Cooking Up Love (TV Movie 2021) Poster

(2021 TV Movie)

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5/10
Healthy is annoying
hallmarkmov4 July 2021
I've seen this actress in a few movies now and she always plays very over the top annoying characters and this movie is no different. We get it, you want to serve healthy food, but it was repeated sooooo often that I wanted her to lose. She thought the entire world was against her when people are trying to help her. Not sure why anyone would want to be friends or work with her. I won't spoil the ending, but I found it completely unreasonable that one person had to give up EVERYTHING to prove their love to the other person. I couldn't help but roll my eyes throughout the movie.
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7/10
Good until the ending
smithduke26 July 2022
This movie was going at a nice pace and then the ending was rushed, and unbelievable. Barely any romance occurred. Good for only watching once. I did enjoy Stephen Huszar as the lead actor. And once again, IMDB is insisting we make our reviews at least 150 characters. Sometimes a movie is not good enough to deserve that much. We are not all great writers but simply want to get our point across.
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6/10
So so
harleybabe200321 May 2021
I guess the meals were free because no one paid movie was a 😴😴
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7/10
Not bad
Jackbv12310 December 2021
There are echoes of several common plot threads. A woman. Zoey, gets fired and changes careers. Food truck in a competition. Zoey's love interest starts out as her nemesis. The outcome is predictable.

I said echoes because this movie is also a little different and I think that's mostly how the common themes are done. There was a slight surprise before the end, but I aslo expected it. The dialogue is decent.

Rachel Bles is upbeat and appealing, despite what appears to be a short resume with no previous rom/com leads. She has definite chemistry with Stephen Huszar. There is just enough relationship development combined with the story elements of the contest and her former boss's shenanigans to keep my interest. Supporting actors also do a decent job.

It's too bad Livia, the truck, seemed to get more love than the dog.

Several reviewers presumed this to be Hallmark. It premiered on UpTV. There is a line in this movie which steals the title of a Hallmark movie, and Hallmark doesn't usually do that.
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6/10
Okay but Flawed
pathshaper17 September 2023
Warning: Spoilers
While I enjoyed Cooking Up with Love (or The Sauce of Love) overall, I couldn't get past one flawed plot point: how can it be okay that Colin as a contest judge is so involved with one of the contestants? He offers Zoey special attention, offers to help her with certain food truck logistics, and even meets up with her at various times and places as he courts her. This might not have seemed a big deal except that another participating contestant pair was eliminated for an undisclosed violation of the contest rules. Certainly it would seem that a contestant who fraternizes with a judge could be seen as seeking special favors. For me, this was difficult to overlook, and I expected it to become part of the unfolding drama, and when it didn't, it just pointed a finger at flawed scriptwriting and lack of attention to plausibility.
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6/10
Unappetizing interactions
MickyG33312 February 2024
5.9 stars.

I'm not in the mood for a substandard movie right now. I read some reviews and figured I'd probably enjoy 'Cooking Up Love' a.k.a. 'The Sauce of Love', because some of the criticisms seemed trite.

At first it's inviting and I feel the lead female has potential, but looking beyond her attractiveness, I see an obnoxious and harsh exterior that is difficult to overlook. Is this her ego emerging and creeping into her performance, or does she simply misinterpret the character? You can only disguise a beast behind a cute and infectious smile for so long.

As I continue watching and imagining the way this film could be improved, I see the flaws are too many to cover. The directing is ill-timed, the acting is subpar, the writing is just bad. Sorry, I can't see any way of lifting this movie out of the deep gulf where it resides. Usually I stick around to finish something, but this is a tad too poor for my standards, and like I said, I'm not currently in the mood. I watched the first hour, then skipped to the last 12 minutes. I just had to witness the supposed washout at the end...Ok, so I watched the ending and it's not realistic, but I've seen crazier. And the kiss at the end is average.
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1/10
Not good
EmDee-427-46934428 December 2022
Bad acting. There's NO chemistry between the lead actors. The female lead is annoyingly 'chirpy' and talks fast about everything. The words "BBQ sauce" are said more than words of love - and for no reason. Talking in a girly chirpy voice doesn't = romantic or cute.

It features illogical plot twists. For Example, the food truck has been sitting at the filming location for days, but suddenly the romantic female lead "chef" is a mechanic fixing the engine because it's "running hot". Then predictably, the male romantic lead (suit wearing big city CEO of a food company driven around in limos) is also a mechanic who knows how to fix engines?

