Movie: Just One Kiss
Release Year: 2022
Network: Hallmark Channel
Starring: Krysta Rodriguez, Santino Fontana, Illeana Douglas, Aida Turturro
Synopsis: Sparks fly between professor Mia and lounge singer Tony through a series of chance encounters. Little do they know their mothers are scheming to set them up.
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 3/4
⚠🛑 Disclaimer: This review may contain movie spoilers
Review:
LOVED this movie! Honestly where did this come from? I was not expecting this one to be good at all as the synopsis and previews didn't really intrigue me. Alas I still watched it and it was probably the best movie that has aired so far in 2022! It was electric. If you haven't seen this movie you need to. I cannot say enough about it.
First let me say that this movie was not in any way your typical Hallmark movie. The story played out so differently than I thought. Good writing plus phenomenal acting, fantastic chemistry, humour, banter, singing, dancing and a little twist at the end. Bravo.
Rodriguez (Mia) and Fontana (Tony) were absolutely amazing as the leads. They carried this movie with charm. They had such a great banter and their chemistry through the whole movie was electric. Not to mention that the singing voices of these actors are phenomenal. They truly delivered exceptional performances. One of my favourite parts was closer to the end when Tony is back at the lounge singing after he thinks Mia is back together with her ex. His rant while on the microphone was so funny and he just kept going on and on. I really enjoyed this part.
The supporting characters were also wonderful. The dialogue of the two mothers (Douglas and Turturro) was so fantastic. I loved them. They had such a great dynamic working opposite each other. When they each exclaimed how wonderful their child was at singing and the other mother said "they're ok...not bad," I couldn't stop laughing. I found this so funny in how they delivered their "meh" responses.
I'm not sure how I didn't figure out the little twist in the end earlier. I honestly didn't clue in until right at the end when Tony declared that he wished his mother could have met Mia and then she said the same about her mother. It was then that I was like...of course! Why didn't I see this as it was obvious. What's funny is that a few times in the movie I was questioning why neither of them "noticed" the mothers sitting in the lounge or movie theatre but alas didn't question enough I guess. And that dedication at the end...sob.
If I had to pick at least one thing that I didn't like in the movie it would be the fact that Mia wasn't yet divorced before pursuing her relationship with Tony. I'm not the biggest fan that Hallmark did this as it's outside the norm of what they typically do. Yes I understand that part of her story and development was in the breakup of her marriage however they could have still achieved this with having Mia already divorced and having to deal with her ex-husband wanting her back.
And speaking of the ex-husband, wasn't he a jerk? When he sat down in the kitchen with Tony and ate that cannoli and took the coffee, I chuckled. What a jerk. I do have to say that I enjoyed Edward Ruttle in the role. I liked the back story of him being an alcoholic, losing their home and him trying to rebuild his life. I actually like this as it added some interest in not only his story but also helped shape the life of Mia and their daughter.
The best part of this movie, outside of the chemistry, was by far how music, costumes and old movies gave this such a vintage feel. I love old movies and songs and this spoke to me. Santino Fontana has such a beautiful voice and I could have listened to him sing more for sure. I loved how the writing worked in the music and old classic movies. The dream sequence shot in black & white was a nice touch as well. I felt at times like I was watching an older classic movie. It was just wonderful.
I don't know what else to say about this movie other than if you haven't watched it yet, you definitely need to give it a try. You will not be disappointed in this gem.