The Bridge (2015 TV Movie) User Reviews

This is only PART 1 out of ?

[TKBlackburn · 5/10 · 7 December 2015]

The only "spoiler" here is that the movie is a spoiler. It's not a movie! It's an EPISODE.

It's pretty good when it comes to production & characters. But it's not a complete story! To blindside viewers with a "to be continued in 2016" is unforgivable. This is billed as a MOVIE - not a show. Not a series. Not a part 1 of ___. And now the resolution is a YEAR away?

You MUST tell your viewers what they're getting into. NOTHING happens & nothing is resolved in this 2-hour setup.

There's more story in the first 2 minutes than the entire rest of the 2 hours until the continuation blindside. Those 2 minutes were what kept me watching to the "end" that isn't an end.

Not cool.

Rather than upset viewers, be honest upfront & then maybe the entire thing wouldn't feel like 2 hours wasted. Might even help create anticipation rather than letdown.

log line posted on the day of airing 12/6/15: When Molly Allen finds out that The Bridge, a beloved bookstore back in her hometown of Franklin, TN, is in jeopardy along with the bookstore's owner, she returns to help, only to come face to face with her old flame.

The log line/description provided here on IMDb is completely bogus - probably matches the book, but not the movie. Even if Part 2 does resolve it to match the storyline somewhat, it isn't & never was the lead character's "hometown." And her name is not Molly Allen. So everything about this production is false advertising.

In other words, someone really screwed up here, ruining what may turn out to be a nice little series, but not when it's doled out like this.

slow moving Hallmark

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 28 October 2016]

After suffering a devastating loss, Donna (Faith Ford) and Charlie (Ted McGinley) move to Franklin, Tennessee to open cafe/bookstore The Bridge. It's 2009. Molly (Katie Findlay) from Seattle is looking for independence in the smaller Belmont University instead of following her media mogul father's expectations. He is overprotective ever since losing her mother at the age of seven. Helpful college student Ryan (Wyatt Nash) takes her to The Bridge where they study music appreciation. Kristen returns to see childhood sweetheart Ryan having agreed to take a break until Christmas. Ryan is hesitant about his music dream while Molly does not wish to work for her father.

Everybody is all smiles and helpful. It's a very light bright beginning. It's not until Kristen when any drama starts and quite frankly not the highest of drama. Everybody is photogenic and appealing. Tension is left simmering at a low level. This is the first of two parts. This moves rather slowly. It's Hallmark. It's also shot in Canada and has that Canadiana feel. While I like the actors, the film moves too slow. What the father does is laughable and would be simple to undo by the young couple talking frankly. It's very sitcom.

Great Premise, Horrible Marketing

[MorganneLuse · 4/10 · 7 December 2015]

The story is interesting and well done. As a 23 year old, I can attest to the fact that the fear of the future and of change is accurate and well told through the eyes of Molly and Ryan. The movie was well done and well told, that is, until the end... As another reviewer stated, the story is only half told in this installment, a fact which was not made known prior to the film's showing. We have to wait until next Christmas season to find out what happens. Good job, Hallmark. What a ridiculous idea. Then again, Hallmark seems to be expert at ruining things that have potential of late. (Their original series are prime examples of good ideas going terribly wrong.) Were this the pilot to a TV show I might understand it, but waiting an entire YEAR to resolve a story is absurd! Whoever at Hallmark made this decision should be fired. Do I want to know how the movie turns out? Yes. Will I remember that I want to know NEXT YEAR? Doubtful.

Great, I loved it!

[dollybearpam · 10/10 · 30 December 2015]

I loved the movie! The characters were what I like to see in a movie , warm and helpful, (unlike the real world at times!) and caring. I loved the Bookstore/ café and thought it was a great idea. I've always loved bookstores and the idea of having both together to read and relax with two owners that are just as caring, to me, is a town I'd love to live in! The storyline and was what you expect from Hallmark, but that is why I watch them. The scenes were beautiful and I loved the idea of two people connecting so well! I was curious as to why certain parts of the film were lengthened. I can hardly wait for the next episode, I just wish it had an ending, not be continued to next year, hard to wait to see the ending of a movie I enjoyed so much!

A Bridge totally too far

[USN-Retired · 1/10 · 9 December 2015]

This movie was a profound disappointment. First, let's not call it a movie. It's really a series but one doesn't find this out until the final frame...to be continued--Christmas 2016? After resisting throwing something at the TV, I just shouted, "Are you kidding me?" What's bad about that, one might ask. Seeing series/episode 2 requires one to have some continuity from season one, something which is possible only if one can remember details from such a horrid production. Completely forgettable and worse, completely dishonest.

Not only are we tricked when a conclusion is stolen, unresolved, empty, i.e. postponed for a year, but we have to suffer through such preachy dialog. Stupidly, I watched and waited for something worthy to happen. Maybe after this commercial, I told myself.

