A Vineyard Romance (2021 TV Movie) User Reviews

The Show was Stolen

[rebekahrox · 7/10 · 22 February 2022]

I approached this one with not a whole lot of enthusiasm or hope. I'd never heard of the main actress before, and Marcus Rosner has never really stood out for me one way or another. I had just seen him in Love Stories in Sunflower Valley with an actress that I really do not like and I was unimpressed once again. He is very handsome, but not much personality. What a difference an easy rapport and chemistry with your co-lead can make! He was very engaging, entertaining, and even funny in this one. The lead actress was gorgeous in a fresh natural way that really appealed to me. They were a great match.

The movie got my attention right away when I learned Marcus Rosner was actually engaged to an internet influencer and our heroine was sent to do a piece for her magazine on their imminent wedding. They were exes and each thinks they were rudely and coldly ghosted by the other. We only know her side of the story at first, and she is understandably upset to find out that he is the prospective groom. When the love interest is set to walk down the aisle, it really raises the stakes on the tension and anticipation of what is to come. The dialogue and situations were fast paced and funny. The secondary couple's courtship was cute and involving. He is a widower and she is our heroine, Sam's, best friend in the old hometown where the action takes place. The two have massive crushes on each other, but they are shy and scared. It was sweet.

But the star of the show is Leanne Lapp playing against type as the self-centered, shallow, and very bubbly fiancé. I have always liked her but she usually plays the supportive friend or sister to the heroine. I didn't even recognize her at first. She is hilarious as the bride more concerned with getting her wedding perfect and publicized than the actual marriage. On top of that, she is angling to get Marcus away from the small town and vineyard (yes, there's wine-always a plus) he loves and back to the big city she loves. Despite her machinations, such is Leanne's take and performance of the character, we somehow still like her. When Marcus finally stands up to her and states the obvious, that they are not a good match, we are relieved for him and her. It was about time. Despite her being dumped she doesn't have the expected meltdown but is a good sport about it. It was very refreshing.

All ends as it should for the two couples and Leanne, who is not exactly heartbroken. I hope this movie propels this talented actress out of the friend zone and into the lead role she deserves.

Same old stuff but enjoyable

[Jackbv123 · 7/10 · 7 September 2021]

The premise doesn't exactly fit the common writer-goes-home premises, but it's close and there are many of the other usual tropes as well. There is some educational stuff about wine which also has been done. There are no great highs or lows or surprises. The conflict has been there from the start and the resolution is rather mundane.

In the beginning, there is a secret that everyone knows except Sam. The viewer probably knows too, especially if you've seen previews. Still it's nicely done.

The heart of the movie is Marcus Rosner and Rebecca Olson and they have chemistry. Sam and Liam were supposed to be together and their dreams separated them. It's nice to watch them reconnecting.

Leanne Lapp place the narcissistic influencer pretty well. Actually, she's kind of fun and almost likeable.

Got better as time past

[SunnyDaise · 9/10 · 20 November 2022]

Almost gave up on yet another 'must find love by mid-30s' movie, but aside from all the trendy social media stuff, there are some really cross-generational situations that can profoundly affect all of us. With so much packed in, whatever you're going through, there's likely to be something in this to help you. Whilst in lots of ways this movie could quickly feel dated, these classic scenarios make it re-watchable, because even though we've seen it all before, we experience them at different points in our own lives. This rom-not-so-much-com shows there is life after setback and loss, so give it a shot.

All in All an Enjoyable Romance Movie

[mfreburg-946-137541 · 8/10 · 7 April 2024]

"A Vineyard Romance" (2021) Streaming on Prime Video/Up Faith & Family

This nice little romance stars Rebecca Olson and Marcus Rosner. Rosner is well known to romance movie fans. Olson probably less so. She's been in some, but usually as a co-star. I'll start with her. She really aced her role here. She was fresh and interesting. She and Rosner play exes who each believe the other ghosted them years ago and thus gave up on what was up until then a very close relationship. As a magazine writer, Olson is sent to her hometown to cover the wedding of a famous "influencer." (I'm old enough to still wonder why that is even a real job.) She is shocked to find that Rosner is the groom. The wedding is to take place at his family's vineyard. Rosner does a good job here as well, although at first he's quite unpleasant to Olson, and she's not Miss Sunshine to him, either. That gets explained later in the film--we don't know he thinks she ghosted him as well. In the meantime, we're supposed to sympathize with her, but not with him.

Lovely redhead Leanne Lapp, who usually plays a friend of the star, as someone else said--though she had the lead in the cute film "Mixed Baggage," which I recommend, here played Rosner's bride-to-be. Lapp did, as someone else correctly said, go completely out of character in playing the influencer. I suspect the solipsistic behavior of Lapp's character was probably right for an influencer with five hundred billion followers. ;) Suffice to say, Leanne did a great job with what she was given--and yes, it was no way my favorite role for her, but I know she can play anything. Early on she was temporarily written out ("going back to New York, they tore the lace on my wedding dress!"), allowing Rosner and Olson to spend a LOT of time together.

My only complaint about Lapp--and Rosner too, was that when they decided to call off the wedding toward the film's end, they were very laissez-faire about it. They didn't even hug. You know, nice knowin' you? Lapp was so over-the-top about EVERYTHING ELSE up until then, but she could take a break-up so casually? Ending the wedding??!!

Initially getting Olson and Rosner's characters back in the same place was under the guise of Olson's article, but the transition from "I really hate you Well I really hate you" to getting along well and displaying obvious chemistry of two people who were, and perhaps are, more than friends, happened so fast I almost missed the transition. Still, it was nice to see. I have to say, both actors pulled this off very well indeed.

There was a subplot involving Rosner's brother, played by Matt Hamilton, and Olson's best friend, played by Lisa MacFadden. They were soooo infatuated with each other. There must have been a half dozen scenes making that perfectly clear. This subplot would have been more enjoyable had it not been written and played like they were a couple of shy and embarrassed middle school kids instead of thirty-something adults.

The only other character that I must comment on was Olson's editor back in the city, played by Lucie Guest. First you must also know that Guest directed this movie, and CO-WROTE THE SCRIPT, so she should have had some influence on the way she played her character, which simply put, was classic mean girl grown up. Guest is a great actress--but her character's behavior was awful for a boss in this day and age. Rude, unyielding, talked out of both sides of her mouth, especially at the end of the film. Not funny either, in case that was her intent. Please keep in mind that I am usually very willing to set aside my disbelief--it's a movie, a fantasy, but the fact that Guest was playing the role of "boss" in the movie AND directing the movie AND co-writer of the script was a bit too much for even me. How could she not see how "off" this character was? Okay, its true bosses are often mean in romance movies, but Guest overplayed mean. Fortunately, it was a very small role.

I'm done. Despite the last paragraph, I truly enjoyed this movie. Olson and Rosner had a lot of chemistry together. Oh, the ending of the movie was something else. Not quite the usual rom-com ending. You'll have to see for yourself.