This could have been a much better movie, but what was the casting department thinking? Taylor is turning 40 and I saw Kanoa recently in a show playing a teenager. I am all for older ladies finding love with younger men but I don't think that was Hallmark's intention. Perhaps they think we won't notice. This was also done in Love in Zion and again, it spoiled the movie. The setting here was lovely, and some environmental concerns were included in the story, but the movie just did not work with this pairing. Taylor deserves better. She is a popular female lead and always good in her roles. I wish they had made more of the Ruby Herring series. Those were great and Taylor was paired with the very handsome (and age appropriate) Steven Huszar. Their connection and chemistry was obvious in that series, but not evident at all in this movie. And Kanoa will be a great addition to the younger male leads but let's pair him with a believable partner. This won't be on my "watch again" list.
12 Reviews
Hawaii 5-Casting-ZIP!
alar624 August 2023
Hawaii is definitely the star of Aloha Heart.
Hallmark knows how to sell destination movies even with the weakest storylines-sad to say, this one's pretty weak. Watching it now and I swear they stole the Hawaii wedding plot line from Hallmark's Hidden Gem movie-also filmed in Hawaii. At least the lead actors were around the same age and had great chemistry.
Not the case here. Taylor Cole is a wonderful actor but too mature for the male lead of this movie even with the long hair extensions.
Hallmark has a problem with their popular leading ladies-they're all hitting forty and over and can't sell being the young professional -fill in the blank-trying to get that big promotion. When they do that they end up doing what Taylor Cole is doing in this movie-trying to act younger than she is.
And Hallmark needs to sign Kanou Goo. He's a keeper.
Hallmark knows how to sell destination movies even with the weakest storylines-sad to say, this one's pretty weak. Watching it now and I swear they stole the Hawaii wedding plot line from Hallmark's Hidden Gem movie-also filmed in Hawaii. At least the lead actors were around the same age and had great chemistry.
Not the case here. Taylor Cole is a wonderful actor but too mature for the male lead of this movie even with the long hair extensions.
Hallmark has a problem with their popular leading ladies-they're all hitting forty and over and can't sell being the young professional -fill in the blank-trying to get that big promotion. When they do that they end up doing what Taylor Cole is doing in this movie-trying to act younger than she is.
And Hallmark needs to sign Kanou Goo. He's a keeper.
Casting mistake
rosalindsmith-850363 August 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Like the story plotline. Love that it's filmed in Hawaii. Like all the actors they did well. As an ensemble cast they played their characters excellently. The only problem I have in my opinion is that Taylor Cole is my favourite actress but why was her love interest in this film played by someone too young? I look at some of the photos from the movie with thr together and it looks like a mother and son especially the photo of them together in the jeep picture number 31 in the photo stills list here in imdb. Other than that which spoils the whole film for me (the age difference) it was a pleasant film.
I've seen worse
MickyG3337 August 2023
6.5 stars.
It's not a bad film really. The plot is good enough to keep an audience around and the scenery is breathtaking. It's about an ecologist who is of course very very adamant about the environment and all that good stuff. There are some glaring inconsistencies. First of all, she is complaining about the gas powered automobiles, but then again she flies all around the world throughout the year. If she was truly an environmentalist, she would take a rowboat. Let's face it, you cannot be an eco-activist without hypocrisizing everything. The male actor does a good job and I liked his acting style. There are some pretty mundane scenes and it doesn't take much intelligence to follow 'Aloha Heart', but somehow there is an entertaining aspect to it. The acting is not bad. Who knows, but it was enough to raise my rating from a dismal 5.5 up to a 6.5.
