‘Moonlight in Vermont’ (2017): A Refreshing RomCom about Finding Yourself (Without Losing Yourself)

If there’s one constant playing on my TV screen that has become like a reliable friend, it’s the assurance that Hallmark Channel is
going to enchant with its persistent line of originals. Tonight, their second “Spring Fling” premiere airs, and if you’re a fan of the network, it’s one you will not want to miss. (Trust me!)

Moonlight in Vermont (2017) Hallmark TV Film Review

The story introduces us to the driven and successful real estate agent, Fiona (can we appreciate her fabulous name?) played by fan
favorite Lacey Chabert. A city girl through and through, there’s a wall between sophisticated Fiona and her (now) country Inn owner father. But when her boyfriend unceremoniously dumps her, her best friend, Angela convinces Fiona they should head to Vermont to see her father and stepmother for a visit.    

Things get off to a rocky start when Fiona meets the inn’s chef, Derek (Carlos Marks, Chesapeake Shores) and then, to add insult to injury, her ex, Nate (Jesse Moss) shows up. (With a new girlfriend on his arm!) Convinced its Nate she wants, Fiona “sells”
Derek on the idea of playing her faux boyfriend for the week. But what starts as the sale of a dream she thinks she wants might actually be the start of something new.  

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With its familiar leading lady (an actress who got her start in Mean Girls, and is now loved as a romantic-comedy favorite on Hallmark), sweet script and home on the “Heart of TV” network, Moonlight in Vermont is another winning story. Though ‘Moonlight’ is comfortingly familiar in so many ways, it’s a joy to watch. (The laughter doesn’t stop.)  

Perhaps what I love best about this one (or maybe the two things I loved best) was that the ending is open to interpretation. Sure, it’s a happy one, but it can evolve into whatever you want it to be. One of my story “pet peeves,” if you will is when the city life is vilified. The contrast is nice, but the city doesn’t always have to be the “bad” thing keeping someone from enjoying life. In this example, there’s a possibility characters will still find bliss in their city life (with a renewed perspective on what’s really important) and also the option they found a new hearth and heart.

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The second thing I give kudos for is the lack of romantic drama. We all know the formula, which goes something like this. Boy and girl meet. Then Boy and girl like each other (or as his the case here, there’s more of a Darcy/Lizzie thing going on); boy and girl fall in love. Boy and girl fight, and almost miss their shot at happiness. There’s none of that here. Instead, there’s a fun friendship and the start of something by the time the film rolls to its close. This and more makes Moonlight in Vermont as sweet as the maple syrup the locale is famous for.  

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You can find Moonlight in Vermont digitally on Amazon Video

Photos: Hallmark Channel / Crown Media