timing, unusual lead, good secondary actors, so even with the usual story quite entertaining.