I am a Hallmark fan so the genre is fine for me but this film just didn't cut it....
Good story......... Check
Interesting themes..... Check
A potential bit of depth..... Check
Good Cast........ Check
So what was wrong? Nothing was wrong and yet everything.....
The meaning and depth and connection did not go far enough - in the scene where a tragedy is explored portray some emotion, just don't talk about it....
Adding depth, nuance and light and shade and a little medical authenticity could have made it great.
22 Reviews
Cheesy, clichéd, but charming
I_Ailurophile25 July 2021
'Retreat to paradise' so perfectly imps the tone of a Hallmark romance that I didn't know it wasn't. It's unquestionably corny, but anyone stumbling across this already knows exactly what they're in for. I can't help myself - I really enjoy it.
Director Brian Brough includes plenty of establishing shots around Fiji to make sure we get eyefuls of greenery and beautiful landscapes, or the ocean. His vision regarding the narrative is notably less expansive, as his camerawork mirrors Warren Workman's editing in keeping the plot flowing very quickly. It goes so quickly that within the first 20 minutes there's a big splash as the physical therapist confronts her surly tennis star patient, and she then calls a friend for advice. Like Brittany Wiscombe's writing, Brough and Workman disallow actors room to truly embrace their roles as no scene lingers beyond the conclusion of dialogue.
And speaking of dialogue - Wiscombe's pen confers some extra personality onto her characters, though the often playful words themselves are direct to the point of unabashed cheesiness. So it is with the story she's written, though it's at least cohesive and whole - and mildly endearing. It's no great revelation - far from it - but even if 'Retreat to paradise' is clichéd in its bent (an air furthered by the very conventional rom-com soundtrack), it has a certain irrepressible charm.
As is commonly the case with pictures of this nature, I feel like the cast is fine, but tend to be restricted by the writing and direction. I'm not especially familiar with most of the actors here, but I trust they've skills that would be brought out in a more elastic feature. Meanwhile, I've seen star Melanie Stone in several films now, and I know she's quite capable. She carries a strong ease and charisma about her that makes her portrayal of protagonist Ellie enchanting in her determination, persistence, and openness.
Of course a requisite dramatic occurrence gives the plot a twist within the last fraction of the film. Even then, though, good work from wardrobe, hair, makeup, and set decoration lend to the pleasantness of what is generally just a feel-good movie.
Yes, it's hokey, in the way the vast majority of rom-coms are. But a viewer isn't going to be watching this if they're not receptive to the genre in the first place, so it's easy to engage with the picture on its level. There's no reason to go out of your way to find it, but 'Retreat to paradise' is a sweet, straightforward experience if you come across it.
Director Brian Brough includes plenty of establishing shots around Fiji to make sure we get eyefuls of greenery and beautiful landscapes, or the ocean. His vision regarding the narrative is notably less expansive, as his camerawork mirrors Warren Workman's editing in keeping the plot flowing very quickly. It goes so quickly that within the first 20 minutes there's a big splash as the physical therapist confronts her surly tennis star patient, and she then calls a friend for advice. Like Brittany Wiscombe's writing, Brough and Workman disallow actors room to truly embrace their roles as no scene lingers beyond the conclusion of dialogue.
And speaking of dialogue - Wiscombe's pen confers some extra personality onto her characters, though the often playful words themselves are direct to the point of unabashed cheesiness. So it is with the story she's written, though it's at least cohesive and whole - and mildly endearing. It's no great revelation - far from it - but even if 'Retreat to paradise' is clichéd in its bent (an air furthered by the very conventional rom-com soundtrack), it has a certain irrepressible charm.
As is commonly the case with pictures of this nature, I feel like the cast is fine, but tend to be restricted by the writing and direction. I'm not especially familiar with most of the actors here, but I trust they've skills that would be brought out in a more elastic feature. Meanwhile, I've seen star Melanie Stone in several films now, and I know she's quite capable. She carries a strong ease and charisma about her that makes her portrayal of protagonist Ellie enchanting in her determination, persistence, and openness.
Of course a requisite dramatic occurrence gives the plot a twist within the last fraction of the film. Even then, though, good work from wardrobe, hair, makeup, and set decoration lend to the pleasantness of what is generally just a feel-good movie.
Yes, it's hokey, in the way the vast majority of rom-coms are. But a viewer isn't going to be watching this if they're not receptive to the genre in the first place, so it's easy to engage with the picture on its level. There's no reason to go out of your way to find it, but 'Retreat to paradise' is a sweet, straightforward experience if you come across it.
You Could Do Worse, You Could Do Better
athompsonblue11 January 2021
Warning: Spoilers
It's a good, clean movie about a young physical therapist helping an injured athlete make physical and emotional recovery from a car crash. But it doesn't give girls the best message for romance: "No matter how rude a guy is, you should fall in love with him. He'll change." The way he treats her is unacceptable, especially in the story's late conflict. Any guy who makes a sweet girl weep has got to be a real jerk. Ellie deserves better than that.
It's one thing to have unconditional compassion and be forgiving of people. It's another thing to saddle yourself with someone for romance. For the movie's ending, I kind of felt that she should have just wished him well and then caught her flight.
