Yes, I Do *New Movie Premiere*

Tagline: Busy chocolatier Charlotte has left helicopter mechanic James at the altar three times. She now needs to prove to him that she really does want to marry him.

First Impression: Marcus Rosner is back and not a jerk this time AND he gets the girl! Christie Laing is finally back in a Hallmark movie! Wait, why is she so pale? Finally, a June Weddings movie I care about! Add to DVR!

I always look forward to June Weddings since the days of Bridal Wave, I Do, I Do, I Do, and the Danica double feature (Perfect Match & Wedding Bells) joined my faves list. This year was a bit of a bummer with sequels of movies I didn’t care for, but then Hallmark added an original entry with this one (thank you, Hallmark).

I had to watch this movie. Not only to ogle the yummy Marcus Rosner (and his chest) who finally gets to play an everyday guy instead of the stuck-up jerk abandoned by the lead gal. I also wanted to find out why this dude was a glutton for punishment since he was left at the altar two times as the characters continually remind us. In fact, although the core story is one we’ve seen before from Hallmark and a big studio (A Bride For Christmas, Runaway Bride), this had the interesting twist of the lead guy being the one left instead of other guys before him. How, oh how was Yes, I Do going resolve this? How was she going to prove to him that she really does want to marry him as the blurb says?

Answer: It doesn’t. Conflicts and potentially interesting twists arise only to be forgotten or ignored as the movie goes on. Instead, we get silly moments fit for a kid’s movie rather than one for grown adults.

I was hoping the movie would show why Charlotte and James cared so much for each other and what made them want to try to get married over and over. I wanted to fall for the characters and see what drew them to one another. Why did James hold out for Charlotte both times? I had a feeling Charlotte was so scared to get married because of something like fear of crowds or commitment or something but…nothing. We get nothing.

No lessons were learned. No characters grew. When you have a huge stake such as a character leaving another at the altar twice, there has to be a big reason why this happened and the payoff to resolve it has to be even bigger. In the end, it feels like the couple was apart just for plot reasons and decided to come back together because there were 10 minutes left in the movie and not because the characters learned anything, fought for each other, or grew after fighting their internal conflicts. I tried guessing early what Charlotte’s problem was that kept her from marrying James (fear of crowds, the pressure of a public wedding, something in her past that prevented her from taking the next step. For goodness sake SOMETHING!). There was nothing prior to the final resolution that led me to believe Charlotte had changed in any way or that James should believe her this time. I still don’t even know why these two people wanted each other other than…plot.

As a side note, I’m a fan of Christie Laing since Nearlyweds (or maybe Window Wonderland) and hope one day to see her as a lead. The closest we got was her role in Pixl’s Mr. Write which is awesome at showcasing diverse casts and couples and juggling multiple stories alongside the main one. It was really weird to see her here getting the Meghan treatment. Not sure if it was the lighting or makeup department splashing her with tons of powder but it was super distracting whenever I saw her.

Still from Yes, I Do

Still from Mr. Write

I guess that’s 0 for 0 for this year’s June Weddings which is a bummer since it’s one of my fave Hallmark themes. Hopefully, the Summer Nights movies fare better. I already have a few on my list I’d like to check out.

 

More Christie Laing:

Backyard Wedding

Tagline: A med-school graduate returns to her childhood home to plan her backyard wedding. Her ex-husband and former neighbor is also in town, and his presence forces her to reevaluate how strong her current relationship truly is just days before the wedding.

Do you ever watch a movie over and over not necessarily because it’s good or totally enjoyable, but because it gives you a good feeling? It’s a movie you can get lost in and enjoy the setting and world that’s created in the movie?

That basically describes my thoughts on Backyard Wedding. The movie itself is a bit of a mess with the leading guy, Evan Slauson, practically stalking our heroine, Kim Tyler, to the point he finally makes a move when she is vulnerable on the night of her rehearsal wedding to her workaholic fiance, Jeffrey Blake. There’s a whole heck of a lot of drinking and a few curse words here and there which surprises me for a Hallmark entry but this was in the days when they took a bit more risk with their movies instead of the current cookie cutter formula.

Some of the characters and actions are inconsistent. Evan gives a rather nice toast to everyone’s surprise at the rehearsal dinner but everyone acts as if he ran through the joint naked with only red paint covering his body. Kim’s aunt Addie says in response “Maybe the busboy would like to make a toast next” while her almost future mother-in-law whispers to her husband “that was one of the worst displays I’ve ever seen”. Umm, yeah. That doesn’t make much sense.

Kim’s friends also seem like they are close and supportive until one wants to date her ex and then later talks behind her with her main best friend when Kim and Evan dance at a night out with everyone. “You know, she didn’t even want to come here?” says her best friend. “Tease,” the other one interested in Evan says.

There are some cute moments here like when Kim goes with her aunt Addie and mom for her dress fitting (which ends in Evan circling her car while she frantically searches for her keys to escape him...wow that just sounded like a horror movie in my description). And their outing while Kim is looking for groomsmen gifts while her always absent fiance is still out of town working on some big project at his job.

It’s the usual formula. Girl returns to small-town home to get married. Girl gets close to ex while current guy is kept out of town because of work. Girl and ex get closer until the moment when the current guy returns and everyone collides. Everyone tells Kim and Evan how great they were together but sadly, I can’t see it. There’s not much chemistry between each other. Kim acts like she hates Evan and Evan acts like he’s obsessed with Kim. All the while Jeffrey is in love with his job.

So why the heck do I keep watching this movie like it’s sweet, sweet candy injected right into my veins? Because that’s just it. I love the setting in this movie. I love the music featured in the opening credits scene and during the ice cream outing. The house and town are both gorgeous as is the low key comfortable feeling between the family. Their dinner scenes were quite cute and the excitement at everyone seeing each other for the first time in ages is quite charming.

Judging by my ratings legend, this would be a tough one to rate between the actual rating and my rewatchability factor. It’s the movie that re-introduced me to Alicia Witt after a long hiatus since I last saw her as a kid actor but not one of my faves in her roster. I also enjoyed seeing a few familiar faces from other Hallmark and Pixl movies. I’m going to say that this one is good if you want some background noise or something to relax with just to have the tv on but not if you’re looking for a great movie romance fave to add to your watch list.

  

Notable Music:

(Opening Song) Something About You

(Ice Cream Outing Montage) Save A Little Bit of Love

More Alicia Witt