Blegh it just goes on and on and did I mention BBQ sauce?
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4/10
Self-Righteous and Annoying
abrinkley-7477728 February 2022
I guess I'm supposed to agree with the female lead in this movie and she's supposed to be right about everything. She's annoying and has no one to blame but herself for being fired. She crossed a line with her job and didn't follow her manager's instructions. Boo hoo. I could care less about her finding romance.
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10/10
I am enjoying UPTv movies more and more!
jnh-123-74678621 May 2021
In the past few months UP movies are showing a 'growing up' if that is the correct term. Actors are better, stories are stronger and they are not only believable (well some of the time lol) but are enjoyable. This one was no different BUT just one thing that grated on me was the test tasting of the sauce using the spoon that was stirring the sauce. You may be able to do that in your own home but no cook or chef on TV would do that. You must always have other spoons available and once used are not used again, always a new one. I really enjoyed it and recommend.
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2/10
nice new face, but story details awful
celticwarrior_amazonwoma15 November 2021
Nice to see a different lead female. She's not best actor on the planet obviously but she's a fresh face to the Hallmark list. Really really don't wanna see some of those permanent fixtures anymore like Candace Cameron Bure etc etc ad nauseum. REFRESH.

I'm pretty brutal with scrutinizing the authenticity or accuracy of food themed Hallmark movie. Probably way more than I should be. But they're not expensive details at all, and they're not difficult or time consuming. It's just nails on a chalkboard takes away from the entire rest of the movie.

No one pays for anything, and this isn't just in this movie, but in every other Hallmark movie where there's a farmer's market, the character goes strolling through like it's a Sunday, not like she's shopping for her business. And most importantly she doesn't pay for anything, and equally irritating is she strolls off with her 2 french baguettes and a TINY basket of fruit or whatever she bought. HELLO! Food truck challenge tomorrow. Who writes these scenes? Go watch the Next Great food truck race or something and see how many supplies they buy at the store for their next day of competition. If it were just supplementing what they already had that would be ok, but they made it clear the day before the final challenge that all there was left on the truck was a couple portions of frozen chicken and half a head of iceberg. Come on people, step up your game or get off the pot. And let some writers on board who actually give a sht. This is so appallingly stupid.
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1/10
BOOOORRRRRIIIINNNNNG
toncincin18 May 2021
Didn't hold my interest at all. Boring. BTW - this is not a Hallmark movie. It's an UpTV movie BORING.
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5/10
What's with the fake kiss?
samiller-558391 May 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I like these actors/actresses and the storyline is good until the very end. I mean I know it has to wrap up but it doesn't have to go from not speaking to "forever partners." And what the heck is with the fake kiss at the end? Did they not like each other? Did one of them have a disease? It's too obvious not to notice.
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10/10
Relevant, lighthearted story with compelling starpower
lynnzwomble18 May 2021
Love this fun film with a new star who kept my eyes glued to the screen! Rachel Bles lit up every scene with a believable, clever performance opposite Stephen Huzar.
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5/10
In a jam
bo_fra30 January 2021
Why is one of the main characters ( actor) missing from the list?
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10/10
Great movie!!
djjamurphy17 May 2021
Great writing and acting. My favorite was Rachel Bles. She does a fabulous job as Zoey!
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10/10
10/10 reasons why this is worse than a Hallmark movie
brendabilash31 January 2021
1. The acting was wooden. 2. There was no enchanting snowmen competition. 3. The dog was not featured more. 4. The grandpa/Claudette relationship did not have more screen time. 5. The villain was a sad sack of sauce. 6. The main character was the food truck. 7. The chick was unusually naive about why her ex-company was trying to get her sauce like super sauce thieves. 8. There was no Christmas trees delivered to anyone. 9. You actually have a chance as an actor if you have been on a Hallmark movie. 10. Looks like Sweet Valley High but with sauce.
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10/10
Bright new star on the Hallmark scene!
joeywomble17 May 2021
Rachel Bles lights up the screen with a fresh, completely natural, and gorgeous romantic love interest. Her onscreen presence is totally believable! I highly recommend you keep an eye on this rising star!
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correct use of recipe
Kirpianuscus15 August 2022
Bad crafted, it is in some measure just nice for simple motif than the Hallmark recipe is respected . Same cliches, situations, conflicts. Only original can be the too invocated secret ingredient , transforming a reasonable character in a case of paranoia.

But, sure, it is exactly the romance who you expect, with few crumbs of healthy food , a contest and a sauce who becomes more important than the story itself.
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