The lead actress, Lindsay Hartley, seems way too old to be an entry level editor. And the makeup department absolutely covers her face in heavy makeup. I think she should stick with Lifetime movies.
The one bright spot is the acting of Army Wives' Drew Fuller. His easygoing charm seems effortless.
Another star for Morgan Fairchild. Timeless.
16 Reviews
Heart and Head
boblipton21 September 2014
Lindsay Hartley is a book editor working out of Portland Oregon with a great head for pulling the best points out of a book and a lousy heart for picking guys to fall in love with. So, when her best friend calls her down to Los Angeles to edit best-selling author Morgan Fairchild's latest trashy romance novel, she finds herself trapped between Miss Fairchild's take-it-or-leave-it attitude and two guys. One of the guys looks perfect on paper; he's a rising entertainment lawyer. The other is a nice ne'er-do-well.
Well, it's a Hallmark romantic comedy, so we know how it will turn out, complete with the well-mannered Black boy Lindsay and the nice guy mentor. Nonetheless, director Ron Oliver gets some good performances out of his actors. Morgan Fairchild shows some subtlety and frozen humor in her role, quite at odds with the writing. In fact, the script seems to have extraneous issues stripped out to pace the whole show faster and funnier than it rates to be.
It's still not great, but it is a very watchable time-waster.
Well, it's a Hallmark romantic comedy, so we know how it will turn out, complete with the well-mannered Black boy Lindsay and the nice guy mentor. Nonetheless, director Ron Oliver gets some good performances out of his actors. Morgan Fairchild shows some subtlety and frozen humor in her role, quite at odds with the writing. In fact, the script seems to have extraneous issues stripped out to pace the whole show faster and funnier than it rates to be.
It's still not great, but it is a very watchable time-waster.
Good script wasted.
rebekahrox18 August 2018
Warning: Spoilers
This one could have been so much better. It had some potential. Comic potential (the party scene where our heroine was starving and kept trying to get to some food); some potential for the always entertaining ugly duckling into a swan; a great old star (Morgan Fairchild) playing the powerful nemesis that is eventually won over; a very attractive and likable lead actor who played a likable character; and an interesting plot line clashing a romance author with our heroine, an editor trying to make her clients book better, but risking her popularity. There was a cute poor kid and a romantic rival for cutie who was a wolf in sheep's clothing. There was a nice appealing secondary couple as well. All of the usual elements of a hallmance when mixed with some good acting and a well cast troupe can add up to perfectly enjoyable 2 hours worthy of a rewatch in a year or two.
Unfortunately, Lindsey Hartley was woefully miscast. She was too old, had the dark looks of a villainess, little comedy chops, and had her make-up applied like it was spackle. They needed a younger actress who could pass for a naïve and nerdy, but smart goofball a little out of her element in the big city. This casting blunder was made even more obvious because her supposed sophisticated and happily married boss was played by an actress 10 years younger. Had they switched roles, it would have gone a long way to making this twice as good. It's a shame, because everything else about the movie was on point.
collection of cliches
Kirpianuscus6 January 2020
Cinderella, the Prince Charming, the Witch ( bad- good). And a fake fairy tale , in the frame of editor work and generousity - anonymous - of a young philantropist. The film is saved by Morgan Fairchild , reminding more a character of Beverly novels than a writer of them. Lindsay Hartley is the worst option for the role of Natalie.
Very Enjoyable!
tiffanytallent19817 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I've watched many romance movies that revolve around the literary world. And most of them were at least a little boring. Luckily, 'Perfect on Paper' had enough going on within the story to keep me interested. Plus, everyone in the movie could actually ACT. Lol
Book editor, Natalie had to deal with her demanding author, Beverly. She also had the attention of two men: Bob, who turned out to be using her and Coop, who was her perfect match. She and Coop had great chemistry and I would've liked to have seen more of them being together. And the ending felt a little rushed. It would've been better to add a few more scenes after Coop finds Natalie at the airport. Other than that, I really enjoyed this movie and will definitely watch it again in a few months.
Book editor, Natalie had to deal with her demanding author, Beverly. She also had the attention of two men: Bob, who turned out to be using her and Coop, who was her perfect match. She and Coop had great chemistry and I would've liked to have seen more of them being together. And the ending felt a little rushed. It would've been better to add a few more scenes after Coop finds Natalie at the airport. Other than that, I really enjoyed this movie and will definitely watch it again in a few months.
