The 2016 Countdown to Valentine's Day films were mostly quite good, and of a more consistent standard of most of the succeeding years' Countdown to Valentine's Day batches. With the only major misfire being 'Dater's Handbook', which for me was one of the worst Hallmark films from that year, and 'Appetite for Love' was slightly above mixed feelings. Also saw 'Valentine Ever After' for having seen Autumn Reeser and Damon Runyan in other things.
'Valentine Ever After' is mostly a winner. It isn't great and has its flaws, but it also has a lot of very good things and among the better 2016 Countdown to Valentine's Day films along with 'All Things Valentine' (though this has the more appealing, if admittedly more typical, premise. Much better than 'Dater's Handbook' at any rate. If asked whether 'Valentine Ever After' is recommended, the answer is yes. 2016 was a very uneven year for Hallmark, and luckily this is one of the hits.
It has its issues. The story is patchy, the predictability and silliness at times getting too much while the final act is contrived with a too neat ending.
Also found Runyan out of his depth here surprisingly, here he looks unusually stiff and has very little personality, coming over as dull and over serious.
Can't fault the rest of the rest, loved the perky charm and down to earth quality to Reeser's performance in a role that plays to her strengths very well while Eric Johnson excels against type. Don't usually associate him as a romantic lead, but he is very likeable and charming and has a sweet and natural chemistry with Reeser. Vanessa Matsui enjoys herself without overdoing it. The characters are engaging and easy to connect with, with the sole exception of Runyan's who is an over serious bore and unattentive.
Furthermore, it pleases visually. It is beautifully photographed and can't say anything bad about the scenery. The music at least fits and doesn't feel as overbearing, over constant or repetitive as some Hallmark scores can be. The script is the right amount of light hearted and heart-warming, with some non-mushy serious moments and genuinely funny ones as well. The banter is playful but not overwritten or hostile. The story is rarely dull and it has a warm heart and light hearted charm.
Overall, very pleasant and well done if not anything that blows the mind. 7/10.
