Maintenance Required: Movie Review

A simplistic rom-com that can’t maintain interest.

You’ve Got Mail has become its own subgenre within the romantic comedy, to the point that some movies will just take that loose concept but present it very differently (like Hallmark’s surprising anti-AI rom-com Return to Office) or take the exact same plot pretty much verbatim but just the industry it’s set in, which is what Amazon’s Maintenance Required has done.		2025 Directed by: Lacey Uhlemeyer Screenplay by: Erin Falconer & Lacey Uhlemeyer, and Roo Berry Starring: Madelaine Petsch, Jacob Scipio

Home Turf: Movie Review

A cookie-cutter rom-com with no personality.

There is usually a maturity even if simplistic to most Hallmark romances, but that is nowhere to be found in their back-to-school / football-themed Home Turf. The movie, which I believe is supposed to be funny, features football players moving in with the uptight school’s president after their dorm floor is flooded. It falls to the handsome coach to smooth things over.		2025 Directed by: MacIain Nelson Screenplay by: Gregg Rossen, Brian Sawyer Starring: Nikki Deloach, Warren Christie

Adventures in Love & Birding: Movie Review

A genuine appreciation for birding with Hallmark’s typical romance.

Adventures in Love & Birding merges the perfect hobby with Hallmark’s romance and fall theme. While I’m not a birder myself, I appreciate birding, and I suspect many of Hallmark’s audience is either an avid birder themselves or at least an enjoyer from afar. Complete with some bird photography, bird puns and trivia, it’s a whole-hearted push on the hobby.		2025 Directed by: Michael Robison Screenplay by: Nicole Baxter, Sarah T. Dubb Starring: Andrew Walker, Rachel Boston