Art of Falling in Love (2019 TV Movie) User Reviews

Yes, it's a bit gloomy, but I have a slightly higher rating

[laramia-garcia · 7/10 · 3 September 2019]

This made for TV Movie is LOOSELY based of THE LAST CHANCE MAVERICK by CHRISTYNE BUTLER.

The premise of two broken people is still in this uptv/Hallmark movie, but the situations are so different.

The book is about JONAH and VANESSA. Vanessa is new to Rust Creek Falls, and Jonah/Jonathan, is back after eight years.

Both of them are wounded, and in the book, Vanessa, her friend Adele's recent death devastated her, making her almost lose all ability to paint.

The take of the movie is quite different. I agree with phd-travel, the approach is quite gloomy, but there are lots of inspirational stuff here and there.

KIMBERLY-SUE MURRAY is so beautiful. It's so understandable why as Vanessa, Nate Dalton would be smitten.

She is a traveling artist here, painting it forward, because she was blessed by her best friend, SAMANTHA(Adele in the book), with her trust fund, and a bucket list.

JOSH DEAN is not bad to look at, but at first I thought Ms. Murray was too gorgeous for him, but he grows on you. Later in the movie I saw the balance, and other reviewers elsewhere saw it too(I don't wanna pretend I didn't read other reviews).

They do have something beautiful going. Conflicts here and there, but you would also grow to love the people around them. The kids(I just hope a certain kid did not try to show he was painting, because it became obvious somebody else painted it), Iris (KELLY BISHOP), Wallace(MICHAEL BROWN), and Carolyn(LILY GAO) plus dear Dr. Lawrence(MÉLANIE ST-PIERRE) are characters that became dear to me while watching this movie.

There were some lines that I questioned and made me thing, "So now that she's ____ he..."

What else?

Oh, those people who always complain about "cliffhanger" kisses won't be kissed deprived here.

I guess that's it.

Thanks for your time.

I usually like movies like this

[hqfedlegion-1 · 6/10 · 2 October 2019]

The movie starts strong. Boy puts foot in mouth in front of girl. Then realizes there is a spark. Girl also realizes a spark but doesn't want to pursue it. Through flashbacks, we see girl is sick. And we see girl has a friend. We learn boy had someone, and then come to find out it was a wife who cheated on him. Devastated him so he moves home to regroup.

Boy and girl do the usual dance of liking each other, being upset with each other; again pretty well done. She doesn't want him digging into her background or whats going on with her.

Finally comes to a head when he finds out that ex-wife is now pregnant, after only a few months of being divorced. He wanted a family she didn't. Realizes she just didn't want a family with him. He explodes and some fall out lands on her, though his mom explains that he is not mad at her. He goes back to Boston to wok on other projects cause hes been neglecting them for girl.

Girl has gotten an offer to go to Vermont to paint a mural in another hospital. Night of the unveiling of her current project, where the two had met, he shows up. Of course she's pissed. A person disappears with no contact. So again, understandably so. He then explains to her about what had happened and that he couldn't go through loosing someone, etc. Standard and typical of someone who has had their heart broken and trying to rebuild and find it so as able to give to someone else.

Again all pretty standard and nicely done. But shes not having any of it. Its her way; live her life with the time she has, etc.

Here is where I realized that she has had a chip on her shoulder from the beginning, but I was letting it go as I figure that was what part of the movie was about. Ok, I can see where she is a bit hurt, but he came back and he explained why. It could have been a realization that this man, who really is still hurting over the loss, is trying to hand her the bits and pieces of his heart and tell her that he loves her.

She of course leaves.

Near the end he comes back and really tries to explain to her what she means to him; and there is a great part in there about how when his dad was in a hospital they had spotted a mural and how it had helped both of them. He said he finally realized that it had been one of hers. Fall in to each arms, he proposes, again quite nice. Wedding at the end, fade to black.

What I had hoped would have happened is that she should've have seen that he too was going through something and said those two magic words, "I understand." If that did happen, I missed it. Should it have happened? In my opinion, yes.

After all of this, I realized that it was all about her. Yes, she was sick, but now in remission. Its sad that her friend died and gave her a list of things that she never did and passed it onto her, so she could live and find life. She also gave her a vehicle and money; so she didn't have to charge for any of her paintings. After all of that, in my mind, she became a spoiled brat. She can say I am living life, I am doing things that my friend never got to do., etc. You either understand or I don't want anything to do with you. I would have been more impressed if she didn't have a lot of money and was still doing those things. But of course you have to have money to sky dive, travel, cost of expenses while you travel, 'living'. And, again, in my opinion, there are a lot of things out there that doesn't cost money and what I would consider living life. The butterfly conservatory was a nice touch though.