It's not a bad film really. The plot is good enough to keep an audience around and the scenery is breathtaking. It's about an ecologist who is of course very very adamant about the environment and all that good stuff. There are some glaring inconsistencies. First of all, she is complaining about the gas powered automobiles, but then again she flies all around the world throughout the year. If she was truly an environmentalist, she would take a rowboat. Let's face it, you cannot be an eco-activist without hypocrisizing everything. The male actor does a good job and I liked his acting style. There are some pretty mundane scenes and it doesn't take much intelligence to follow 'Aloha Heart', but somehow there is an entertaining aspect to it. The acting is not bad. Who knows, but it was enough to raise my rating from a dismal 5.5 up to a 6.5.
A beautiful and talented actress, in a beautiful location, with a handsome leading man is not enough to make a good movie.
MichaelByTheSea14 August 2023
First, I wish I had a shot at someone as beautiful as 39 year old Taylor Cole when I was 25 (the age of Kanoa Goo who plays her love interest). She's absolutely stunning and a magnetic performer. Manu was very lucky to have Sara show an interest in him. And this just in- not every relationship needs to lead to marriage.
Many successful mainstream romance movies have featured far more dramatic age gaps between the leads when the male is the older actor. For example, Richard Gere was 40 and Julia Roberts was just 22 in "Pretty Woman." He was still 18 years older than her when they starred in "Runaway Bride." And he was 26 years older than Winona Ryder when they made "Autumn in New York." Catherine Zeta-Jones was just 28 when she filmed "Entrapment" with a 67 year old Sean Connery. Jack Nicholson was 60 when he starred opposite 34 year old Helen Hunt in "As Good As It Gets". Cary Grant was 17 years older than his costar Deborah Kerr in "An Affair to Remember." Humphrey Bogart was 17 years older than Ingrid Bergman in the classic "Casablanca." Tom Cruise was at least 20 years older than his last two love interests in the last 2 Mission Impossible movies.
And Leonardo DiCaprio famously only dates women half his age. The list of male stars who do the same is long. So what's wrong with a younger male being attracted to an older female and vice versa? The better question might be who puts a 25 year old in charge of a lush high end beachfront resort hotel in Hawaii?
Manu is supposedly the manager of his family's hotel and yet he's usually off playing with Sara. Or standing around looking concerned or confused. And she's there for a destination wedding, but spends more of her time with Manu instead of the bride and her bridesmaids.
The script also overplays the ecologist angle. I support efforts to combat climate change and develop more sustainable energy sources but Sara is, initially at least, painted as a bit of a caricature. And it was never really clear what she was supposed to do to help Manu run the hotel. Build a desalination plant? Buy him more electric golf carts?
It's all very lovely to look at, but the story didn't really support more than a vacation hookup. And Hallmark isn't in the business of making movies about anything less than Big Love. That's not what we got here in the few days these two knew each other.
Many successful mainstream romance movies have featured far more dramatic age gaps between the leads when the male is the older actor. For example, Richard Gere was 40 and Julia Roberts was just 22 in "Pretty Woman." He was still 18 years older than her when they starred in "Runaway Bride." And he was 26 years older than Winona Ryder when they made "Autumn in New York." Catherine Zeta-Jones was just 28 when she filmed "Entrapment" with a 67 year old Sean Connery. Jack Nicholson was 60 when he starred opposite 34 year old Helen Hunt in "As Good As It Gets". Cary Grant was 17 years older than his costar Deborah Kerr in "An Affair to Remember." Humphrey Bogart was 17 years older than Ingrid Bergman in the classic "Casablanca." Tom Cruise was at least 20 years older than his last two love interests in the last 2 Mission Impossible movies.
And Leonardo DiCaprio famously only dates women half his age. The list of male stars who do the same is long. So what's wrong with a younger male being attracted to an older female and vice versa? The better question might be who puts a 25 year old in charge of a lush high end beachfront resort hotel in Hawaii?
Manu is supposedly the manager of his family's hotel and yet he's usually off playing with Sara. Or standing around looking concerned or confused. And she's there for a destination wedding, but spends more of her time with Manu instead of the bride and her bridesmaids.
