The Irresistible Blueberry Farm (2016 TV Movie) User Reviews

Feel-Good Tale From Hallmark

[larrys3 · 7/10 · 18 April 2019]

My local library offered up this DVD, originally a 2017 Hallmark TV movie. I'll readily admit it's not normal fare for me but I wanted to give it a try.

As one might expect it's sweet, poignant, predictable, and a little quirky. Alison Sweeney is very charismatic as Ellen, a NYC lawyer who travels to the small town of Beacon, Maine to deliver a mysterious letter from her recently deceased grandmother (Shirley Jones).

While trying to take photos from a rickety pier, Ellen falls into the water and is rescued by the dashing local Roy, who just happens to be the great nephew of the addressee of the letter. Marc Blucas ably portrays Roy and the chemistry between Ellen and Roy is believable. Oops! The complication is that Ellen has just been proposed to by Hayden (Kavan Smith), an aspiring politician.

With wonderful cinematography, I did get a good sense that I was in a small town in Maine. No regrets from me that I escaped for a while into this feel-good tale from Hallmark.

Irresistible indeed

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 5 June 2023]

2016 was rather hit and miss for Hallmark, which was hardly surprising as all the 2017-2021 Hallmark batches (that were seen before this year's) were very up and down as well. It boasted some good and more films, such as 'Love in Paradise', 'Love on the Sidelines', 'Summer Villa' and 'Journey Back to Christmas'. But also misfires, such as 'Unleashing Mr Darcy', 'Ms Matched', 'The Convenient Groom' and 'A December Bride'. And everything else ranging between mediocre and pretty decent.

One of the best 2016 Hallmark films, and one of the best 2016 Hallmark Movies and Mysteries films, is 'The Irresistible Blueberry Farm', which is also one of the best Hallmark films seen recently. Have liked Alison Sweeney and Marc Blucas in many other films, with more familiarity with Sweeney, and was not disappointed at all. Really liked the title, which was sweet and not corny at all, and the film lived up to it in execution and was even better than the charming sounding story already sounded.

'The Irresistible Blueberry Farm' isn't perfect. As is the case with most Hallmark efforts, it is very easy to predict where most plot elements are going to go with it being very faithful to a familiar formula.

Kavan Smith, a Hallmark regular and always worth watching, doesn't quite have the same amount of spark that the rest of the cast have with a character that could have been more fleshed out.

However, everything else succeeds. It is a good looking film visually, regardless of the lack of authenticity/accuracy the scenery is gorgeous and taken full advantage of in the photography. The music has been known to be overdone and intrusive in Hallmark, it is pleasant and well fitting here. The script is playfully light-hearted and has a good deal of heart without being sentimental.

Furthermore, the story is far from perfect, but it was clear what it was trying to do and wanted to be and it is very charmingly cute and heart-warming. The ending isn't over neat. The characters were ones worth engaging with, with flaws not being overdone while also not being too perfect. Both Sweeney and Blucas are great, both have a lot of charm and great comic timing, and their chemistry is very believable throughout. Both playful and full of heart, while not being rushed or aimless. The supporting cast are solid, with Shirley Jones in particular giving a performance of dignity and class.

Summing up, very well done. 8/10.

Irresistible Charm

[abcj-2 · 8/10 · 11 April 2020]

The Irresistible Blueberry Farm is loaded with irresistible charm! Alison Sweeney and Marc Blucas have wonderful chemistry, the supporting cast is excellent, the story is refreshing, the scenery and art are beautiful, and the rom-com appeal is wonderful. This is pure charming entertainment from beginning to end. Highly recommend!

The old Blueberry farm and paintings in Maine.

[TxMike · 17 May 2022]

In our quest to watch every Hallmark movie ever made, my wife and I found this one on DVD from our local library.

She is a New York City lawyer, she and her mother are going through things of her deceased grandmother. (Played well by Shirley Jones, in a well-preserved deceased state, conversing with granddaughter.) Among the items are a letter to be delivered "by hand" to a person and address in a small fishing village in Maine.