It gets better
shadowtrail-2499016 February 2021
The male lead is certainly handsome but his attitude in the beginning almost made me turn it off. Fortunately I gave it a chance. He reminds me of an angry tiger with a thorn in his paw. Once we learn the deeper pain he's hiding -not just his physical injury, it makes a lot more sense. Ellie helps him open up and heal in many ways. So it kind of had to start that way. I enjoyed it.
Well worth watching
jewelch20 January 2021
Cute movie about a mean guy and the sweet girl who helps him change. I thought it was a pretty movie being on an island or somewhere exotic. Nice to see Brian Krause from Charmed too.. Well worth the watch. James Welch Henderson, Arkansas 1/18/2021
Your Average TV Romance With a Little Extra
tiffanytallent198130 May 2021
Warning: Spoilers
We all know how these television romance movies work. The formula is almost always the same.
1. Two people fall for each other while working toward a common goal or through overcoming an obstacle.
2. A misunderstanding arises due to a lack of communication, which leads to one or both people jumping to conclusions.
3. Everything works out and they kiss. Lmbo
In the beginning, the male lead, Jordan is a complete jerk to Ellie. It's not right, but understandable human nature. He was injured and his tennis career is on the line. Jordan also lost someone close to him during the accident, causing some survivor's guilt. So he's hurting both physically and emotionally, plus he's scared of what the future holds. Ellie doesn't know the whole story. And neither does the audience yet, so to us Jordan is just mean. The actor who plays him does it fairly well. Some have a hard time pretending to be the jerk and they overdo it. His portrayal was believable.
After physical therapist Ellie works with Jordan for a few days, they develop feelings for each other. He invites her out to a private island where they see some starfish. To get to them, they'd have to cross over some fairly large rocks. Jordan jumps right on them and starts clumsily walking. Ellie warns him to stop and to come back. Does he listen? No. And then he slips and falls, reinjuring his hurt shoulder. Well, Jordan is furious, but not at himself. He's angry with Ellie! I'm screaming at the tv that it was HIS fault. He doesn't listen to me either.
About this time , Jordan's PR rep makes things worse by digging up dirt on Ellie. She blames her for Jordan falling on the rocks, plus has a crush on him. The dirt that the rep digs up is not true. There are two sides to the story, but does Jordan try to hear it? Nope. He asks her to get out and then later the PR rep brings Ellie a plane ticket home.
This entire time, Jordan's coach has been a great friend to Ellie and is shocked at Jordan's behavior towards her. He confronts Jordan about sending her home. But it turns out, it was the jealous PR rep who bought the plane ticket. So Jordan runs to find Ellie and apologize AGAIN. After some convincing, she forgives him and you know the rest. Lol.
While this movie is formulaic, i still enjoyed it and would watch it again. The acting is good from the four main characters. I enjoyed the plot and friendship between Ellie and the coach. There was a little chemistry between Jordan and Ellie, but it would've been nice to have seen more. If these movies allowed for more couple time after the misunderstanding was resolved, more chemistry could be developed! If you're looking for something to watch on a lazy day, this one is worth it.
1. Two people fall for each other while working toward a common goal or through overcoming an obstacle.
2. A misunderstanding arises due to a lack of communication, which leads to one or both people jumping to conclusions.
3. Everything works out and they kiss. Lmbo
In the beginning, the male lead, Jordan is a complete jerk to Ellie. It's not right, but understandable human nature. He was injured and his tennis career is on the line. Jordan also lost someone close to him during the accident, causing some survivor's guilt. So he's hurting both physically and emotionally, plus he's scared of what the future holds. Ellie doesn't know the whole story. And neither does the audience yet, so to us Jordan is just mean. The actor who plays him does it fairly well. Some have a hard time pretending to be the jerk and they overdo it. His portrayal was believable.
After physical therapist Ellie works with Jordan for a few days, they develop feelings for each other. He invites her out to a private island where they see some starfish. To get to them, they'd have to cross over some fairly large rocks. Jordan jumps right on them and starts clumsily walking. Ellie warns him to stop and to come back. Does he listen? No. And then he slips and falls, reinjuring his hurt shoulder. Well, Jordan is furious, but not at himself. He's angry with Ellie! I'm screaming at the tv that it was HIS fault. He doesn't listen to me either.
About this time , Jordan's PR rep makes things worse by digging up dirt on Ellie. She blames her for Jordan falling on the rocks, plus has a crush on him. The dirt that the rep digs up is not true. There are two sides to the story, but does Jordan try to hear it? Nope. He asks her to get out and then later the PR rep brings Ellie a plane ticket home.
This entire time, Jordan's coach has been a great friend to Ellie and is shocked at Jordan's behavior towards her. He confronts Jordan about sending her home. But it turns out, it was the jealous PR rep who bought the plane ticket. So Jordan runs to find Ellie and apologize AGAIN. After some convincing, she forgives him and you know the rest. Lol.
