"Her Pen Pal" (2021)
I am always surprised by reviews that barely touch on the actual film, but go off on tangents having very little to do with the movie at hand. Perhaps others find that helpful? When I'm considering a film to watch I want to read about the movie, not peripheral, unhelpful (to me) things. As this is a romance movie, I go in suspending disbelief, meaning I am not judging a character's accent unless it's actual egregious. I don't really notice fashions or hairstyles, which is something I think is more common with female reviewers--and maybe important to female readers--but since I don't notice these things unless, again, they are truly egregious, they don't appear in my reviews. And frankly, I don't think they are truly important. I also don't question locations that may not jibe with my understanding of a real-life location. I don't find this relevant to my viewing enjoyment, either.
Instead I first consider the quality of the film. In this case, "Her Pen Pal" was well done in that regard. I personally am no fan of Paris, but I know many viewers are. The locations here seemed varied, and likely interesting to those who enjoy films set in that city. (If you like rom-coms set in Paris, I think "Love Locks" did a better job in that regard than this film. My opinion.)
The story here was pretty standard fare for a Hallmark movie. I won't spoil it for you--anymore, at least--if you've read other reviews you've already read a lot of spoilers anyway. Suffice to say there is little original here and many standard tropes found their way into the script. That doesn't mean the film wasn't interesting or entertaining--it was.
But the movie really stands or falls on the characters--the actors and the job they did. Starting with the leads, Mallory Jansen, an Australian playing an American, was quite good in my opinion. Joshua Sasse, a Brit playing a Frenchman, was okay as well. I have a bit of prejudice when it comes to Frenchmen, who I think sometimes come off as haughty. Think Charles Boyer, for example. At any rate, Sasse's character fit this "Frenchman" niche quite well.
Others have commented on some less than excellent performances--but perhaps good performances of poorly written characters might be more accurate. Jayne Wisener played a somewhat indecisive and troubled bride--I can't criticize the actress, as I said, I'm sure the script writers, and/or the director, made her so annoying.
Lachlan Nieboer play Jansen's ex-boyfriend, and had being a jerk down to a science. Again, these things come from the script or from the director. The groom, played by (I think) Gregory Haney, was a non-entity here, and did not seem well-matched to bride Wisener. That was poor casting. Amanda Blake played girlfriend to aforementioned ex-boyfriend Nieboer. Her character probably deserved much better based on how the story evolved. But all in all, the cast was fine (excepting Haney). While not everyone was likable, it likely was not the actors.
While this is not a film one will probably want to return to over and over again, I've watched it twice, primarily because I'm a fan of Mallory Jansen. I've liked other romance movies she's done better, but anything she's in, I'll watch. But even if you're not a fan, this movie is worth a single watch at least.
I am always surprised by reviews that barely touch on the actual film, but go off on tangents having very little to do with the movie at hand. Perhaps others find that helpful? When I'm considering a film to watch I want to read about the movie, not peripheral, unhelpful (to me) things. As this is a romance movie, I go in suspending disbelief, meaning I am not judging a character's accent unless it's actual egregious. I don't really notice fashions or hairstyles, which is something I think is more common with female reviewers--and maybe important to female readers--but since I don't notice these things unless, again, they are truly egregious, they don't appear in my reviews. And frankly, I don't think they are truly important. I also don't question locations that may not jibe with my understanding of a real-life location. I don't find this relevant to my viewing enjoyment, either.
Instead I first consider the quality of the film. In this case, "Her Pen Pal" was well done in that regard. I personally am no fan of Paris, but I know many viewers are. The locations here seemed varied, and likely interesting to those who enjoy films set in that city. (If you like rom-coms set in Paris, I think "Love Locks" did a better job in that regard than this film. My opinion.)
The story here was pretty standard fare for a Hallmark movie. I won't spoil it for you--anymore, at least--if you've read other reviews you've already read a lot of spoilers anyway. Suffice to say there is little original here and many standard tropes found their way into the script. That doesn't mean the film wasn't interesting or entertaining--it was.
But the movie really stands or falls on the characters--the actors and the job they did. Starting with the leads, Mallory Jansen, an Australian playing an American, was quite good in my opinion. Joshua Sasse, a Brit playing a Frenchman, was okay as well. I have a bit of prejudice when it comes to Frenchmen, who I think sometimes come off as haughty. Think Charles Boyer, for example. At any rate, Sasse's character fit this "Frenchman" niche quite well.
Others have commented on some less than excellent performances--but perhaps good performances of poorly written characters might be more accurate. Jayne Wisener played a somewhat indecisive and troubled bride--I can't criticize the actress, as I said, I'm sure the script writers, and/or the director, made her so annoying.
Lachlan Nieboer play Jansen's ex-boyfriend, and had being a jerk down to a science. Again, these things come from the script or from the director. The groom, played by (I think) Gregory Haney, was a non-entity here, and did not seem well-matched to bride Wisener. That was poor casting. Amanda Blake played girlfriend to aforementioned ex-boyfriend Nieboer. Her character probably deserved much better based on how the story evolved. But all in all, the cast was fine (excepting Haney). While not everyone was likable, it likely was not the actors.
While this is not a film one will probably want to return to over and over again, I've watched it twice, primarily because I'm a fan of Mallory Jansen. I've liked other romance movies she's done better, but anything she's in, I'll watch. But even if you're not a fan, this movie is worth a single watch at least.
