A Summer to Remember

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Personally have always found Cameron Mathison worth watching and can see why he is popular with Hallmark, when his characters are written well he plays with a natural easy going charm and subtle charisma. Catherine Bell is more variable, have liked some of her work but when she has characters that are hard to connect to or have overblown character flaws she fares less well. The 2018 Summer Nights seasonal block varied as well, a couple worked and a couple did not. 'A Summer to Remember' is one of the in between 2018 Summer Nights films. It is not as good as 'Pearl in Paradise' (the best), but it is a lot better than 'Love on Safari'. As far as 2018 Hallmark films go in general, 'A Summer to Remember' is neither one of the best or worst films and in the firmly in the middle part of the in between category. To me, it was a decent enough diversion with a lot of good but it would have been better if the story was stronger. The good things will be mentioned first. On the whole, Bell and Mathison are very engaging and likeable leads (apart from some initial forced moments from Bell). Their characters are not multi dimensional, but they were ones that were not too perfect or had negative characteristics that are overdone. Their chemistry doesn't come over as disconnected and is sweet and sincere. The supporting cast generally are solid. Fiji though is the star, with the scenery being breath taking and beautifully filmed, which is expected from any Hallmark film set abroad. The music is not too constant or repetitive, even if there is not much that leaps out. Most of the script flows well and has a mix of light hearted wit and well meaning more serious moments. Will agree however with those that have said that the story is pretty weak. There are light hearted and charming moments, but it is very, very slight (sometimes uneventful) and drags quite a bit in spots, do agree that some of it was too much like a travelogue. What there is of the story has good moments and did appreciate that there wasn't any contrived predictable conflicts, but it is very formulaic (if you've seen any Summer Nights film set abroad it is pretty much what is seen quite a lot with Hallmark in this type of film). Moreover, atmosphere wise on the whole it's pretty bland from lacking depth in storytelling and character writing. While liking Bell and Mathison's characters, the supporting characters are too sketchy and too much like recycled Hallmark cliches. Really did not see the point of Paul O'Brien's character and thought him annoying. In conclusion, decent if not exceptional. 6/10.