The opposite of perfect
TheLittleSongbird13 December 2023
'Perfect on Paper' (2014)
Opening thoughts: Really liked the concept for 'Perfect on Paper', it sounded really cute and charming and with the potential to be a good mix of light hearted and sweet. This is the main reason as to why the film was watched, as well as that it was part of my Hallmark film completest sake started in 2018. As said a few times, 2014 was a very up and down year for Hallmark, but it did have some good films (a few very good) and a few of them were from premises that did not sound appealing.
'Perfect on Paper' is the anti-thesis of perfect and just didn't do much for me at all. It is not one of the worst 2014 Hallmark films, and they have in my view certainly done a lot worse overall. But they have also done a lot better on both counts. 'Perfect on Paper' actually had one of the more appealing and nostalgic premises of the year for Hallmark on paper, but sadly it was also it was one of the bigger wastes of potential. Which is every frustrating as finding a film to be bad.
Good things: While the acting was mostly not good at all, Morgan Fairchild gives it her absolute all in her role and is great fun to watch. Bryce Clyde Jenkins also brings some charm to his role.
Did think too that the scenery was nice and the photography had slickness and professionalism at least. There are moments of cuteness and charm.
Bad things: Sadly they were too far and between. Lindsay Hartley is one of the worst miscastings this viewer has seen in a long time, her role required a good deal of warmth and charm and Hartley's performance has neither. She is agreed too old for her role and is too cold and severe, as well as overdoing all of her character's over-negative emotions. Drew Fuller is bland and underplays too much as a sketchily developed character. The chemistry between them isn't there and is too mechanical. The rest of the cast are either too hammy or don't look as if they are enjoying themselves.
No wonder though as the script is very stop-start in flow and goes overboard on the cheese and awkwardness. The story is mundane in pacing and is bland in atmosphere, no heart or charm and it takes itself too seriously to be light-hearted. Which makes the excessive predictability of everything that happens hard to overlook. The music doesn't appeal, sounding quite cheap, and needed a lot more variety. The direction indicated someone who didn't know what they were doing.
Concluding thoughts: Overall, very lacklustre.
4/10.
Opening thoughts: Really liked the concept for 'Perfect on Paper', it sounded really cute and charming and with the potential to be a good mix of light hearted and sweet. This is the main reason as to why the film was watched, as well as that it was part of my Hallmark film completest sake started in 2018. As said a few times, 2014 was a very up and down year for Hallmark, but it did have some good films (a few very good) and a few of them were from premises that did not sound appealing.
'Perfect on Paper' is the anti-thesis of perfect and just didn't do much for me at all. It is not one of the worst 2014 Hallmark films, and they have in my view certainly done a lot worse overall. But they have also done a lot better on both counts. 'Perfect on Paper' actually had one of the more appealing and nostalgic premises of the year for Hallmark on paper, but sadly it was also it was one of the bigger wastes of potential. Which is every frustrating as finding a film to be bad.
Good things: While the acting was mostly not good at all, Morgan Fairchild gives it her absolute all in her role and is great fun to watch. Bryce Clyde Jenkins also brings some charm to his role.
Did think too that the scenery was nice and the photography had slickness and professionalism at least. There are moments of cuteness and charm.
Bad things: Sadly they were too far and between. Lindsay Hartley is one of the worst miscastings this viewer has seen in a long time, her role required a good deal of warmth and charm and Hartley's performance has neither. She is agreed too old for her role and is too cold and severe, as well as overdoing all of her character's over-negative emotions. Drew Fuller is bland and underplays too much as a sketchily developed character. The chemistry between them isn't there and is too mechanical. The rest of the cast are either too hammy or don't look as if they are enjoying themselves.
No wonder though as the script is very stop-start in flow and goes overboard on the cheese and awkwardness. The story is mundane in pacing and is bland in atmosphere, no heart or charm and it takes itself too seriously to be light-hearted. Which makes the excessive predictability of everything that happens hard to overlook. The music doesn't appeal, sounding quite cheap, and needed a lot more variety. The direction indicated someone who didn't know what they were doing.