Though she might be considered 'redeemed' at the end, I don't know. Usually I love this kind of movie; especially when it has a more unique way of getting two people together. I don't know. He was too fresh out a marriage, and she - well, she is talented and its a great things she does. But she is too focused on checking off her list, again, in my opinion, to actually be living. Its like a list that you have to get through. Not that you want to get through. I think the list actually did the reverse and kept her from living.

Nice movie, but there are better out there.

Didn't fall in love with this

[TheLittleSongbird · 5/10 · 19 April 2023]

Really did want to like 'Art of Falling in Love'. It has a cute title that isn't too corny. The concept was quite intriguing and wasn't a more of the same sort of one considering who made it, though one of those could go either way ones. My biggest reason though for watching was Kelly Bishop, absolutely loved her in 'Gilmore Girls' (my summer binge watch of it a few years ago was one of not many high points of a difficult year) and have liked her a lot ever since regardless of the state of the rest of the film etc she's in.

'Art of Falling in Love' is not a terrible film and has its good things that made it just about tolerable. One can definitely do with a lot worse, as well as a lot better. It just felt like a rather big missed opportunity and would have worked to a degree if the character writing wasn't so flawed, which turned out to a major problem and affected the premise badly. 'Art of Falling in Love' was not watched with any preconceived bias or intent to immediately rag on it, the potential was there. The execution was not.

There are things that did work. The acting is better than average, with committed performances from Kimberly-Sue Murray (despite her character being a significant reason as to why the film didn't work) and Josh Dean and a classy, zesty turn from Bishop as the character that interested me the most and frustrated the least. It does start off with a lot of promise, with a good deal of light hearted charm.

Furthermore, 'Art of Falling in Love' looks attractive enough with nice scenery. While the music isn't exceptional, it didn't come over as over constant, over loud or repetitive.

However, the promise shown in the first quarter or so sadly isn't maintained throughout the rest of the film. The thinner the story got, the draggier it got too and the tone shifts quite abruptly from light hearted charm to truly depressing gloominess and actually found it on the mean spirited side too. While Murray and Dean are committed individually, they don't ignite as a couple with the romance being underdeveloped and very bland.

It really doesn't help that 'Art of Falling in Love' is unbalanced badly by the excessive unlikeability of Murray's character, to the point of detesting her. Far too cold, self absorbed and selfish with no real signs of growth or learning from mistakes, to the extent that it is really hard to believe what Dean's character saw in her. Speaking of his character, he was a lot more likeable and had charm but the latter stages really overdid his naivety and neediness, was literally shouting grow a backbone. The dialogue is awkward and has too much corn and schmaltz, while the conflict is very overwritten and contrived. Was not satisfied by the ending, which was too pat and implausibly so (one of those ones that felt unearned).

Overall, tolerable but didn't come together. 5/10.

Disappointing

[kjhumfleet · 2/10 · 1 September 2020]

I totally agree with the previous reviewer, hqfedlegion-1. This guy is supposed to give and be understanding; when he screws up, he's supposed to apologize - which did. And she didn't do any of that; she wanted his support, his understanding, and she didn't want to give any back. She just kept taking everything, not giving anything back

love LoVe LOVE THIS ONE 💜💜💜

[crystalnewman-03214 · 10/10 · 12 January 2022]

This is my first review I've ever chosen to do. I am a huge fan of this genre of movie. I typically prefer "up and up", without the sad (except for some heartbreak of course). But this story, and these 2 actors, made me feel things, wonderful things! Great movie! Kimberly-Sue Murray you are truly an artist!!

2 damaged people

[phd_travel · 4/10 · 29 August 2019]

Two slightly damaged people are the subject of this slightly different romance. She was sick and now she is in remission. He went through a devastating divorce. It's not chirpy romance here so if you are sick of Hallmark perkiness this is a change. I found it a bit gloomy.

Realistic Romance

[pollyebeel · 9/10 · 29 January 2021]

This movie isn't sunshine and roses, it is about a real romance that includes divorce and illness. BUT like any good romance there is still a happily ever after. The mural in the film is beautiful and Kimberly-Sue Murray shows a lot of range in this film.

Poor Guy

[rebekahrox · 4/10 · 25 February 2022]

This one started out strongly . I liked Kimberley Sue Murray in Love Upstream. There's something about curly red hair.... and she was very funny and likable. The hero I wasn't familiar with, but I liked his down to earth normal guy looks. It appeared that it was going to go out of the box a bit as there was a bit of a very subtle Christian theme, and the heroine is seen getting alarming dizzy spells and popping prescription pills. Hmmmm... this might be interesting.