Delivery of that letter opens lots of doors and windows, as she meets the man who is the heir to the letter, his great uncle who almost was the husband of the deceased grandmother. But they decided to take different paths. Knowing this and sizing up her own situation influences her decisions, will she go back to New York or will she stay?

(Part of the story is discovering a number of paintings her grandmother had done as a young woman, something her family had not been aware of.)

We enjoyed this movie, it pretty well follows the Hallmark formula and the actors create characters easy to care about.

Cast

[Jackbv123 · 7/10 · 19 June 2020]

Any one of the three primary characters in the triangle, if they are on the bill I will give that movie a go. Marc Blucas has done several great roles for Hallmark and Allison Sweeney even more so, but Kavan Smith - anyone who can act so patient so constantly with Rosemary Coulter has got to be good.

Unfortunately I won't say this was the greatest role for any of those three, but Sweeney and Blucas did have chemistry and were good to watch. The story premise was somewhat fresh if not unique. Still there were no great highs or lows, nor were there any great surprises. The existing fiancé, in Smith, was hard to dislike but they did make it clear they weren't in sync.

Despite the intended excitement of the karaoke, I was a little disappointed.

not Maine

[jamesochsner · 7/10 · 28 September 2021]

Great scenery, but not Maine. I spent a lot of time in Maine while in college and family vacations. The give away to me was that the mountains seemed too high for the supposed locale. I thought BC Canada where a lot of those kind of movies are filmed and I was correct.

Lovely feel-good movie

[vynne_frederick · 10/10 · 28 March 2017]

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I love Marc Blucas and although I am accustomed to Alison Sweeney in her mystery movies, she did well. It has the typical Hallmark formula: career city girl with slick city boyfriend meets down-to-earth, charming, genuine country guy and there is an almost tangible chemistry between them. Will they or won't they... you know the answer. :) I love her karaoke scene and I love Marc Blucas' energy - the safe, strong, silent type. These movies are predictable but they take me away from the stresses of daily like - work, politics, news, violence... Just everyone falling in love and living happily ever after. Thank you Hallmark, for taking me away from reality, again and again.

Gritty melodrama Hallmark

[MickyG333 · 7/10 · 23 May 2023]

7.4 stars.

I don't know why so many happy viewers of this film, what was in the cool-aid? I found this to be a bit slow, too serious, and a little bit all over the place if I'm being honest. She has instant feelings for him, he of course reciprocates, she gets cold feet, loves her almost fiance and yet loves this new guy more, and yet they really don't get to develop the love they seem to have at the end. The relationship somehow jumps from attraction to a lot in common to some deeper friendship into this blossoming soulmate love? Hmmm, something is really missing in this story. Then her mom shows up out of nowhere, I mean who knew she even had a mom, usually the parents are dead in Hallmark films. His great uncle dated her grandma? Or was it her great-grandma? It seemed a bit wonky. I think they had to cut out 15 minutes of crucial footage to fit this into the time slot. Ooops, bad move.

Nothing Blue about this Great Movie

[gehewe · 9/10 · 25 April 2017]

This movie was a great surprise. Alison Sweeney was the actress from "Love on the Air". Absolutely loved her. Looked up her bio and she's been in 1800 episodes of Days of Our Lives. She was perfect. What a great role for Shirley Jones as the grandma. Marc Blucas from "Operation Christmas" was perfect as a construction worker. Kavan Smith from "When Calls the Heart" plays in a similar role. The crowd at the motel/inn was very well done and added so much to the movie. They gave our lead actress the nickname swimmer then got her to Karaoke "Foot Loose" (an excellent memorable scene). Now the blue berry plot did not make much sense and was a bit of a stretch, but this was a fun filled movie with true emotion.