The synopsis was misleading too. I reread the synopsis a dozen times, thinking someone was asleep at the keyboard, confusing it with another movie. Where's the rescue? The bookstore isn't failing, it's thriving. Go figure. Where's the hometown? Sadly, nothing will save this mess.

Good movie!!

[Marynewcomb2013 · 9/10 · 22 November 2018]

It is a MOVIE!! This is like any movie that has a sequel!! Ignore ALL the other reviews on this!! It's a great, heart warming movie that pulls you in. It leads up to the second and final part to the movie series!! It is based on a book & they try to be close to said book but no movie has been spot on. I strongly suggest you want this if you are a fan of hallmark and good love stories.

No one will care in December 2016

[carlenesmith000 · 2/10 · 9 December 2015]

Hallmark is seriously delusional if they think anyone will care in 12 months what happens in this movie. The story is almost nonexistent, the young male

lead is vapid and has only one facial expression, and nothing really happens until the token "misunderstanding" that could have been resolved with one good question. The down and out bookstore seems to be the biggest game in town and has no problem staying vital to the community. Every cliché in the book is well covered in this trite and stale offering.

I do like Faith Ford and she does bring the only depth and story line to this sad effort.

A big letdown from the Hallmarks of the past. This is a clunker.

PLEASE do not waste your time.

[rayrebello · 1/10 · 17 December 2015]

We LOVE the Hallmark movies at Christmas, but this falls far short of the quality we have come to expect. First, it spend two hours leading up to the - "to be continued". BTW that will be a year for you get to wait. Not a great Christmas present for loyal viewers.

However, it would not be so bad if the first two hours were entertaining. It is the very first Hallmark movie, I wanted to fast forward and get it over. The plot was very sloooooowwwww.

Next the staging was totally fake. That mansion in Seattle looked nothing like the Seattle area. And since when are trees blooming in Tennessee at Christmas? Plus, they have money to rent this daughter a house at college, but she does not have a window in her room at the mansion?

Basically they took a small plot and stretched it to sell more advertising.

Don't have to be Christmas to really love this one

[jewelch · 9/10 · 21 December 2020]

It is billed as a Christmas movie, but you could watch it all year long. Very heart-warming tale about how you can touch people's lives in positive ways without ever realizing it. It's also about learning to love someone enough to give them the freedom to be themselves. Very heart-warming, but not sappy. It's about community and coming together to help someone in need. You come away with lessons learned. I highly recommend this Part 1 and Part 2. James Welch Henderson, Arkansas 12/20/2020

Not Hallmark's Very Best

[zoey101-88-629759 · 1/10 · 7 December 2015]

This is a great movie with all the emotional content you've come to expect in a Hallmark Christmas movie. However, what they don't tell you until the very, VERY end is that you'll have to wait another year to see Part 2. I feel the movie was at least an 8 out of 10, but I gave it a 1 for dishonest marketing!

What a setup to only have your heart crushed. Merry Christmas, Hallmark! It'll take me two or three days to get over this. Shame on you.

To make it worse, IMDb shows no pre-production or filming for either of the lead actors for part 2. This means it's likely already made and in the can. I thought about buying the book to find out how it ends, but I'm not going to financially support this deception.

Loved it

[jewhitmer25 · 9/10 · 6 August 2021]

Great movie, great cast, great story.

It was outstanding, loved every minute of it.

Now that both parts are available at the same time, watch it again if you disliked part one. Maybe you will like it in it's ientirety.

My advice - watch it when you can get part 1 and part 2.

Don't waste your time.

[iamnana-39598 · 3/10 · 12 December 2015]

Bad movie and then to find out that it is continued Christmas 2016-wth; Poor writing, slow plot and mediocre acting and I have watched 3/4 of it before, I learned of the year long continuation. Bah humbug. Relationship between parents and children are skewered and the main characters are immature and lacking in depth. I could have written this. The entire premise is just naive. Then it just ends with "to be continued!" That is the spoiler. I usually like Christmas movies, but this year they seem to have been written at a level of most modern romance magazine stories. There is no substance and the dialogue is shallow and weak. This one shows people getting over tragedies in life with little effort and acting as role models in a multicultural Nashville, that never was. Characters have no integrity, courage and no insight. Life lesson are just not there and there is nothing that has to do with the meaning of Christmas.

Overwritten dramatic irony

[dan-shub-stalder · 1/10 · 28 December 2015]

As already highlighted by other reviewers, the part-one status of this movie was indeed a let-down. Hard to believe we have to wait 12 months to see more. Even more disappointing to me was how the young couple so in love was so easily broken up in classic overwritten dramatic irony.

