In their continued promise of a new original every Saturday night, our favorite romance network debuts Bottled with Love. This one stars Bethany Joy Lenz as Mary Abigail Lawrence, a woman who’s just been dumped… at a wedding… via text message. Abbey feels like this is the final sign that at 36, she’ll never find the right guy. But her guarded personality means, this isn’t the woman she shows to the world. With gentle encouragement from her aunt, Abbey writes a raw and honest letter to Love, which she then places inside a bottle, and tosses to sea.
The man who finds this missive is Nick Everson (Andrew Walker), a nomad who’s currently living in Maine. From Boston originally, Nick returns to the city where his father expects him to help in the acquisition of a new company, his father and sister also expect Nick to work with their loyal employee, Abbey, the girl who unbeknownst to both Nick and Abbey, wrote the letter that Nick holds onto.
Bottled with Love (2019) Hallmark Review
Each of the films from this rapidly growing network charm those of us who appreciate “clean romance” stories; or as I like to refer to them, old-fashioned. The mantle carries through to Bottled with Love. One of Hallmark’s most hyped premieres, including a banner of it being their best of the year, this one had expectations to meet. The cast was enough to excite me, but then, it came time to tune in and see what the fuss was about.
If you’re a frequent TV film viewer, you might remember Lenz and Walker co-star in the Lifetime original Snowed-Inn Christmas. One of my favorite from last year (I also adore them together), it was this reunion that made me most excited to see this romance. They are again romantic-comedy magic as romancers in this new film. They have a great on-screen connection, and I cannot express how much I like Abbey’s character. She’s a little bit (in the most complimentary, adorable) way of a geek, and just so darn relatable.
My one nitpick complaint is as follows. I could do without the final scene blocked as if on a stage; i.e., when the couple has an audience complete with cheers when the inevitable happens. This creates a less genuine moment for the scene to say nothing of it being a little awkward; then again, this is more of a general thought rather than exclusive to this film. Beyond this, sprinkles of adorable moments run through the film. From a diner scene to Nick pulling Abbey out of her comfort zone, there isn’t a time that this one is full-on darling. This is what makes this a story that’s not just easy to fall in love with, but to genuinely understand, and that means this is a must-see kind of romance.
#AndrewWalker and #BethanyJoyLenz co-star in an @HallmarkChannel original that's all old-fashioned charm. Bottled with Love - A Story that Reminds Us How to Dream Click To TweetPhotos: Hallmark Channel
I was hoping that Hallmark did not over-hype this one, but after watching it, I definitely think it was one of their best. The characters are relatable as you said. Lenz plays awkward so well. The only thing that bothered me was her wardrobe! It felt more appropriate for a fifty year old woman, not a thirty something marketing exec.
Bethany’s character is a breath of fresh air; I love how easy we can relate to her (or I can ;D). I know what you mean about her wardrobe; I guess I thought it was because they wanted her to be more of an old-fashioned vintage-loving character, but thinking back, they never really “show” or “explain” this… so maybe that’s just how I see it?? I too think this is one of their best. :)
Oh, goodness, I thought this was adorable! I was a little concerned based on just how confident Hallmark seemed about it … like, why would this one be SO much better than their other films that they would hype it up so much? But it truly WAS better! This is easily my favorite Hallmark movie in, well, I don’t know how long. It’s certainly the first non-Christmas movie I’ve wanted to buy in years.
I like Andrew fine, but he’s not one of my favorite Hallmark leading men … unless he’s with Bethany. My goodness, they’re perfect together! (Snowed Inn Christmas was one of my favorites of 2017, too!) I feel like Hallmark movies have been good but not great lately, so it’s nice to have one to truly gush about :-)
SAME! Like you though, I wondered over the over-hype, but in this case, I’m 99% sure it works.
I always enjoy Hallmark’s originals, but of course, I have my favorites. I haven’t seen their first Countdown to Summer one, but I’m pretty sure this was my favorite Spring Fever title. Either way, I’ll keep watching… and hope there’s more amazing ones to come. (What I do like is that they’re starting to be set in some exotic or unusual locations. Makes the story more interesting I think! :D)
I used to watch Hallmark so much! But I don’t have the channel anymore and I miss it greatly. This sounds like such a nice film!
It is, Genesis; so cute and fun! :)