Pumpkin Pie Wars (2016 TV Movie) User Reviews

Above the average Hallmark movie

[jonathanrspalding · 7/10 · 24 October 2016]

Hallmark now produces movies at almost soap opera pace. In fall 2017 it appears there will be six of the Autumn/Halloween movies. This volume means a lot of them are hackneyed and redundant. However, some are better than others and this falls in that category. Of course we all know how they will end. The joy is in the journey I guess. That being said I think there are four factors that make or break a Hallmark Movie.

First, are the lead roles good characters with depth and well acted. Second, does the romance seem to be real or contrived. Third, are the comedy portions of the movie actually funny. (I would say this is an oft neglected factor for Halmark) Fourth, are there a few nice quirks to the story line to add some drama. All four are true here to one degree to another. Here too the actual dialogue was of better quality than most Hallmarks. Meaning you don't have characters constantly saying thingsthat no human being would ever say to another.

The negative to this movie is that there were no neat subplots or side characters to round out the story. On the positive side it was consistently well acted, paced, with a nice twist at the end that make it a movie to see next Fall.

A Hallmark Autumn

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 18 February 2023]

Four Fall Harvest films were made in 2016, have noticed that of all the seasonal blocks for all the years between 2015-2021 the Fall Harvest block has always been the briefest. 'Pumpkin Pie Wars' is the penultimate one, followed only by one of 'The Good Witch' films. The previous two Fall Harvest films were a bit mixed, was not really sold on 'Love on a Limb' but mostly liked 'Autumn in the Vineyard' (the best of the 'In the Vineyard' series). The concept here was the most appealing one of the four Fall Harvest films.

Which probably did contribute towards it being the best of the four 2016 Fall Harvest films and the one that feels most like a Fall Harvest film. It is also one of the better 2016 Hallmark films, which was very up and down (like all the succeeding years too). It is a good representation of Julie Gonzalo, who is good when her role is written well and plays to her strengths, and it made me interested enough in seeing more of Eric (Rico) Aragon's work sometime in the future.

'Pumpkin Pie Wars' is not perfect by all means. Sure, the story is very formulaic and does very little new with a type of story that one pretty much knows how it is going to map out quite a bit of time before it happens. A bit over-simple too.

It does also for my tastes end too neatly and unsatisfyingly so, it's pretty much what is expected but it is the sort of ending that works in some scenarios but not so much in others and the too pat treatment of one character didn't ring true here.

However, so much is good. Gonzalo's performance is full of perky charm and sincerity and she has a charismatic and very easy to like leading man in Aragon. Their chemistry is very sweet and genuine, while moving at a realistically paced rate and not feeling aimless or too fast moving. Michele Scarabelli brings a lot of zest into her role and personally didn't think her character was tiresome and instead fun and well meaning. The characters may be Hallmark cliches but they aren't written too perfectly or with their flaws overdone.

Furthermore, the story, despite its predictability, is always engaging and is light-hearted and heart-warming. The film is nicely scripted, with some nice playfulness between the leads and the sentimentality is not overdone. It looks good visually. Especially the gorgeous scenery. The music doesn't distract and really liked how the film made the absolute most of the setting without shoving it in the viewer's face.

Very nice overall. 8/10.

Could have ended better

[lnmilne-64111 · 7/10 · 5 February 2022]

I thought the older woman was trying to get her friends back together by having them get back at HER for her comments on the local news. Then they'd find out it was all a rouse to make the ladies become friends again. She knew the kids would be less careful about hiding their recipes. I was hoping she would bake her own recipe. Not a fan of making her an actual villain. So she's not a bake off champ? It's not her thing, maybe she just does it for fun and she's the best at something else. Oh well. Hallmark movies rarely have a satisfying ending. I hate when they kiss in front of a huge crowd and everyone claps. That's so cringe.

good job

[Kirpianuscus · 30 September 2018]

The story is predictable, the performances are decent. And the flavour of fairy tale works well. A war story , a love story, pumpkin pies and nice plot. Nothing new. But enough for a seductive Hallmark movie about good, broke of selfish, noble causes and wise youth. So, good job.

Get some authenticity

[Andthisismrsr · 7/10 · 25 October 2022]

Overall I liked this movie. The acting was decent and the plot was good. I always enjoy a Hallmark movie when it has elements of things I like to do-baking, sewing, fashion etc. However, that just heightens the disappointment when Hallmark does stupid things.