THOSE SHOES

[simmonsann · 6/10 · 7 February 2022]

I am not sure if it was to make her appear helpless, or impractical...but her stilettos in nearly every scene were too much. In my mind. Plus, why use BC and call it Maine? If it has to be American, better to use a Northwest area. Great to see Shirley Jones!

Disappointing!

[marsmii · 4/10 · 21 March 2017]

So many things wrong about this movie---where to begin! Alison Sweeney, the lead actress is a 40 yr. old and supposedly a lawyer, acting stunned and silly! First of all, who kisses a stranger full on the mouth?? Who wears high heels on a wooden dock and all around a small town? After falling in the lake, doesn't mention her camera or try to retrieve it and then leaves her shoes there and walks away barefoot! The person playing her mother was way too young looking to be believable---they looked like sisters! Barbara Niven is much more believable as her mother.

She's sitting in a restaurant eating a muffin and rushes out the door leaving it sitting there and probably left the door open! Alison better stick to "Murder She Baked" mysteries. She's much more believable in that roll! Her best part in this movie was her karaoke. The last part of movie did get better. Then the old family house being restored---who puts a nursery on the top floor with all those stairs? No one would, not realistic! Mark Blucas and Samantha Ferris are both excellent in this movie and the scenery is beautiful.

I love this movie!

[toncincin · 10/10 · 5 December 2020]

Such a delightful story. About finding yourself. Finding love in the last place you ever imagined. The chemistry between Marc Blucas and Allison Sweeney is undeniable. Kavan Smith delivers as the fiancé. I love that there was no harsh breakup. The mom is kind of b!tchy. She obviously is more concerned with her daughter's status than her happiness. Happiness and love prevail.

Shirley Jones is, as usual, magnificent as the grandmother.

Such a delightful movie! I watch it EVERY time it's on...

Infidelity

[deliabattie · 3/10 · 21 October 2020]

Why do so many supposedly wholesome romantic Hallmark films involve infidelity? This, like so many of their other films has the main character finding herself and true love while cheating on her perfectly nice but not quite right for her fiancé. Why is that something we should route for? Hallmark leads leave a trail of broken engagements and wronged lovers in their paths in the pursuit of 'the one'. It's baffling to me why that should be seen as romantic.

Great feel good movie/great chemistry w/lead actors

[lesliek-71217 · 9/10 · 1 May 2019]

Alison Sweeney and Marc Blucas have great chemistry in this movie. City girl travels to beautiful rural town to deliver a letter from her recently deceased grandmother. A few run-ins with the handsome local carpenter and she's feeling tugs at her heartstrings as to what to do, since she is some-what engaged to someone else. It's a cozy heart-warming story. All the actors/actresses do a great job and nothing felt cheesy. I fell in love with Marc Blucas after this movie. Alison Sweeney always performs well. Love the dance scene. I like it when the Hallmark movie can just take you away from the real world for a couple of hours. Highly recommend this one.

NEED A WEDDING SEQUEL PLEASE!

[sandrinha-84910 · 9/10 · 31 January 2019]

I love the chemistry between the two actors, Alison and Marc really surprisingly amazing. I would love to see a sequel. It's a great feel good movie. Just what the heart requires.

One of the best Hallmark movies

[deedee0 · 9/10 · 28 March 2022]

Standard Hallmark story but Alison and Marc have the chemistry to make this story shine. The ongoing joke about The Swimmer is beautifully played by Alison with such class that it is easy to believe her popularity would soar in a small town. Do not pass this one up.

A superb movie, and one Hallmark needs to set as a standard

[druatlax · 10/10 · 10 June 2022]

Rare to see a realistic Hallmark movie with well developed, multi-faceted characters. No fade-outs when the two leads develop a real, confused, disarming relationship.

They, and the townspeople (the director to be commended) are so real they are like people in my life or yours.

The story/ screenplay are very well done... believable and original.

The actors are fine examples of the best you can find: the leads of Sweeney and Blucas- with the beautiful help of Shirley Jones, are truly amazing.

