Groundswell

I found it refreshing to have a gorgeous male lead that we haven't already seen 100 times in every other Hallmark movie. I especially love the Puerto Rican spin on the characters. It's about time Puerto Rican culture gets its due & gets showcased for its rich culture & incredible cuisine Is the storyline completely original? No, but I'm ok looking at scenic views of the beautiful island of Hawaii & shirtless surfing shots of Ektor Rivera. I also love Hallmark movies featuring Lacey Chabert no matter how predictable. If she's in it I'll watch it. There's just something very likable about her Bonus if they feature Ektor Rivera again!

It's a beginning. First HM movie filmed in Hawaii that featured snippets of the real Hawaii, not just beautiful scenery, but especially with contemporary music, clothing, jewelry and yes, the food. We all came to Hawaii from distant lands, my ancestors included, and it was nice to see the Puerto Ricans honored. Lacey Chabert and Ector Rivera were convincing in their roles as rejected chef/girlfriend and surfer who lost his wife. Singer Anuhea and chef Lee Ann Wong were a real treat, as well as Katie Lee who authored the book, Groundswell. And just for the record, most female surfers don't wear just swimsuits for surfing! Maybe we'll hear pidgin English in the next one. I'm watching this again, as one can miss so much with only one viewing.

I must be the exception, but I did love this movie. I don't have the expertise to criticize acting on a microscopic level, but given that disclaimer: I thought Lacey and Ektor did an amazing job. Ektor as "Ben" and his brother in the movie have some incredibly emotional scenes in the latter half of the movie, and it genuinely feels authentic. Ektor is a refreshing change from the usual Hallmark Hunks (and yes, they are all talented); he has an intensity that impacts each scene, and it's well-balanced with his brother in the movie, who is incredibly amiable. Lacey. What can be said that hasn't? She is fantastic. I am in awe of her skill and have watched her since she was a wee babe on Party of Five. I am so proud of her choice to work on projects that are uplifting and for me, faith-inspiring. The song playing while she is surfing on her own at the end is beautiful for its message alone. Lacey always seems to put her heart into her work; her joy shines through, and she seems to thrive in these movies. I love her values, how she isn't a negative example in any way - she lives life, doesn't worry about the superficial, and *surprise* - God was good to her genes- she is simply beautiful! As someone who is in recovery from an eating disorder, it thrills me to see women who are glowing and proud to be who they are. Lacey takes care of herself inside and out, and it inspires me to see her on top of her game, as always. Watch this movie for: surfer knowledge to feed your secret obsession with the art of surfing Emotional gratification- it's satisfying to see her powerfully step away from her egomaniac ex. Scenery. inspiration to get out of "settling" mindset. Don't watch this if you are a cynic who is looking for edgy or provocative plots, or for a movie that is a wild departure from the usual Hallmark love stories. Tiny Rant on the constant criticism of Hallmark's story lines: Every love story in the history of man - real or fiction - must involve a need that the other person meets in some way. I can't think of many needs that don't involve loss or heartbreak, and the hallmark of Hallmark is relatability. The network is popular for a reason, and their formula works.

The movie has a typical Hallmark plot about a woman whose boyfriend takes her for granted with the added complication that he also takes credit for her work. They've used this plot device on an almost yearly basis. But I was interested in watching it because of the setting in Hawaii. I really wanted to love this movie but it was somewhat of a miss. I always enjoy Lacey Chabert but, as attractive as they are individually, the two leads had no chemistry. Her ex boyfriend looked old enough to be her father. The dishes she prepared with the other chef didn't look or sound appetizing at all and they didn't have a plausible explanation for the ex-boyfriends presence at a contest that he's not judging. He just stood around with mostly nothing to do. I kept wishing it was another episode of Hawaii Five-0 because that cast had real chemistry. The settings were gorgeous and I really enjoyed the aunts character but it's just not enough to watch a second time.

Even though the reviews were bad, I really wanted to like this movie. Who doesn't like a Lacey Chabert movie? So I spent two hours today, minus commercials watching this movie. The positive - beautiful scenery. Otherwise, the movie was slow, it lacked much of a storyline, the acting was bad, and I didn't really care about the characters. The whole surfing theme was a stretch. Then then the Lacey character just happens to find a cooking contest gig. The story had a little twist with Lacey's jerk ex showing up in Hawaii to be a mentor for a cooking contest. Overall, not a good movie. Fortunately I had cross stitch to keep me occupied.

Chef breaks up with her boyfriend/boss who has basically been using her and gives her no respect. Very familiar. She retreats to visit family, in Hawaii. Even more familiar. One slight difference is that her ex shows up as formal advisor at the cooking contest she enters. Meanwhile she is trying to learn to surf. A fair amount of time is spent on this thread and it allows her to interact with her romantic interest. Lacey Chabert and Ektor Rivera have some chemistry but not a lot. The acting is decent enough. It is a very common theme in these movies that each lead inspires the other to get out of their individual rut in life. Nothing surprising here and it leads to a predictable conclusion. Overall this movie is pretty much the same old thing which puts the pressure on the relationships and actors. As I mentioned, I didn't find anything exceptional here.

I love Lacey Chabert Hallmark movies. She brings a pure and true feeling to each of her characters. And this movie she is at her best. And she has a beautiful Hawaii glow that makes her look even more beautiful. The main characters have a strong chemistry that shows through out the movie. I hate when you can tell that the actors are awkward around each other and this is not the case here. Yes, the storyline is a little overdone. But who cares they pull it off nicely. And Hawaii as a background is beautiful to look at. It makes me what to go back. And I love that surf lessons are part of how they fall in love.

Take a handful of trite ideas. Add two scoops of stale dialogs. Flavor all with a hint of exotic scenery. Grind it and re-hash it coarsely, ... et voila, you've got a new movie! Really new? The characters are inconsistent, when not cartoonish. The lead actors have poor chemistry and the total resetting of Emma's ambition and affection seems to have but a flimsy ground. More and better views of the surrounding nature could have saved the show, at least in part. The production has failed to provide even this. Good thing about the movie, it contains nothing crude or offensive. The downsize is that it offers no real drama, little catching action, and minimal entertainment. One more boring, forgettable entry for Hallmark!

Tired of the same thing over and over with Hallmark movies? We are! Why go to Hawaii and not fall in love with the Polynesian culture? So many beautiful people and heritage on the Hawaiian islands, food fusions that are amazing. No, Hallmark has their best actress hook up with a rude instructor that doesn't fit the hang loose style of Hawaii. Why take the time and money to shoot in Hawaii and ignore the beauty of the surroundings and culture of the islands! A chef should love to learn about local foods and the culture and people that makes the Hawaiian islands unique. Lacy Chebert should switch to GAC.

We tried to watch this one. This movie was slow, super boring, very flat and nothing new that we haven'tseen before in dozens of other Hallmark movies. We watched about 20 - 30 Minutes and then we turned it off because it is was not what we wanted to see regarding being family friendly. Don't think we missed much at all because it was so slow. The script had no surprises, it was same old story sbout the rotten boyfriend and the new intriguing guy. Even the ocean, blue skies, sunny das and the usual pretty Hawaii scenery did not save it. It was not what we wanted to see. We didn't like it. We didn't like it.