Casey and Sam are in the kitchen practicing and he mentions the oven is now at 350 after being preheated, there's some dialogue and then they leave. They don't turn the oven off, they don't use the oven.

In another scene Casey brings her dad something from the bakery and it has a big huge cinnamon stick on top of it. There's not a baker that would do that. You can't eat it and it wastes money for a bakery that is struggling.

During the bake off, the ovens are wide open, yes they are putting their items in the oven but their back is too the ovens while they finish preparing their loaf to put in the oven. One would never leave the oven door open that long, the heat loss would be a lot!!

But I did enjoy it and was disappointed that I hadn't recorded it.

Predictable? You betcha. But I still recommend it.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 15 November 2022]

When the story begins, Faye and Lydia go from long-time friends to bitter enemies. They soon open up rival bakeries and insist that their families honor their stupid feud. The husbands don't like this, because they are friends and Faye and Lydia even insist that their children follow along with their ridiculous arguments. And, for years, the pair compete against each other in a local pumpkin pie cooking contest. But this year is different. Faye is injured and needs her daughter Casey to compete for her...which is a problem since Casey is not a brilliant baker. At the same time, Lydia has decided to step aside and let her son Sam compete. Problems develop when Casey and Sam realize that they actually LIKE each other...and in fact, they are falling in love! But their mothers insist that the feud be continued....period. So what's next? See the film.

I'll be the first to admit that this Hallmark movie is formulaic and mostly predictable. BUT, it's made so well that I didn't mind at all...and I had a nice time watching it. Unless you are a curmudgeon, you, too, will likely enjoy this sweet tale.

Enjoyed it

[BA-9964 · 7/10 · 22 March 2020]

I found the two lead characters believable. The lead female role's baking / kitchen scenes were comical. The male role lead was a good fit and found the two had good chemistry. Both mothers role were a bit tiresome nearing the end and I thought was an over kill through the whole movie. We got the point they were enemies but the jabs and angry comments grew old.

Hallmark's recipe is successful again

[itsreardon · 6/10 · 12 May 2018]

The two Shakespearean protagonists may end up with a bun in the oven if they aren't careful

Love the opening song and Autumn Festival

[campingfun777 · 9/10 · 25 November 2018]

I enjoy country autumn festivals and go to the pumpkin farms in October at Half Moon Bay California. I was trying to find if that Lakeshore County Harvest Festival is a real event. Thats my favorite part of the movie with the opening song "Peter Pan" This is a worthwhile movie to watch while making homebaked pumpkin cheesecake, bread, and pumpkin spiced lattes.

good for Hallmark

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 7 October 2019]

Faye McArthy and Lydia Harper have a breakdown in their pumpkin pie partnership during their fair contest starting a war with each other's pie shops. It's ten years later and the war goes on. Casey McArthy (Julie Gonzalo) is trying to run her mother's shop while Faye is bitter at losing to Lydia for the last three years. Faye has an accident and Casey is forced to enter the bake-off despite her utter lack of skills. Sam Harper (Rico Aragon) wants to change the shop but his mother refuses. With news of Casey taking over, Lydia decides to extend the family feud to the next generation by letting Sam take over the competition.

This story has a bit of spice, pumpkin spice. That means it's unnecessary but not as bad as one expects. The couple actually has chemistry. The family conflict is cute. It's not terribly exciting but it works. It's more decorative than substantive. It is better than most Hallmark romance. That's something.

Pumpkin Pie Wars

[JoBloTheMovieCritic · 5/10 · 18 October 2019]

5/10 - this fluffy romance wore out its welcome with me

A Hallmark movie that worked.

[Avidviewer-02847 · 8/10 · 2 August 2021]

I mentioned this film in another review as an example of a good Hallmark movie, so I felt I should review it. This movie has everything, good leads who can act and have chemistry, the story was logical and the supporting cast was good. It had a good script that was believable and the dialog is good, this was a feel good rom-com. Don't know why Julie Gonzalo and Eric Aragon weren't cast together in any other Hallmark films, this was released in 2016.

When The Holidays Arrive, I Like To Watch Julie Gonzalo Pilfer Her Pie.

[Real_Review · 5/10 · 20 December 2019]

The Drums of War bang loudest in fall... The Hounds of Justice are hungry for baked goods... The War Cry of stubborn old women can be heard all autumn long...

Well, I don't have a separate rating scale for bad holiday movies - just a scale for quality films. And, there are SO MANY bad holiday movies released each year in the late 2010's. With that said, this movie, about obsessive old ladies and their pie, is actually pretty good. I have been a fan of Julie Gonzalo since 'Eli Stone' (2008) and loved her in 'Dallas' (2012). She looks great, and it's nice to see her in a movie that I can re-watch each holiday season.

