'Summer Nights' movie review: 'Romance in the Air'

The picturesque and nostalgic romantic drama 'Romance in the Air' (premiering Aug. 1 as part of The Hallmark Channel's Summer Nights) is a great bit of tourism marketing for Lake Tahoe and a solid mid-career drama, even if the romantic elements are thin.

In short: After her boss tells Eden (Cindy Busby) to take some time off work, she brings her best friend Kate (Sashleigha Brady) back to her family's Lake Tahoe vacation home - where she reconnects with her childhood friend Riley (Torrance Coombs).

Busby glows as a woman struggling with an unexpected career crisis. Eden finds herself facing an uncertain future, while also reacquainting herself her past. Eden falls back in love with the mountain resort town where she spent her childhood and the neighbor kid she used to have a crush on. She's spending more time with Riley (the guy she shared her first kiss with), but she's also currently dating a guy back home. She's innately great at marketing, however, she's lost her passion for her marketing career. 'In the Air' works best when it leverages these multiple conflicts on Eden, who finds herself at the crossroads of career and love - and Busby nails Eden’s effortless marketing expertise, warm personality and deep conflict about her comfortable, if boring, life back.

Unfortunately Coombs doesn't get much to work with as hot air entrepreneur Riley. 'In the Air' doesn't invest too much in Riley as a character - he's basically just a guy with a struggling business who had a crush on Eden years ago. Coombs does his best to keep Riley perfectly likable, but the character himself is pretty thinly developed, resulting a fairly dull character with just the minimal amount of charisma. His underdeveloped character also means the romance aspects of 'In the Air' are shallow and a bit anemic.

The underappreciated of aspect of any Hallmark Channel is the "best friend" - and 'Romance' finds the sweet spot with Kate, Eden's best friend and travel companion. Kate is a great sounding board and consciousness for Eden. She pushes Eden, challenging her best friend through a tough period in her life. It's almost as if Kate is Eden's inner conscious brought to life. Their sweet and honest friendship is honestly the strongest aspect of 'In the Air.'

Hallmark movies have short runtimes and the best of them don't waste a single scene or line of dialogue. But 'In the Air' has a number of odd, inane moments that feel like filler. No movie that's barely 90 minutes long and leaves its love interest with a meager story or character development should waste its precious run time with trivia about what fuels a hot air balloon uses (hint: it's not "rocket fuel") or the tedium of freezer repair.

Final verdict: 'In the Air' is an engaging career crisis story with a rushed romance shoehorned into the story. Luckily its lead star and a nice juggling of various conflicts keeps this movie afloat in the sky.

Score: 3-out-of-5 summer nights

'Romance in the Air' premieres on The Hallmark Channel on Aug. 1 as part of its “Summer Nights” slate. The movie is rated TV-G and has a running time of 90 minutes.