Love of the Irish

Another strong on-___location production from Hallmark. The movies shot somewhere exotic rather than in a Canadian city filling in are always much more atmospheric.

The Irish countryside is arguably as big a star as Shenae Grimes-Beech, Stephen Hagan and "The West Wing" alum Moira Kelly are. It's stunning, and the overhead shots of rolling hills, ancient ruins and rugged cliffs, especially, show it off perfectly. Makes you want to visit the Emerald Isle.

The story? Well, formulaic as these Hallmark movies often are, but also pleasant. There's the main love story and a secondary one, which is where Moira Kelly's character comes into things.

Come for the Irish scenery and culture, stay for the charming romance.

Plot (25%) The plot is engaging, with heartwarming and refreshing storylines. Score: 25% Characters (20%) The characters are heartwarming and nice, but the repeated use of "bestie" felt cringey for adult women. Score: 18% Direction (15%) The pacing was well-done, but the tone felt overly gloomy at times. Score: 12% Visuals (15%) The visuals are stunning, proving live-action can deliver impressive imagery. Score: 15% Music (10%) The song "Eye of the Irish" felt unnecessary and out of place. Score: 5% Theme (10%) The theme of luck is intriguing, and Fiona's change of fortune was satisfying. Score: 7% Entertainment Value (5%) Surprisingly more entertaining than expected. Score: 4% Overall: 86% Better than expected, a strong start to 2025's romance movie lineup.

This movie has a lot of the formula stuff in it, but they seem to have a little different flavor to them. Fiona gets an audition rejection and Helen's shop is flooded, so it's time to go search for their roots. The obstacle to the romance and the climax both fit the mold of so many other rom/coms, but with a slight twist after the die is cast.

The way the issue of the birth-mom was handled seemed a little strange. The mom found Helen and wrote her a letter. I don't recall any discussion of how Helen was raised or ended up in America. Still, this part of the story is the hook for the movie.

Fiona considers herself about as unlucky as can be and evidence seems to support that (except for darts). Making part of the story about Fiona actually chasing luck is an unusual story angle. There is almost a mystical quality to this part of the story.

The epilogue ends abruptly. It sure seems like something more was intended.

Fiona (Shenae Grimes Beech), a woman with "bad luck," goes to Ireland with her mother, Helen (Moira Kelly), to search for her mother's biological mother and to try to improve her luck. She meets an interesting local man, Liam, (Stephen Hagan), who owns the local pub and brews his own beer. Liam helps Fiona try to improve her luck by showing her customs in Ireland that are deemed to bring luck. This naturally leads to romantic feelings for both.

Meanwhile, Helen finds her birth mother and spends time getting to know her.

The best thing about this show is the setting in Ireland. It offers beautiful scenery and some Irish customs, dancing and Irish music. It's nice to see something different on Hallmark!

Is this the best movie ever? No. Does the story line have a bunch of missing pivotal points? You know it. Does everyone in the movie look like they are related to one another? Absolutely! Would I watch this movie again? Nope! Am I glad I watched this movie? Yes! Only cause I watched it with my mother and everytime anything remotely romantic, sweet or cute happened she said "oh my"! Clearly, the target audience is the 60+ women (of which I am not). So ya if you're a male in your thirties this may not be for you; but if you are male in your thirties and find it amusing to see your mom get excited over the tinest thing, then this is totally your movie.

Note: while everyone looks the same, I double checked they are in fact not related.