I was happy to see that The Perfect Bride was getting a sequel, and while Hallmark typically has trouble living up to its predecessors as far as sequels are concerned, this movie was charming, sweet, and most importantly, consistent with the original film.
Like all the other reviewers have noted, Kavan Smith and Pascale Hutton have wonderful chemistry, and this carries over well into the second installment of their story. They banter convincingly, they work out their problems realistically, and they look at each other with real emotion rather, like they're not just waiting with every fiber of their being for someone to yell "cut!" It was refreshing that at no point in the movie did either character stray too much from their true selves, and therefore, their relationship remained strong as well, and I did not worry for the sturdiness of them as a couple while watching. While some might say this makes the film and its ending predictable, for me, it was just heart-warming to watch a functional, sweet couple supporting each other.
It was also a relief that the movie was not startlingly different from the one that preceded it (I'm looking at you, All of My Heart). The actors were the same, the locations were the same, and a lot of callbacks where made to the first movie, such as Molly and Nick's song, their wedding venue, and Molly's story with her ex-fiance, which played an interesting role in this movie. Because of all that, the sequel felt like a genuine continuation of the story and the development of the characters, rather than just an unnecessary add-on to the original plot that did absolutely nothing to advance it (I'm looking at you, The Wedding March).
Speaking of the storyline with the fiance, I didn't see it coming at all. When Steven turned out to be the mystery investor, I was surprised, and I was even more so when my prediction for his involvement with the story was completely off the mark: I fully expected Steven to realize he was still in love with Molly, make some untoward advance toward her, which would then be seen by Nick, who would storm off before being able to see Molly rebuff Steven, yada yada yada... we've all seen this cliche in Hallmark before, so the fact that Steven didn't wreak this type of havoc in Molly's life was nice (and unpredictable). Despite not being a super likable guy, it was still refreshing to see that his involvement ultimately lead to Molly getting closure about a traumatic event in her life.
Now for the complaints. Molly's boot camp in the original movie made perfect sense: work out to fit into that coveted wedding dress, and occasionally do a few couple-themed exercises with your fiance to learn how to work together in a fun, no-pressure way. In this movie, she has extended her classes to marriage bootcamp, which is so ridiculous I could hardly take it seriously. Her "lessons," carried over from her past as a marriage counselor, include plaques with words like FORGIVENESS hanging nearby while Molly shares random, pointless platitudes while the couples lean on each other in various pair exercises. They are all pointless fluff words about unconditional love and being there for each other, etc, etc. This bit just didn't work.
Secondly, there is a real seesaw element to Molly and Nick's wedding date that went back and forth too much, and the supporting characters don't help with this either. Molly and Nick are constantly going back and forth on whether or not to have the wedding so soon or not, and this took up a lot of time in the film that probably could've been spent elsewhere. Molly's sister also continuously nags Molly about if having the wedding so fast is a good idea, and that she deserves her dream wedding even if that takes time, yet, when Molly decides to postpone the wedding, her sister has suddenly changed her stance on this entirely.
Overall, though, I was pleased with this film, and despite how much I enjoyed Molly and Nick's story, I hope it ends here, as I think this resolution is a natural ending point. This movie built upon the strengths of The Perfect Bride and didn't feel the need to shake up the world too much, instead adding in some realistic elements, such as experiencing many hectic life-altering events at once and learning how to navigate them as a couple, and therefore, it worked tremendously well.
Like all the other reviewers have noted, Kavan Smith and Pascale Hutton have wonderful chemistry, and this carries over well into the second installment of their story. They banter convincingly, they work out their problems realistically, and they look at each other with real emotion rather, like they're not just waiting with every fiber of their being for someone to yell "cut!" It was refreshing that at no point in the movie did either character stray too much from their true selves, and therefore, their relationship remained strong as well, and I did not worry for the sturdiness of them as a couple while watching. While some might say this makes the film and its ending predictable, for me, it was just heart-warming to watch a functional, sweet couple supporting each other.
It was also a relief that the movie was not startlingly different from the one that preceded it (I'm looking at you, All of My Heart). The actors were the same, the locations were the same, and a lot of callbacks where made to the first movie, such as Molly and Nick's song, their wedding venue, and Molly's story with her ex-fiance, which played an interesting role in this movie. Because of all that, the sequel felt like a genuine continuation of the story and the development of the characters, rather than just an unnecessary add-on to the original plot that did absolutely nothing to advance it (I'm looking at you, The Wedding March).
Speaking of the storyline with the fiance, I didn't see it coming at all. When Steven turned out to be the mystery investor, I was surprised, and I was even more so when my prediction for his involvement with the story was completely off the mark: I fully expected Steven to realize he was still in love with Molly, make some untoward advance toward her, which would then be seen by Nick, who would storm off before being able to see Molly rebuff Steven, yada yada yada... we've all seen this cliche in Hallmark before, so the fact that Steven didn't wreak this type of havoc in Molly's life was nice (and unpredictable). Despite not being a super likable guy, it was still refreshing to see that his involvement ultimately lead to Molly getting closure about a traumatic event in her life.
Now for the complaints. Molly's boot camp in the original movie made perfect sense: work out to fit into that coveted wedding dress, and occasionally do a few couple-themed exercises with your fiance to learn how to work together in a fun, no-pressure way. In this movie, she has extended her classes to marriage bootcamp, which is so ridiculous I could hardly take it seriously. Her "lessons," carried over from her past as a marriage counselor, include plaques with words like FORGIVENESS hanging nearby while Molly shares random, pointless platitudes while the couples lean on each other in various pair exercises. They are all pointless fluff words about unconditional love and being there for each other, etc, etc. This bit just didn't work.
Secondly, there is a real seesaw element to Molly and Nick's wedding date that went back and forth too much, and the supporting characters don't help with this either. Molly and Nick are constantly going back and forth on whether or not to have the wedding so soon or not, and this took up a lot of time in the film that probably could've been spent elsewhere. Molly's sister also continuously nags Molly about if having the wedding so fast is a good idea, and that she deserves her dream wedding even if that takes time, yet, when Molly decides to postpone the wedding, her sister has suddenly changed her stance on this entirely.
Overall, though, I was pleased with this film, and despite how much I enjoyed Molly and Nick's story, I hope it ends here, as I think this resolution is a natural ending point. This movie built upon the strengths of The Perfect Bride and didn't feel the need to shake up the world too much, instead adding in some realistic elements, such as experiencing many hectic life-altering events at once and learning how to navigate them as a couple, and therefore, it worked tremendously well.
