The Mechanics of Love

While not in danger of becoming a classic, it is a nice family film. Just what PIXL strives for. I give it 10 stars for accomplishing a movie without gratuitous foul language and sexual situations, of which both are found in far too many films of late.

There is always at least one main reason for me of seeing a film, television programme etcetera. In the case of 'The Mechanics of Love', it was Tyler Hynes. Have seen a good deal of his work overtime, primarily his Hallmark output (with him being a regular of theirs), and while he has been in average at best films and even duds he himself has consistently impressed me. The concept also sounded quite nice, have always had a thing for good or more concepts.

On the whole, however, 'The Mechanics of Love' doesn't do an awful lot with it. It had the potential to be a cute, inoffensive film that one shouldn't expect too much from, but it turned out instead to be rather lazy in most areas. 'The Mechanics of Love' is not terrible or unwatchable, it takes me a lot to call anything either of those things, but it does not have very much to it and doesn't have much of interest other than two pretty decent performances and music.

Regarding those two pretty decent performances, they come from Hynes and also from Emily Tennant. Hynes is easy going and charming, though it does have to be said that he has given better performances elsewhere with more interesting material. Tennant's character did frustrate me for reasons that will be come onto later, but she injects a lot of perky energy into the role and is the performer that is the most animated by far.

Production values are also quite nice and there is some nice upbeat-ness in the music.

Upbeat for me though is the last thing to describe everything else. Shenae Grimes-Beech looks uncomfortable throughout and goes through the motions, and there is nothing memorable about the rest of the cast. The chemistry also seemed mechanical and under-rehearsed and the direction was pretty pedestrian.

Furthermore, the story goes at a dull pace, offers no surprises (including the seemingly obligatory too convenient ending) and tonally is quite bland. Found some of it on the contrived side as well. The dialogue is artificial at best and never sounds natural and is instead forced. Didn't care for the characters, who are all very underdeveloped and lack personality. Tennant's character's stupidity is taken to extremes later on and it was frustrating.

In conclusion, lacklustre and with a mechanical phoned in feel. 4/10.

...is really good! This movie definitely has better music than you've come to expect from these kinds of movies.

Apart from that, the movie seemed a little phoned-in. Not bad, but not good either. I watch a lot of these, so I knew what to expect! Wouldn't re-watch.

7.5 stars.

Without the strong acting performances, this film would struggle. The ensemble cast shines in their respective roles. The story centers around Matti, a gifted mechanic pursuing an engineering career in the city. Despite her talents, she continually misses out on promotions.

Jake, the male lead, works as a mechanic in her father's garage back home and harbors a long-time crush on Matti. Her mechanical prowess has influenced his career choice.

Returning home to serve as her sister's maid of honor, Matti reconnects with Jake, who is the best man. Together, they restore her late mother's truck amidst wedding preparations. He obviously wants more than a friendship, but she seems unaware of his feelings. However, complications arise when Matti's snobbish city boyfriend unexpectedly arrives, causing tension.

Throughout the film, resentment simmers between Matti and Jake, exacerbated by Clare's growing discontent with her fiancé. The escalating tension hints at a potential breakup before the wedding. Amidst this turmoil, Matti's anger continues to flare towards both her boyfriend and Jake, resulting in discord among everyone involved.

In essence, the film adeptly portrays the dynamics and "mechanics" of resentment leading up to a wedding, creating an atmosphere of intense awkwardness. Viewers are left wondering if the wedding will proceed amidst the unfolding emotional turmoil.

We know how it ends, they never change the formula for these types of films, however the seething discontent is palpable and refreshing.