The script is a hot mess and feels more like something out of a soap opera than a Hallmark movie.
So Charlotte has left James at the altar twice. Any reasonable person would say that this is points to a massive issue in their relationship that will take time to address. The movie actually backs this up, because it shows us that James has trouble setting boundaries with Charlotte and that Charlotte has a fear of commitment. It also tells us that Charlotte's fear makes her so anxious she breaks into hives and feels faint. This is the point where Charlotte needs counselling, and where James and Charlotte need premarital counselling.
I asked the people watching with me, "Are we supposed to want them to get together?" multiple times. Even when I was rooting for the couple on an individual basis, the movie failed to convince me this relationship was a good idea.
While it's novel for a Hallmark movie to have a plot that couldn't be solved with one conversation, the movie also treats its central conflict like it's relatively inconsequential. The first act sets up this major conflict while the second and third act try to resolve that conflict by convincing us that the problem isn't that big of a deal (while still repeatedly referring back to it, and adding in a bunch of convoluted other things).
Major props to Jen Lilley. Lilley does everything she can to make Charlotte a likable everywoman who's in over her head. Unfortunately, she can't change the fact that the script makes Charlotte do really manipulative things (the rest of the actors similarly do their best with this script, I think they're all pretty solid).
How are they getting all of the wedding guests to come back? Why are their friends so supportive of this obviously dysfunctional relationship? How do they afford to have these multiple weddings? This movie is truly amazing.
Also, massive artistic licence when it comes to how allergies work, to the point of really really downplaying their severity (or maybe even reality). If it hadn't been so ridiculous I probably would have found it offensive.
tl;dr: Skip this unless you're in the mood for a hate watch.
So Charlotte has left James at the altar twice. Any reasonable person would say that this is points to a massive issue in their relationship that will take time to address. The movie actually backs this up, because it shows us that James has trouble setting boundaries with Charlotte and that Charlotte has a fear of commitment. It also tells us that Charlotte's fear makes her so anxious she breaks into hives and feels faint. This is the point where Charlotte needs counselling, and where James and Charlotte need premarital counselling.
I asked the people watching with me, "Are we supposed to want them to get together?" multiple times. Even when I was rooting for the couple on an individual basis, the movie failed to convince me this relationship was a good idea.
While it's novel for a Hallmark movie to have a plot that couldn't be solved with one conversation, the movie also treats its central conflict like it's relatively inconsequential. The first act sets up this major conflict while the second and third act try to resolve that conflict by convincing us that the problem isn't that big of a deal (while still repeatedly referring back to it, and adding in a bunch of convoluted other things).
Major props to Jen Lilley. Lilley does everything she can to make Charlotte a likable everywoman who's in over her head. Unfortunately, she can't change the fact that the script makes Charlotte do really manipulative things (the rest of the actors similarly do their best with this script, I think they're all pretty solid).
How are they getting all of the wedding guests to come back? Why are their friends so supportive of this obviously dysfunctional relationship? How do they afford to have these multiple weddings? This movie is truly amazing.
Also, massive artistic licence when it comes to how allergies work, to the point of really really downplaying their severity (or maybe even reality). If it hadn't been so ridiculous I probably would have found it offensive.
tl;dr: Skip this unless you're in the mood for a hate watch.