The script also overplays the ecologist angle. I support efforts to combat climate change and develop more sustainable energy sources but Sara is, initially at least, painted as a bit of a caricature. And it was never really clear what she was supposed to do to help Manu run the hotel. Build a desalination plant? Buy him more electric golf carts?
It's all very lovely to look at, but the story didn't really support more than a vacation hookup. And Hallmark isn't in the business of making movies about anything less than Big Love. That's not what we got here in the few days these two knew each other.
Goodbye brain.
gfrasmd30 July 2023
This new Hallmark production offers a beautiful actress, Taylor Cole, playing Sara, a conservationist hell-bent to save the world, who finds romance in a tropical paradise. So, what could go wrong? One gets the first hint at the beginning, when Sara first reaches her luscious resort destination and is kindly welcomed by the handsome manager with a lei of flowers. In a thoughtful display of good manners, her first words are to inquire what kind of recycling they have in place. Soon after, when Manu, the manager, offers to take her outside the resort to find a venue for her friend's wedding rehearsal, she thanks him complaining that the vehicle uses a lot of gas, further wondering if they own a large fleet. The movie does not specify whether Sara, to avoid using fuel, has reached the Hawaii by windsurf or swimming through the ocean. Unfortunately, these are most of the spice in the entire film, if one excludes the overplayed conflict between Manu and his overbearing, unpleasant parents. The rest of the story has no drama, very lukewarm romantic or emotional content, and questionable chemistry between the lead characters. Essentially, it feels that somebody at Hallmark has decided that an inane script of overused banalities can be salvaged by a superficial "save the planet" message and the background of a tropical island.
The players have been miscast. Kanoa Goo appears, and likely is, much younger than Taylor Cole. The rest are unimportant, as all play roles with no substance or depth. By age and personality, Greta Thunberg would have made a better match for the main role. As a peeve of my own, I regret that Taylor Cole, whom I have always liked, seems to get less significant roles each year that goes by. I may be wrong, yet I feel she could manage more mature and deep characters and a chance to work in more intelligent productions.
Next time Hallmark plans another such exotic adventure, they should devote more space to views of the nature. At least, when the viewers get bored and fall asleep, they may be lulled by tropical dreams.
The players have been miscast. Kanoa Goo appears, and likely is, much younger than Taylor Cole. The rest are unimportant, as all play roles with no substance or depth. By age and personality, Greta Thunberg would have made a better match for the main role. As a peeve of my own, I regret that Taylor Cole, whom I have always liked, seems to get less significant roles each year that goes by. I may be wrong, yet I feel she could manage more mature and deep characters and a chance to work in more intelligent productions.
Next time Hallmark plans another such exotic adventure, they should devote more space to views of the nature. At least, when the viewers get bored and fall asleep, they may be lulled by tropical dreams.
Nagging from start to end.
rajitecture1 October 2023
The movie has so much potential with the magnificent scenery and the backdrop of a wedding on the horizon, but the main actress was so annoying it got in the way of the movie taking on a more romantic special feel. It would have been better if they fell in love scene by scene as opposed to her pricking at the actor every 3 minutes for most of the movie. WOW, this was an annoying movie. It was hard to watch and certainly re-watch. Is this a Hallmark movie plot recipe where the woman nags the guy until they magically fall in love? How unrealistic. If this wasn't filmed in Hawaii, I'd probably drop the movie rating to 3 stars.
Hallmark needs to spend more money on better writers.
corbyscotmason5 August 2023
Taylor Coles Acting in this movie -excellent!
Kanoa Goo good performance.
Scenery of Hawaii- beautiful.
The pairing of the leads, not believable.
The story? It did not even come close to piecing together in a way that made real sense. You need to review the movie before you publish it. Honest, unbiased reviewers would tell you the movie is lacking. This review is asking for 600 words, but sometimes less is more, and often extra words are just wasted time and effort. So I apologize in advance for the following wasted words" El gato es! El gato es efuego!" El gato es enfuego! El gato es enfuego!
