'Love Ever After' movie review: 'Playing Cupid'
A teen plays matchmaker to her teacher and her father in the Valentine's Day romance 'Playing Cupid' (premiering Feb. 13 as part of The Hallmark Channel's Love Ever After event).
In short: Clara (Mia Quaranta De La Rosa) sets her single father David (Nicholas Gonzalez) up with Kerri (Laura Vandervoort), her teacher, after starting a matchmaking business for a school project.
Hallmark movies are great at romance - and the very best Hallmark Channel flicks, like any movie ever, are rooted in great conflict. And 'Cupid' puts Kerri, David and Clara in tight spots, and puts them at odds. Clara's grades are suffering - and her class grade hinges on the success of her matchmaking project. Meanwhile David's ex is concerned about his ability to parent Clara and is pushing to move Clara to Texas. Kerri supports Clara's creative business idea, but David is skeptical - while she ponders moving back home to be closer to family.
'Cupid' has a lot of moving parts, but they all just click so effortlessly together. Vandervoort and Gonzalez have a natural warmth between the divorced father and the conflicted teacher. Their very first scene together is casually charming. And yes this is clearly a romance between David and Kerri, but there's an undercurrent of reluctance on their part. Both are wounded from past failed relationships - and reasonably conflicted about their obvious chemistry. 'Cupid' doesn't bother playing coy with the fact that there's an obvious spark between David and Kerri - the story is more concerned with how the unexpected infatuation affects them. The radiate a nervous trepidation, worried about making themselves vulnerable again - but earnestly getting swept up in this surprising infatuation. From the very outset, Kerri affirms to her students just how scary it is to take a risk - a lesson Kerri, David and Clara grapple learn to take to heart.
This movie also serves as a lovely Valentine to teachers. Kerri sets her students off to create something, and she's consistently encouraging and committed to their ideas. It's actually kind of easy to overlook just how much time she actually spends working with her students - but when she's not spending time with David, Kerri is helping one of her students. When David himself is concerned with his daughter's business proposal, it's Kerri who steps into Clara's corner, supporting the teen when almost no one else does. Kerri is reminiscent of every teacher who believes in their students and has total faith in their passion. This Hallmark romance is a sweet rediscovery of love - but it's also a testament to the powerful impact a teacher can have on their students, and what that confidence means to the leaders of tomorrow.
Final verdict: 'Playing Cupid' is kind of a perfect Valentine's Day romance - especially for anyone who needs inspiration in believing in love again.
Score: 4.5 chocolate hearts (out of 5)
'Playing Cupid' premieres on The Hallmark Channel on Feb. 13 as part of the Love Ever After event. The movie is rated TV-G and has a running time of 90 minutes.
