Movie: Love In the Limelight
Starring: Alexa PenaVega, Carlos PenaVega
Network: Hallmark Movies & Mysteries
Synopsis: Pen pals with Nick for years, Summer is reluctant for her relationship with him to go public when the former boy band singer comes to town for a comeback concert.
⚠🛑 Disclaimer: This review may contain movie spoilers
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Review:
Real life husband/wife team Carlos and Alexa PenaVega team up again for a Hallmark "Fall Into Love" movie. I admit I do like movies that have real life loves albeit I have never really noted any real chemistry in any movies that the PenaVega's are in. This movie was a little better chemistry wise but it still wasn't stellar by any means. I'm not sure what it is but they don't really shine when opposite each other. It's not to say that it was a bad movie as it was okay, but the chemistry just doesn't resonate on screen with these actors.
The premise of the movie is quite interesting. I liked that component. 15 years writing to each other as pen pals and talking on the phone and then finally meeting in real life. I liked it. I also liked the added component of him being in the spotlight with his career. That part of the movie worked for me. There were some plot points that were just filler and quite boring. For instance the employee complaining to HR about another employee constantly was completely dull.
I found Summer's character to be way to intense and hyper sensitive to any sort of publicity. She was unapproachable as an HR rep?? That was worrisome from the beginning as her very role is interacting with people. I loved her relationship with her grandma who, in my opinion, was probably one of the best things to come out of this movie. Loved the grandma. I found the dad a bit much and the over reaction/misunderstanding Summer had was way too dramatic. My goodness. You knew he was in the spotlight.
The music was ok and it was definitely no surprise that Alexa PenaVega would sing in the end after hearing the story of her past from her father. I do think that this little tidbit of her past may have be more beneficial earlier in the movie to help explain her guarded behaviour in life a bit better.
Hallmark didn't do a stellar job on promoting this movie as a movie inspired by a real life story. Apparently this movie was inspired by the life of William Ames and now wife Winnie Hung. Real life inspired stories are always interesting to me and I definitely would have liked to know this prior to watching it.
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