Julie is cute, the dialog is somewhat clever most of the time, and it's a fun 90 minutes. This is the best film about pumpkin pie that you will ever see. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I recommend this holiday film.

RealReview Posting Scoring Criteria: Acting: 1/1;

Casting: 1/1;

Directing: 1/1;

Story: 1/1;

Writing/Screenplay: 1/1;

Total Base Score = 5

Modifiers (+ or -): none

Total RealReview Rating: 5

Great Autumn Film

[MovieTVRomanceFan · 9/10 · 20 January 2019]

This was a great autumn feel good film as everything about the film was amazing, especially the main characters, Casey and Sam. I loved everything about this film, the characters were funny, sweet, cute and dare I say adorable to watch. However, the true highlight of the entire film was the love story between Casey and Sam, watching them competing, working together, helping each other and along the way fell in love, became a couple, all while trying to keep it a secret from their mothers. Plus I though the ending was one of the sweetest and most happiest endings EVER. This was definitely one of the most entertaining and sweetest Hallmark Autumn films and one of my personal favourites.

*puke*

[ussvoyager-80488 · 1/10 · 22 February 2020]

Puke puksey puke.... another boring hallmark film where white people only exist in fictional small american towns and producers of these films always try to make white people look perfect. as with any hallmark film the story development is lame, the acting is lame and everything is so predictable. i'm pretty sure they have no real human writers but merely give the story development to computers, or maybe they use chimps.

Such a sweet movie!

[angelahelander · 8/10 · 13 November 2022]

Hallmark movies that bring back actors/actresses from other favorite films of mine, immediately a winner for me! Christmas with the Kranks is a holiday favorite of mine and seeing one of the main actresses (the daughter) be cast in this Hallmark movie was a great surprise for me. I was excited to watch this as soon as she was introduced!

Right away, I thought the plot of this movie was great and I love how this family feud is being passed down from the moms and onto their grown children. As all of these films have cheesy plots or storylines, I thought this one was a good balance of corny & good storytelling.

I love a good love story with a sappy ending and I'm glad this movie included romance and friendship into its focus.

I would watch this again, sweet movie!

I Was Surprised

[hqfedlegion-1 · 10/10 · 4 October 2019]

I am very rarely surprised in a Hallmark movie. I watch them for the beautiful seasonal photography and the romance. Two people find each other, things happen, yadda-yadda-yadda, happy ending with one opening the door and finding the other on the other side.

Don't get me wrong, that is how this movie ends; happily ever after. But I also knew, from the get go that the two dads were not going to stop playing golf with each other. That was a given. And this Romeo & Juliet story was going to be that way. Heck, even their names McCarthy and Harpers were reminiscent of McCoys and Hatfields.

When they got into the cooking contest and how would one win without hurting the other, I figure that they'd let the other woman win, and both loose but in the need find each other, patch up the feud, etc.

Wrong.

I never saw Betty as the sneaky, underhanded character that she was. THAT surprised me. And for a Hallmark movie, a surprise such as that is huge in my book.

A very good movie, well done, good character development, good story and I definitely recommend this for your fall movie rotation!

Nice one

[idozah · 9/10 · 20 August 2018]

The two leads and their respective fathers made the movie. Oh and the leads have very good chemistry together. I saw the movie two times already, it's very refreshing and fun to watch

Pumpkin pie wars 2016 hallmark

[mitchellrharl · 10/10 · 14 October 2019]

Have not been a real fan of Julie Gonzalo but she is really good in this one and Rico Aragon they have genuine chemistry.love older hallmark like this one 2019 was not a good year for harvest movies.hallmark should go back and look at 2015 2016 movies real class good stories

Romeo and Julliet 2.0

[romaniederreveaux · 9/10 · 7 December 2023]

The film starts with promising corny music, which should be the sign of a great romantic film. However, in the next scene we are already in the middle of an argument between 2 families. This is especially confusing at the beginning of the film, but as the film progresses, everything becomes clearer.

It soon becomes clear that the storyline is based on the story of Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare. The daughter of one family slowly falls in love with the son of the "enemy family". Of course, both feuding families do not approve of the relationship between the children, so the relationship must remain secret. This age-old, classic story has been given a modern twist, namely a pumpkin pie competition. The biggest subject of this film is undoubtedly the forbidden relationship within an old family feud.