An Unexpected Valentine

Hallmark really knows how to deliver the goods! Their first premiere in February is An Unexpected Valentine, featuring the beloved Lacey Chabert alongside Robert Buckley from Chesapeake Shores. When Hannah (Chabert) and Finn (Buckley) cross paths on Valentine's Day, they embark on a whirlwind adventure through New York City to return a lost engagement ring and make sure another couple's day goes off without a hitch. Chabert recently lit up screens in The Christmas Quest, marking her fifteenth holiday film for Hallmark Media. She's also been in A Merry Scottish Christmas, Haul Out the Holly, Groundswell, and the Wedding Veil trilogies. Plus, you can catch her in Hot Frosty on Netflix. It's easy to see why she's a perfect fit for these feel-good TV movies-she brings so much charm and grace to her roles.

And let's not forget about Robert Buckley! He played Evan Kincaid in the last two seasons of Chesapeake Shores and has been in a bunch of Hallmark flicks like The Christmas House, Love in Store, and Blind Date Book Club. He's also known for his roles in Hart of Dixie, One Tree Hill, and Ghost Whisperer.

This movie is a delightful and laid-back rom-com that's a blast to watch!

There was good chemistry between the leads, Lacey Chabert continues to be the queen of Hallmark movies. But all the driving around New York City, going very fast and always finding a way to pull over to a vacant curb doesn't seem realistic. And we have another Hallmark movie where someone takes a selfie with a camera that has a telephoto lens. That doesn't work. Hard to believe that they made all those stops driving around the city and still got to their events. Timeline does not seem right. That doesn't work either! But the chemistry was good, worth a watch. Supporting cast and scenery was also good.

7.3 stars.

I would classify this as a laid-back romance that is unusual for Hallmark. I've seen Hallmark produce movies like this but not in many years. This is a tribute to some of the older stuff they did maybe back around 2005 through 2012 give or take. It doesn't fit into the usual formula, however, it still has the same feeling of all the usual movies they produce. They simply inserted a completely foreign storyline, utilizing the hallmark blueprint.

It's the story of a man who delivers things in his large SUV around NYC. He also transports people, somewhat like an Uber driver. The rest of the film is about an adventure between the man and the woman as they try to find the owner of a lost engagement ring. They drive around the city for several hours. They both have prior engagements that they need to attend so they are on a time crunch.

It's a very laid-back and feel good film. The romantic aspects didn't knock me off my feet, but it was original enough to entertain without the usual over used tropes.

You know how formulate these things can be. A few minutes of heavily expositional dialogue where the characters say things to each other that they already know, strictly for the audience's benefit. A series of contrived events designed to illustrate the quirks of the leads and their apparent incompatibility. Gradual attraction. Then, at 9:35, one of them says something on a phone call that the other one overhears and misunderstands. Followed by reconciliation.

Not this one. This found a fresh path, with reasonable obstacles and a valid payoff. Very pleasant and unexpected. Still, I have one concern: Why did the radio DJ have to pull a 12-hour shift?

I really like both Lacey Chabert and Robert Buckley, who are paired well as Hannah and Finn in this Hallmark Valentine's Day film. The premise is Finn picks up Hannah as her ride share driver. Hannah is the last one picked up and when she's dropped off she discovers that someone left an engagement ring in Finn's car. She proceeds to convince Finn to retrace his day's deliveries to find the owner on this all important day...Valentine's Day. Along the way Finn takes photos, his real passion, and the two get to know one another.

I have always found Robert Buckley to be very genuine in any role he plays, and this was no exception. I enjoyed watching him and Lacey Chabert flirt on screen, the two have smiles that just light up the room. This was an enjoyable and flirtatious film with no villains and no one trying to sabotage two people who seem to be hitting it off in the big city. I think romantics like myself will enjoy this film.