Concluding thoughts: Overall, very lacklustre.
4/10.
Not quite perfect
greenheart21 November 2022
Perfect On Paper is your typical TV movie. Natalie played by Lindsay Hartley is a rookie book editor who is given the opportunity for her dream job at her friend's company. It turns out that the client/author she is assigned to is an absolute tyrant who nobody else is willing to touch.
Why somebody would hire her friend and toss her under the bus putting her own company at risk, is never really explained.
Hartley is okay in he lead role but it is author Beverly Wilcox who steals the show. She is suitably 'Lost In Showbiz' and pitches her character absolutely perfectly (excuse the pun) for the role and style of movie.
The two potential love interests were a little similar for my eyes both in appearance and behaviour, I would have liked more of a contrast.
The other support actors were likeable and slightly over the top in a good kind of way.
This is very light viewing but ticks a few boxes and sits neatly in Hallmark's winning tV movie formula.
Why somebody would hire her friend and toss her under the bus putting her own company at risk, is never really explained.
Hartley is okay in he lead role but it is author Beverly Wilcox who steals the show. She is suitably 'Lost In Showbiz' and pitches her character absolutely perfectly (excuse the pun) for the role and style of movie.
The two potential love interests were a little similar for my eyes both in appearance and behaviour, I would have liked more of a contrast.
The other support actors were likeable and slightly over the top in a good kind of way.
This is very light viewing but ticks a few boxes and sits neatly in Hallmark's winning tV movie formula.
Had Potential, but Fell Flat
Anonnamus9 March 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This story had the potential to be one of the better Hallmark movies out there, but the questionable script and acting stopped Perfect on Paper from reaching it.
I've never seen the lead actress in anything else, and have zero desire to. Her overexaggerated facial expressions were quite distracting. Hartley plays Natalie Holland, a book editor recruited from Oregon to Los Angeles to take on a new client Beverly Wilcox (Fairchild), a primadonna with a huge attitude. Drew Fuller, someone I have only seen in one of my favorite shows growing up, plays Coop, a seemingly laid back happy-go-lucky guy who just breezes through life with minimal effort or responsibility. Fuller made Coop a character we could root for, a bright spot in a sea of terrible supporting cast. The one standout was Eli, the kid whom Coop mentors. He is the reason I rated this movie as high as I did.
Natalie came off as a gold-digging snob who thinks that everyone is beneath her, mostly because of her equally unlikable friend Avery...who took every opportunity to tell Natalie she needed to find someone with ambition and goals and who had great qualities on paper, not a surfing janitor/maintenance man. Towards the end of the movie, when it was discovered that Cooper wasn't what he originally seemed and she did a 180, it didn't help her case. Perhaps a better actress could have pulled that off, but Hartley was unable to. I don't suggest not watching it, but just make it a low priority on the DVR. Fuller, Fairchild, and Eli make this movie worth watching.
I've never seen the lead actress in anything else, and have zero desire to. Her overexaggerated facial expressions were quite distracting. Hartley plays Natalie Holland, a book editor recruited from Oregon to Los Angeles to take on a new client Beverly Wilcox (Fairchild), a primadonna with a huge attitude. Drew Fuller, someone I have only seen in one of my favorite shows growing up, plays Coop, a seemingly laid back happy-go-lucky guy who just breezes through life with minimal effort or responsibility. Fuller made Coop a character we could root for, a bright spot in a sea of terrible supporting cast. The one standout was Eli, the kid whom Coop mentors. He is the reason I rated this movie as high as I did.
Natalie came off as a gold-digging snob who thinks that everyone is beneath her, mostly because of her equally unlikable friend Avery...who took every opportunity to tell Natalie she needed to find someone with ambition and goals and who had great qualities on paper, not a surfing janitor/maintenance man. Towards the end of the movie, when it was discovered that Cooper wasn't what he originally seemed and she did a 180, it didn't help her case. Perhaps a better actress could have pulled that off, but Hartley was unable to. I don't suggest not watching it, but just make it a low priority on the DVR. Fuller, Fairchild, and Eli make this movie worth watching.
Great all-age movie with three generations of characters
SunnyDaise26 August 2022
This lovely movie has more plots than most of the genre because the characters have good age spread, range of ethnicities, personal lives and employment and home situations. Most viewers would find something to connect with.
