The Magic of Lemon Drops

When my wife and I look for a movie on Saturday evening after our usual steak and red wine dinner, of course with chocolate cake for dessert, we mainly want to be entertained and this movie is entertaining. We have lived long enough to know most of life's truisms but it is nice to be reminded. Set in Minnesota and Ohio, but filmed in Canada, Lolly is a 30-something single woman who works with her dad's long time family restaurant. Lolly has a knack for food, she likes to experiment with new blends and tastes but dad is adamant, no new items on the menu. On that he is as stubborn as can be. So Lolly dreams of having her own restaurant. There is also an old unfulfilled romance with Rory, now a sports team doctor. They grew up next door neighbors, had a romance some 10+ years earlier but parted ways. Now he is back in town for a time, fresh off a divorce. All that sets the stage for the events that shape this movie. Lolly's old aunt presents her with an opportunity. She gives her four lemon drops. Right before falling asleep at night if Lolly will take one lemon drop and out loud say what she wants to see, she will get one day, only one day, in that reality. After doing this on three different nights, going to three of her alternate realities, she can take the fourth drop and say which one she wants, but she never returns from that last one. This sets up a series of interesting developments and interactions, each alternate reality filled with surprises for Lolly. My wife and I both guess correctly what she would do in the end. At home, streaming on Peacock. As with almost all Hallmark movies, there is exactly one "Hallmark Kiss" and it comes during the last minute of the movie.

This Hallmark film left me with just Ho-hum feelings. While there were parts I liked, most of the film just fell flat for me. I was curious why first generation German immigrants didn't have any accents? I didn't care for the conflict between the family members, sisters and father. But the part I probably objected to the most was the lack of chemistry between the two leads. I really liked them independent of one another, I'm guessing the director did too because they have very little on screen time together...especially for a romance. Not a recommendation from me...while I didn't hate it, there are much better Hallmark films out there. Leave these "magical lemon drops" behind.

Hallmark has run their usual plots into the ground, so instead of saving "something" or a widow or divorce returns to their home town, or a wedding disaster, so Hallmark returns to FANTASY, there was a movie about a mixup by the "dream team" (and I'm not talking about the USA Okympic Basketball Team). Anyway, the story is about Lolly who works in a restaurant, her Aunt Gert gives her three magical lemon drops, she gets to experience what her life would have been like if she had made different choices and lived those unfulfilled dreams. She meets her old flame, Rory, who is now divorced and raising his daughter. The chemistry between the actors seems a tad lukewarm between the two. There is a coldness about the actor Lyndsey Fonseca that doesn't fit the part, the character needs more warmth. Lately, Hallmark is having problems with casting the right actors for the parts. The magic lemon drops reveals her life choices, Lolly learns valuable life lessons and the outcome is just so predictable! Another disappointment!

Another dumb topsy turvy Hallmark movie. What's the obsession with magic, the supernatural and sci-fi, there is nothing wrong with a good basic romantic comedy.. Rom-coms are an American thing, but they don't go out of style and are fun. Even European countries are enjoying US and Canadian rom-coms. Another bad script ruins the movie. The dialog isn't good, too much inane dialog. Get rid of all the nostalgia and the past, focus on the present and look to the future. The location in Manitoba and filming locations used were nice and the cast is generally good, it's always nice to see Ian Harding.

The review -- friendly, polite, somewhat sterile story about parallel realities, choices, roads not taken, consequences, and appreciating what is right in front of you, right now. Everything about the production is perfect. Which is both a blessing and a curse ... Bonus Notes -- this is a Canadian film pretending to take place in the US. Something that was very common in the early days of Canadian film-making, but quite rare today. It suffers from all the common telltales and giveaways -- lighting perfect in every shot, like the Director just graduated film school. Everyone's clothing is fresh out of the laundry or dry cleaner. Not a smudge or spot anywhere. No recognizable actors, not one, very usual for a production supposedly taking place in the US. Dialog not very "natural," especially for the wisecracks and snappy rejoinders. Accents that don't quite ring true. Conclusion -- Friendly, and includes useful Life Lessons. The inherent sterility of the Canadian production values blunts much of the impact and audience connection. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

Lolly gets a once in a lifetime chance when her Aunt gives her 4 magical lemon drops. The first 3 lemon drops to be taken right before bed with her announcing a regret or a path not taken, but if she takes the 4th and last gum drop she has chosen one of her other 3 life paths. With each her life is both great and challenging, and she must decide the path she would like to go, one of her 3 other live's, or her current reality. Different than the average Hallmark movie. I loved the story and the perspective of Lolly realizing and choosing her bliss. Wonderful acting by both leads, I adore Ian & Lyndsy. But the supporting cast was just as amazing. This one is a win for Hallmark!

The story is just a little bit different following the almost magic that has been part of several stories on Hallmark lately. The alternate reality is not unusual in a rom/com, but in this one there is more than one. I especially liked that those alternate realities didn't get overly hung up on the difficulties of the protagonist being dropped into a situation she has no memories of life leading up to that moment. There is a little bit, but Lolly isn't made to look like a total fool not knowing those things. I especially like the second drop, but I won't describe it. Lyndsy Fonseca and Ian Harding are great and have chemistry. It is easy to identify with them. The acting is good and so is the dialogue even without it being unusually sparkling. Instead both acting and dialogue seem natural. Ian Harding is growing on me. There isn't a lot of heavy negative tension. And I like it that way. There was something about the ending I really liked. Was it because it was shorter and more to the point, less drawn out?