Vanessa (Murray) is an artist who is gets commissions to paint murals on hospital walls that she doesn't charge for. She is famous and acclaimed and travels all over the country. She is working on a mural for a children's wing that Nate designed and she overhears him saying he isn't sure it fits in with his vision. OOh them's fightin' words. She spunkily tells him the mural is not for him but for the sick children. Good one, Vanessa! Of course he apologizes and they make up and and the love story commences. We learn through flashbacks that she had cancer and was very close with another cancer patient who died. The dead one is her "guardian angel" and she also left Vanessa a trust fund and a list of activities (take tango lessons, go rock climbing, go scuba diving, take a cooking class, fall in love, get married, stuff like that) to live life to the fullest. She shows him the list and he innocently calls it a bucket list. She freezes up. This is the first in a long line of her giving him the cold shoulder over something she takes offense to or some innocent infraction of her precious privacy.

Things go down hill from there, for me. Despite feeling the attraction and connection (whenever she is by herself she swans around and simpers with happiness at the thought of him) she often acts standoffish and demanding when with him. She will not share and is so closed off and secretive about her past that he thinks she is dying rather than recovering from an illness. He himself is just recovering from a divorce because his wife cheated on him. So he is vulnerable and not into secrets. When he finds her passed out on the floor, a side effect of her medication, he begs her to open herself up and let him in. She states petulantly that she is not ready and says something along the lines of it is her prerogative and her life to live as she pleases. When he replies, "Well I'll leave you to it then," and leaves, I almost cheered. She sees she went a little too far with her mess and apologizes.

Her nonsensical hot and cold behavior continues until it all comes to a head. He finds out his ex-wife, who refused to have children with him, is pregnant. He is hurt and angry and leaves town to take care of a building emergency in Boston. Finally sick and tired of Vanessa's predilection to take offence at every little thing and lack of openness, trust, and honesty, he cuts her off. Meanwhile she learns she has a clean bill of health and accepts another commission in Vermont. He comes back, and she is sulky about his treatment of her (even though she tells his mother she doesn't blame him) and he APOLOGIZES AGAIN. I swear, he is a glutton for punishment because she "forgives" him (after torturing him some more) and they get married. At the end I positively hated her which is why I gave this a failing grade despite it's strong points. Shout out to Kelly Bishop of the Gilmore girls who played Nate's mother, the misguided matchmaker.

Disappointed

[joannedearman · 1/10 · 29 March 2022]

Didn't really connect with these characters. She's spoiled and acts like it's all about her. He's wounded and lashing out altho he apologises she never really does. Wouldn't recommend.

So miserable!!!

[victoria_mci · 2/10 · 25 April 2022]

Yes, the main character has gone through a lot but wow is she miserable!! She is closed off, secretive, irritable, unforgiving, all over the place emotionally...just thoroughly unlikable. She expects the world from the man interested in her (who is also hurting) but refuses to let him in. She doesn't want a relationship with him but blows up when he leaves suddenly after devastating news. Just all over the place and generally disappointing!

Really bad acting by the actress

[hallmarkmov · 2/10 · 21 February 2023]

I liked the concept of the movie and really wanted to like it but this girl constantly eye rolled at the guy and overreacted to everything. Her fake positive attitude was exhausting. She overly acted being happy and positive then in less than a second she throws a fit when he asks her about her health. The guy should not be apologizing at all. He was not wrong about his ex pregnant wife who lied, cheated, and wronged him. The girl is throwing a fit over things she didn't need to, completely overlooked actual health scares she should be worrying about, and what are these magical pills she's on that causes her to be completed cured?! Cannot stand this girl!! The guy is saying sorry to you and you are rolling your dumb eyes. I would give this a one star but the guy saved it and his acting was so much better. A different actress would make this story a lot better. I also don't think the bunny would live that long and probably send this girl into deep depression. This girl did not open up to him, she avoids all conversations, but mumbles Samantha constantly like a ghost! It's not a secret she's treating it to be. She didn't even thank him for saving her when she passed out and basically looked dead. So no he does not need to say sorry for anything. Run from this girl. This is a sad life to live. I wouldn't be able to watch her poor acting in this movie again.

Love Caroline Victoria's writing

[schruers · 5/10 · 17 February 2020]

...I wonder if they share in the payout when it's sold to foreign territories?