While this movie is formulaic, i still enjoyed it and would watch it again. The acting is good from the four main characters. I enjoyed the plot and friendship between Ellie and the coach. There was a little chemistry between Jordan and Ellie, but it would've been nice to have seen more. If these movies allowed for more couple time after the misunderstanding was resolved, more chemistry could be developed! If you're looking for something to watch on a lazy day, this one is worth it.
Male lead
sydenham-0015530 January 2021
Warning: Spoilers
All in all, it was a pretty decent movie for what it was. It just all felt very forced. We all know the plot of romantic movies like this. Generally it's split into three parts. The two subjects meet and are intrigued by one another, a fall out somewhere between the 1/2 way mark to 3/4 way mark and then everything works out toward the end. The reason why I say it's forced is because I don't think anyone, professional or otherwise would stand for what the male lead put the female lead through. The amount of verbal abuse she took in this film was crazy, and for them to be IN LOVE by the end was just crazy. All in less than a week! Lol
A really good feelgood movie!
tocanepauli22 January 2021
Very enjoyable movie filled in beautiful Fiji. Really nice likeable characters and a very good storyline. Don't know much about therapy but hey it's a film and at least she looked like she was working. Well done team!
nice settings
alysonlee-922347 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The film is set in gorgeous Fiji and is a lot of fun to watch. The characters are incredibly likeable, and the storyline is excellent. I don't know much about therapy, but hey, it's a movie, and she at least appeared to be working. Congratulations to the entire team!
Great location - male lead is a brat
craig-1093015 January 2021
This is a good concept with wonderful setting in Fiji. However, it was excruciating to watch the injured male lead, Jordan, mouth off like a spoiled 8-yr old. Any chance of a long term relationship with him would involve a tantrum at every tough turn.Ellie should have walked at his first insulting, humiliating conversation. Chemistry was a zero. Ellie will be a battered wife in the sequel. Not a fav.
Feel good flick with a story and a moral
authorjodibrown11 December 2020
If you are a fan of Rom Coms and Hallmark movies, you'll love Retreat to Paradise. The story and actors were entertaining, satisfying and believable (and not cringy). This will definitely go on my "watch again" list!
Should have researched how to rehab a shoulder
amordeno16 January 2021
Physical therapy without icing after an exercise?
Some scenes lost the acting that the shoulder was still injured. So many things that are not consistent with rehabbing a shoulder. I know. I've had shoulder surgery twice as a tennis player. Should have researched more before writing the script.
Why make this?
ks-6050012 March 2021
Feel good film about overcoming setbacks / loss
SunnyDaise21 August 2021
Pretty depressing
ab-8403819 August 2022
You would think with a location like beautiful Fiji that a movie would just be amazing. However this cast are all depressina and dreary. When there finally is a moment of fun it's destroyed and back to being depressing. Yes, it finally ha a somewhat "happy ending" but it's not enough to recommend it.
Wonderful Movie
ujkezdo3 June 2022
So so
Jackbv1235 September 2022
Something is missing. The story seems to drag. The acting is barely fair especially Casey Elliott. The Jordan character is over the top mean at first and as too often happens quickly does a 180. The dialogue lacks life.
If it weren't for the Ellie character, I think I would have given up. Melanie Stone is upbeat but not overly so. Unfortunately I just don't think there was any chemistry.
The conflict is clumsy. There were hints and I think it could have been handled better.
For some reason IMDb is telling me I need to be much longer. I don't really understand why. I see reviews that are less than a quarter of their requirement and I know I've submitted shorter ones. So this is filler.
If it weren't for the Ellie character, I think I would have given up. Melanie Stone is upbeat but not overly so. Unfortunately I just don't think there was any chemistry.
The conflict is clumsy. There were hints and I think it could have been handled better.
For some reason IMDb is telling me I need to be much longer. I don't really understand why. I see reviews that are less than a quarter of their requirement and I know I've submitted shorter ones. So this is filler.
Cute movie
tamismith-5668316 January 2021
Very Good and Relatable
janisjs7-183-84412030 October 2021
For me, an excellent movie since I'm doing rehab myself for my knee, and before that my arm. Discouragement and laziness to exercise are a person's worst enemies when trying to recover from an injury as pointed out in this movie. It shows how important a caring therapist can be in the patient's recovery and that being a good therapist is more than simply a job. I found myself starting to exercise my arm while watching this movie, after not doing the exercises for quite a long time, so I know this movie is good. It's truly motivating.
Great Movie!
marywebster-5209720 December 2020
way better than hallmark!
mail-9132 February 2021
correct
Kirpianuscus17 April 2022
It seems to me a correct film. Not good, not bad, far to be memorable, offering more the seductive Fiji than a story in proper sense, mixing jealousy, selfishness, friendship, mistakes and, sure, romance.
Honest acting, ordinary Hallmark story and nice locations.
And , maybe, the gift to be far to be exceptional remains its unique but precious virtue. Because it propose ordinary facts in naked aspect , not having the desire to impress or convince. And it works, just well.
Honest acting, ordinary Hallmark story and nice locations.
And , maybe, the gift to be far to be exceptional remains its unique but precious virtue. Because it propose ordinary facts in naked aspect , not having the desire to impress or convince. And it works, just well.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