Not the best Hallmark offers....
wendymwt10 April 2022
These characters are not likable, they're problems are drivel, and could easily be overcome by finishing a conversation instead of becoming offended before the sentence is even finished, and walking away. The writing is stilted and boring. Someone needs to smack the interferring best friend/boss, but maybe that's what happens when you have 20-somethings running a publishing house...
Is the there something wrong with me? I loved it.
missraze24 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I'm only writing a review because there was a scene in the middle of the movie. The lead actress (a struggling editor), her romantic interest (a rich snob is all you need to know), her love match (a working class mentor) and the kid he mentors spontaneously battle each other at mini golf. It's a light hearted display of who's the better guy, the down to earth charismatic mentor. Or the elitist braggart who only talks money and gambles a golf game in front of the woman and kid. Well this scene stood out because Natalie, the editor, feels awkward during this moment since she likes them both but is clearly not a match for the rich guy who she met at a black tie publishing event. When they gambles over the final round, I just KNEW she would say "ohhh. Look at the time 😅" (nervous fake laugh)...and guess what...
She literally said it that exact moment that I thought of it. Lol. Oh dear. Now while that means I'm into the show and following the plot along well and enjoying myself, as I'm bed ridden from a minor neck injury and binge watching wholesome TV movies and knocking back pills and cocoa, it also means the script writing is predictable and elementary. Otherwise, Lindsay Hartley who plays Natalie improvised that line, which speaks well for her personality but still not the film.
Other than that, I love everything about the film! Pretty actresses, handsome actors, stylish wardrobe, upscale metropolitan setting, wholesome romance and light hearted comedy. Come on, it's totally fine viewing and I would re-watch this many times. All this film is missing is Vivica A Fox lol she could've played the heck out of that author Beverly Wilcox diva character!
She literally said it that exact moment that I thought of it. Lol. Oh dear. Now while that means I'm into the show and following the plot along well and enjoying myself, as I'm bed ridden from a minor neck injury and binge watching wholesome TV movies and knocking back pills and cocoa, it also means the script writing is predictable and elementary. Otherwise, Lindsay Hartley who plays Natalie improvised that line, which speaks well for her personality but still not the film.
Other than that, I love everything about the film! Pretty actresses, handsome actors, stylish wardrobe, upscale metropolitan setting, wholesome romance and light hearted comedy. Come on, it's totally fine viewing and I would re-watch this many times. All this film is missing is Vivica A Fox lol she could've played the heck out of that author Beverly Wilcox diva character!
Love Hallmark movies; skip this one
kendrickheather24 January 2019
Oy! I love Hallmark Movies. They are a guilty, wonderful pleasure. However, the lead actress, Lindsay Hartley, is grossly miscast and horribly declamatory in this role. The acting is just so awful. I couldn't get past it to enjoy any part of the story.
I see why this one airs rarely. Not a fan favorite.
Fun, cute movie!
ginasharp28 October 2020
Terrible on TV
dg-otjen8 June 2019
We watch a lot of Hallmark movies and we enjoy them. The lowest I've ever rated a Hallmark movie is a 6. This one, in my book, gets a "1". It is bad. No other Hallmark movie comes close to this one...I recommend you skip it!
It is Perfect-Perfect on Paper ****
edwagreen2 October 2014
Warning: Spoilers
The usual discussion of wealth versus a really productive life is well shown in this production.
Morgan Fairchild steals the film in a supporting role as a bitchy writer who makes excessive demands on the people working with her. One such person is our young editor who moves to California and winds up working for the Wilcox character.
Along the way, our young editor meets up with a guy sworn to help humanity, but instead seems to fall for the wealthy attorney. What a rude awakening she has when she finds out what the latter is up to.
It's a matter of heart and commitment and both those virtues are memorably shown here.
Morgan Fairchild steals the film in a supporting role as a bitchy writer who makes excessive demands on the people working with her. One such person is our young editor who moves to California and winds up working for the Wilcox character.
Along the way, our young editor meets up with a guy sworn to help humanity, but instead seems to fall for the wealthy attorney. What a rude awakening she has when she finds out what the latter is up to.
It's a matter of heart and commitment and both those virtues are memorably shown here.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