Parts of the storyline were perhaps corny, but my wife and I were pulled in by the cute young couple who were such good kids, the altruistic older couple (who ran the bookstore), and even the young man's singing. Hallmark movies seem a little less well-done than a few years ago, but this one was working. I liked almost all the acting (my wife liked a little less). But the overprotective father seemed way overwritten and the young man's IQ seemed to plummet only so that the writers could have their part-one ending. Come on.

Solid Hallmark Movie

[realGabrielBlack · 9/10 · 12 November 2019]

I watched Part 1 and Part 2 together, so I'll just put the reviews together.

I think this is just about all you'd hope for in a lighthearted Hallmark Movie. Good acting. It feels like Ted McGinley has become a staple in Hallmark movies, and this is a mostly solid performance from him as well (Part 1 is stronger than Part 2). The two main characters have descent chemistry.

There are two main issues I had that are kind of spoilers, but I'll try hard to keep them generic. Notice they are not significant enough to bring my overall rating down.

First, the reaction by the daughter to the interference by her father is too subdued.

The introduction of Faith, into this story-line was gratuitous as displayed. There was no real pay-off or revelation, so the insertion of it into the story-line feels forced. I do really like *SPOILER ALERT* that the husband is the church-goer trying to get the wife to come to church. But still, without a "payoff", it was unnecessary to the story.

Where is part 2?

[lucylouise-23546 · 2/10 · 20 December 2023]

This is a good movie. It's a great story, and has a cute beginning. I will have to look into reading Karen Kingsbury's books. I saw this movie thinking that there was going to be a happy ending, like in all Hallmark movies. But there was no ending! There is a part 2! Why would Hallmark do that? And why would Hallmark air a good 2015 movie and not air part 2? When will they air part 2? When and where can I see part 2? Why do they leave us hanging? I've never heard of such a thing. TV airs a cliffhanger sometimes, but Hallmark movies shouldn't do that. We don't know when or if the part 2 movie is coming on! This is why I'm only giving it 2 stars.

Didn't see that coming

[MickyG333 · 8/10 · 6 February 2024]

7.8 stars.

In and of itself, 'The Bridge' is a dynamic film full of compassion for aimless book readers, and full of endearing characters and two in particular who wish to be together and follow their dreams. The main female's father is authoritarian and we see this on a few occasions. We don't like him, we aren't supposed to like him, he's the bad guy. The main male's mother is very likable, and we see even a bit less of her, she's a fringe person in the story.

As the two of them grow closer over several months at university as "study partners", it's apparent they are meant to be. It's a very slow buildup to what would seem to be the perfect ending, although I was wondering why there was only 2 minutes left and things were not wrapping up smoothly. And then... "to be continued". Oh boy. Well, I really like this movie and where it ends is pretty tantalizing, Of course, you have to pay for the sequel (unless you have a subscription to the channel-which I do-kudos to me).

Incomplete

[Jackbv123 · 1/10 · 2 December 2017]

The movie receives the worst rating possible because it is not a complete movie. Without any prior warning in repeat performances, the movie ends with "to be continued". (I don't know if there was warning when it was first broadcast.) While this is done in some regular TV shows, or in mini-series, I believe it is unprecedented in a full two hour TV-movie where the continuation is not shown until a year later. In TV shows, one at least learns to be wary of such things and hopefully the conclusion is not delayed too long. In a mini-series, it is usually obvious. I consider this irresponsible broadcasting and I'm really glad I never saw this until it was shown with the sequel immediately following it. Hopefully, no one finds a DVD somewhere with only the one movie without realizing it is a two part story.

I also feel justified in rating it poorly because it is incomplete as it stands. I am posting a review of the complete two part story under Part 2.

Dull!!!

[hakanwasen · 1/10 · 29 May 2017]

We should not have seen this.Movies where a lonely piano is sounding and everyone are smiling and everything is so cute and nice are dull.We almost fell asleep.OK we should have turned this movie off but wanted to see the end. Only to read "to be continued".It will take a while before part 2 comes up in Sweden but we do not care about it any more.There are more interesting things to do like watching drying paint.

Not really a spoiler

[jrbateman · 1/10 · 28 December 2015]

because there is NO ENDING. This is episode 1 of 2, and we have to wait until Christmas 2016 for part two. My advice...wait until Jan 2017 and watch BOTH episodes (and hope that by then, episode 2 of 2 hasn't morphed into episode 2 of 3. There is NO ENDING. This is episode 1 of 2, and we have to wait until Christmas 2016 for part two

My advice...wait until Jan 2017 and watch BOTH episodes (and hope that by then, episode 2 of 2 hasn't morphed into episode 2 of 3.

If this is the kind of "Christian" deception that we can expect from this "Christian Author", I want no more. Karen Kingsbury wraps herself on the fabric of Christianity as an excuse to steal her viewers trust and good will. I will no longer play that game.