I was surprised at how good this Hallmark movie was, and now have watched it multiple times. I find my original assessment that it is superb still stands strong.

Hallmark Fresh Air

[manfredpeter-09628 · 10/10 · 24 January 2022]

Have seen this before. They should run it more often. Completely different mood. Allison Sweeney does great job taking her character out of character. Great chemistry with Marc Blucas. Big and great supporting cast. Writing funny. Refreshing.

Beautiful but can we please stop the ghost thing?

[kategobe · 9/10 · 26 June 2022]

Lovely feel-good soft romance movie. I only have one problem with it; why do we need the dead grandmother who looks like a living human but is sort of kind of a ghost/illusion? Can we please stop depicting dead relatives as living people who are physically in the movie but pretend to not exist? It's annoying and there are far more fitting ways to incorporate the memories or the wisdom of a dead relative than this. It doesn't give the impression that said person is still there in the heart of the living relative, it just brings in this kinda awkward situation that I can't empathize with 'cause it's too fake.

I knew that by watching the trailer so I watched the movie for all the rest of it which is great.

Wonderfully Romantic

[khconsteng · 10/10 · 29 May 2019]

Love this movie! Excellent writing, acting and location! The chemistry of Marc Blucas and Alison Sweeney is perfect. I would love to see a sequel but only these original actors.

One of Hallmarks better films

[linda-plant2 · 9/10 · 12 August 2019]

It was good to watch a Hallmark film with older actors who don't pretend or act as though they are still teenagers (like some of the Hallmark stable especially the women with their high squeaky voices and predictable long curled hair). There was genuine chemistry and the storyline was good.

I see the outside balcony scene of the hotel room was used again - it made an appearance in the excellent Barry Watson film Far From Home (also worth a look)

SEQUEL please!!! -- Alison Sweeney is a TREASURE! Soooo good! Love this movie!

[sean-oconnell · 10/10 · 8 February 2021]

The chemistry between the leads is amazing! I adore this movie and bought it after watching on the Hallmark Channel. I watch it often. Sweet, cute, funny & romantic! Plus it's got Shirley Jones whom I love! Cannot wait for a sequel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great chemistry

[garzamom · 10/10 · 19 August 2018]

I've been a big fan of Alison Sweeney for awhile. Marc Blucas was a very nice surprise. Their chemistry was remarkable. The story line was predictable, but the trip was a lot of fun. Especially enjoyed the rescue and the dance scene. Nice to see people can still dance and look good doing it

Love the movie but Dead Presidents?

[jewhitmer25 · 23 June 2021]

Almost always enjoy movies with Alison Sweeney or Marc Blucas. There are some Hallmark actors that never disappoint and these two are on my list. What can I say about the movie? Great chemistry between Alison and Marc. Great cast, just enough humor to have me chuckling.

My only problem is the dart game Dead Presidents, I don't know how to play darts but shouldn't their target be a bill with a President on it? Benjamin Franklin was never a president dead or otherwise. I understand that they were playing for 100 dollars. They could have used two 50 dollar bills since Grant, a president, is actually on that bill. If the target doesn't have to be a president, then they should call the game something else.

Just saying and whew, got that off my chest.

Loved that she became a celebrity in the town as The Swimmer and the Karaoke scene, where she realizes that she no longer wants to be "living in somebody else's skin".. the whole movie was charming and just what I have come to expect from Alison and Marc.

If a sequel is not possible Hallmark at least needs to pair Marc and Alison in other movies, they are great together.

Read the book too, it is very good.

Adorably Heart-Warming

[cgcobb · 8/10 · 25 May 2017]

I'd forgotten how much I adored Marc Blucas. (I'm familiar with him from his days on Buffy.) He plays a great sweet romance lead. He comes across as the kind of guy you love to love =) This was an enjoyable, heart-warming film in a cozy, small-town setting with solid acting. I'd watch more like this is a heartbeat. I'd love to see him in a Hallmark cozy mystery as a romantic lead. One can hope...