Kanoa Goo good performance.
Scenery of Hawaii- beautiful.
The pairing of the leads, not believable.
The story? It did not even come close to piecing together in a way that made real sense. You need to review the movie before you publish it. Honest, unbiased reviewers would tell you the movie is lacking. This review is asking for 600 words, but sometimes less is more, and often extra words are just wasted time and effort. So I apologize in advance for the following wasted words" El gato es! El gato es efuego!" El gato es enfuego! El gato es enfuego!
Leftist meets real world
JDouglasJ_12 August 2023
A green eco friendly woman goes to hawaii to help in a friends wedding. The problem that comes up is all the Ecological faults that exist on the island. First its the water and how the plants get watered. Next comes the lack of EV vehicleson the island. The beauty of the island gets lost in the storyline of Ecological problems. I tried real hard to keep focused on the beauty of the island that is shown in the camera lense. The battle becomes real when the leftist decides to help the manager find ways to help with reviews. I gradually began to dislike the leftist in this movie and chose to focus more and more on the scenery in the movie. Oh yea, there is also a wedding going on.
BORING
mdema-6520213 September 2023
The acting was forced, awkward and no chemistry between the main characters. The plot was boring and bland. Painful to watch. Scenery was beautiful. Hallmark has gone down hill. They keep doing the same plots over and over with little tweaks but the plots are basically the same. Original writing is desperately needed. Many of the veteran Hallmark actors/actresses are aging out. Put your efforts into finding new, young actors/actresses and developing exciting, unique, and original story lines. Also bring back more of the mystery series, i.e., Hannah Svensen, Curious Caterer, Garage Sale Mystery, Chronicle Mysteries, Hailey Dean Mysteries, Mystery 101, Ruby Herring. Hallmark cancelled all the good mysteries. The new one with Jodie Sweeten is AWFUL!!!
More boring than usual
EPMD5727 August 2023
Hallmark movies are never exciting. I get that. I know what I signed up for with this movie, but this one was especially dull. The friend's wedding sequence was way too long. It was a big "Who cares?" moment. The rest of the movie didn't have much happen either. What should they have done instead? How about showing us how this lead couple falls for each other? That would have been so much more interesting. A couple looks here and there isn't enough.
The lead characters seemed like a ridiculous match, and not just because of the obvious age gap. I can accept age gaps as a thing that happens. What doesn't happen, though, is someone on vacation from the mainland US trying to date someone from Hawaii. Get real! In the real world, this would end up being a fling at best.
Yes, the scenery was excellent, but that's not enough to carry a movie. Realistic situations and better writing is what is needed. This movie looks like they spent about 3 days making it, and it just wasn't good enough.
The lead characters seemed like a ridiculous match, and not just because of the obvious age gap. I can accept age gaps as a thing that happens. What doesn't happen, though, is someone on vacation from the mainland US trying to date someone from Hawaii. Get real! In the real world, this would end up being a fling at best.
Yes, the scenery was excellent, but that's not enough to carry a movie. Realistic situations and better writing is what is needed. This movie looks like they spent about 3 days making it, and it just wasn't good enough.
Aloha Heart, AKA "Cougar On the Prowl"
steve1620-638-30141413 October 2023
Great scenery in a destination movie (8 stars). Typical Hallmark mediocre story line (3 stars). Casting (1 star). Hallmark used to make some great movies!. But this one...perhaps a better movie title would have been, "Cougar On the Prowl," with the movie's closing music during their kiss playing Simon & Garfunkel's, "Coo, coo, ca-choo, Mrs. Robinson...". Having a 39-year-old woman pursuing a 24-year-old guy was not only unbelievable, but kind of distasteful. Hallmark, you need the likes of Larry Levinson back on your writing staff. The movies you are mass producing now pale in comparison to what Hallmark used to produce. Let's raise the bar back to the "Hallmark Hall of Fame" genre, instead of the current "Hallmark Hall of Shame."
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