The 2023 Hallmark Channel movieWhen Love Springsis available for streaming on Hoopla and Hallmark+, but is it worth watching?When Love Springsby prolific director Jo-Anne Brechin is a cozy seasonal romance set in the spring rather than the usualHallmark staple of the Christmas season. In the film, Rory (Rhiannon Fish) is a beleaguered junior publicist who travels to the picturesque Lily Lake B&B in New York for her parents' renewal of their wedding vows. Though it’s supposed to be a vacation, she’s still on the clock.
Even worse than working overtime, Rory runs into her ex, Jason (Callan Colley), who is also staying at Lily Lake with his new girlfriend. To avoid any further embarrassment, Rory makes a deal with Lily Lake’s caretaker and grandson of the owner, Noah (James O’Halloran). The plan is that they pretend to be a couple so Rory can save face, and in exchange,Rory will help Noah prepare for an upcoming visit from a major travel critic. Keep reading to find out ifWhen Love Springsisone of the better Hallmark movies, or if it can be skipped.
When Love Springs Is Filled With Strong Performances
Rhiannon Fish Is An Excellent Hallmark Lead
Thecast ofWhen Love Springsis the number one reason to watch the Hallmark movie. Headlined by Fish, the ensemble is all doing excellent work both in terms of chemistry with each other and providing something new for loyal viewers of Hallmark movies. Fish’s performance is very well-rounded, and she fits the mold of the busy, career-minded young woman, and the love-struck vacationer perfectly. She also gets to perform a lot of comedy and is far from a one-note character.
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The rest of the cast members are all doing excellent work, no matter their screen time. O’Halloran is charming and appropriately agitated about the state of his family’s business. Special mention needs to be made of Melody, played by Frankie Savage. Melody is Rory’s demanding boss at the publishing house and flips from sickly sweet to demonically mean at a moment’s notice. It’s a funny and energetic performance that injects humor into the story at just the right moments. She’s neither used too often nor not enough.
When Love Springs Is Not Worth Watching
The Movie Does Not Investigate Its Core Conceit
Unfortunately, despite some charming performances and a beautiful setting,When Love Springsdoesn’t make good on the promise its story manufactures.When Love Springsstarts off with a cute idea, Rory and Noah are only pretending to be a couple, but inevitably, their fake union will eventually result in real feelings. The problem is that the pair never actually have to pretend to be a couple. They spend most of the film alone and even the travel critic and the ex-boyfriend subplots take a backseat to the romance.
When Love Springsjust ends up being a standard Hallmark romance, which is a shame because it could have been a lot more if the fake relationship angle was more explored.
When Love Springsdoesn’t stand out above other Hallmark titles because it doesn’t embrace its own tropes, which is a shame because it could have been a lot more if the fake dating angle was more explored. The pair could have been put through some complicated situations as the critic attempted to find out if they were being lied to, or Rory’s family could have accidentally spilled the secret to her ex. There were plenty of other directionsWhen Love Springscould have taken and, while the final product is still serviceable, there are better Hallmark titles.
