A Very Venice Romance

7.4 stars. In the first act I was thinking the producers were testing to see how dumb the audience would be, released upon the masses just to watch our collective response. First of all, there are so many inconsistencies and outrageous liberties taken with the details of this story that I just shook my head. Do they expect this to be based on anything remotely possible? I thought to myself. Where do I begin? Hallmark takes a potentially interesting premise and flattens it into a potpourri of discordant gibberish and unrelatable sentiments. What is with the company she works with - Blossom? There is no way in this day and age that a corporate entity such as this would be anywhere near an Italian chef's approval - ever. And that's the sentiment expressed here, however...there is so much more I could say. That was my initial gut feeling. But things improved... In the first 30-45 minutes of the film, the lead female doesn't fit this role. She is too opinionated and difficult to get along with, not her character per se, but the actress does not translate to the performance whatever sensibilities we are supposed to see within her. But as we get to know her, I see a spark of potential. She happens to coincidentally run into the one person she came to see as she is disembarking from the boat in Venice? What are the odds? I'll tell you the odds: chances are one in 261,000 (population of Venice) that he is the one person at that very moment. Ok, so it's fate? Fine, I'll let it slide just in case the story gets better. This chef's class in Venice has four, let me count that again...yes only four students, and three of them are American? And this is an advanced Italian cooking class? She is not an experienced chef at all, so she would be a fish out of water, totally lost. So far fetched I almost stopped the movie in its tracks right then and there. But I've nothing better to do than binge watch Hallmark films through Christmas, so why not finish up the fall films? So I'll stay the course for now. I thought I'd have nothing left to say about this film. It's got all the Hallmark usual stuff, including some entertainment value in the fluff and the scenery and the city of Venice. I did not like the first 45 minutes, but something strange happened. The lead female becomes softer, more attractive, more interesting and lively. The male lead has the exact same transformation. Dare I presume this was deliberate? Risky move, because I almost shut this off at minute 30... This eventually morphs into a very nice venice romance. The two mesh very nicely and their personalities come to the surface. By the end they become very likeable characters. Whew. I was a bit concerned this would be one of the worst of the year.

Lousy script, and Stephanie Leonidas is not believable at all. She seems cold, aloof. Maybe she thinks she's not overplaying it. Brits are usually better than this. I did not notice she was a Brit playing an American. But there is zero chemistry between these two. And that mostly comes down to Stephanie. I watch a lot of Hallmark romance movies, and this should be skipped. Other than showing Venice, there's little to take from this. I noticed all of the user reviews here are heralding Venice, not the actors or script or plot, and I concur. Don't waste your time with this. It doesn't feel romantic or authentic.

فيلم جيد!

I've been to Venice so, I was really keen on watching this movie. As luck would have it, the show aired tonight. The scenery of Venice is stunning and I enjoyed the cooking romantic angle. It was fun to see the Bridge of Sighs and St. Mark's Square, and the Murano glass blowing, though I wish they would have shown the inside of the Doge's palace as the great hall is stunning yet intimidating with it's wall-size paintings by Titian. So I was really wanting this to be a great movie. Just like one of my other favorities: A Christmas in Rome with Lacey Chabert and Samuel Paige. But somehow I found the two leads Amy (Stephanie Leonidas) and Marcello (Raniero Monaco Di Lapio) lacking the chemistry. Their interaction seemed stiff and any conversation seemed scripted. I have to say though, I hope to see Raniero in more movies, as he is a top grade "A" hunk. Like I said, the story angle is all about cooking, and it was nice to see that whole cooking school top chef sort of thing, but Italian style. And - we even get to see the culinary creations after each lesson. I liked the effort that the production crew put in to making this part believable, though they really need to tone down the background music, which at times was a tad cheesy with its obvious nod to all things Italy, but also very loud, often drowning out the dialogue. Good music is essential but not when it becomes the "star" of the show. Of course there is always a bit of drama and the big misunderstanding (or in this case a career-driven Amy chooses her job in NY over Amore in Italia). Overall it was a nice trip down memory lane and everyone will enjoy the magic of Venice as the backdrop. I recommend it as a pretty good romantic escape.

This romance from Hallmark is enjoyable for a variety of reasons. First of all, it is set in Venice (Italy), and it is great to see the architecture and the street scenes. Secondly, there is some very nice background music, adding to enjoyment of the scenery. The story is not so extraordinary. A young woman goes to Venice to recruit a chef to curate a line of food products for her employer. Naturally, she "finds" herself in the Queen of the Adriatic while simultaneously finding love. The two leads are very likable. Stephanie Leonidas is charming as Amy, the recruiter, and Raniero Monaco Di Lapio plays the chef, Marcello. I wouldn't say the romantic chemistry is off the charts, but they make a cute couple.

Amy (Stephanie Leonidas) works for a food supplement company. They are trying to turn their non-tasty supplements into tasty meal kits. Their snotty French chef quits when Amy tries to brings up issues with the food. She has to find a new chef. She targets Italian chef Marcello Favero in Venice who promptly turns her down. She heads to Venice to convince him in person. I love the exterior shots of Venice. There is some fine food *. Everything else is less lovely. First, the story doesn't make sense unless he is the last chef on Earth. He is cute, but let's not be ridiculous. After he refuses so quickly, I would move on to the next person on the list. I would first make a list. Anyways, a famous name is more important in her case. There are ways around this problem. This movie isn't even trying.

If you are a lover or food and travel, this is the movie for you! The movie is mainly set in Venice and beautifully shot. It is easy to fall in love with the lead characters Amy and Marcello who have terrific chemistry. The strong ensemble cast puts the movie head and shoulders above the usual Hallmark romcom, and notably includes the highly acclaimed British actress, Francis Barber. The movie is like a warm hug on a cold day. It may not be action packed but it is nothing short of charming. The characters are genuine, likeable and compelling, and the acting is superb all round. The score is also unique in that it has orchestral soundscapes as sweeping as the drone shots - again not often seen in Hallmark movies of the week. Overall, this is a feel good movie worth the watch.

The views of Venice make this movie. As for the plot, it's a typically predicable Hallmark movie plot about two people who clash a little and then find their mural attraction too much to resist. The woman works for a business that adds supplements to prepared meals. The main chef quits so she needs to hire a new chef and decides on a terrific Italian chef. When he wasn't positive to her advances over the phone, she decided that she has to fly to Venice to see him in person to make her pitch. Little things bother me and this one had the female star in NYC in the afternoon calling the man who is in Venice. She says to her father "I have to call now because it's morning in Venice". NOT. Venice is 6 hours ahead of Eastern time so afternoon in NYC is nighttime in Venice, not morning.

source: A Very Venice Romance

Amy works at a food/wellness company that preps healthy fast meals for people who are very busy. After their French chef quits they have to get a new one. So, she goes to Venice to convince Marcello to come work for them. I mean, it's a nice movie. Predictable plot. We have seen it a dozen times by now. But it's not bad. The actors are okay, they have chemistry. There barely is any secondary plot. Yes, three weeks seems like a short time to say those three little words, but it's a Hallmark movie, I will just ignore it. The real star is Venice. The movies that take place in Italy do a great job of convincing you to go and spend your money there. (So do the handsome Italian men, but that's another conversation.) To be honest, I'm convinced. Anyway, just an okay movie. If you are a romance fan like me, you should watch it.