Love at First Dance (2018 TV Movie) User Reviews

Dancing with love

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 4 August 2022]

Have seen the two leads, Becca Tobin and Niall Matter (with more familiarity with Matter, with a generally positive opinion with exceptions), individually in other things and both are very likeable when their material is good. Of what has been of the June Weddings films, which has been a sizeable amount now, too many didn't do much for me though there are exceptions. Hallmark's output is wildly variable in all their seasonal blockings in every year, but they have been known to do some watchable things.

Watchable 'Love at First Dance' absolutely is. More than watchable in fact, actually though pretty good as long as not too much is expected. As far as Hallmark's June Weddings output goes, 'Love at First Dance' for me definitely is better than most. As far as their 2018 output from that January to June goes, it's one of the better faring ones too and is a good representation of both leads. Am not going to say that 'Love at First Glance' is a great film because it isn't, but it is a very charmingly sweet film with a very warm heart and without being too sickly sweet.

'Love at First Dance' isn't perfect. Really did not like the character of Adriana, a very one dimensional and annoying character overplayed by Cecilia Deacon.

Also found the final scene rather bland emotionally and too reserved, most Hallmark endings are too neat and sometimes unrealistically so but the final scene suffers from other things which is its blandness. Perhaps a little slow at times.

On the other hand, a lot is good. Personally though Tobin was fine, understated but not overly so and she is charming. Even better is subtly charismatic and easy going Matter as the more animated character. Their chemistry is low key, though a little too subdued towards the end, but natural and genuine. The rest of the supporting cast are fine, and while the characters are not complex and typical Hallmark apart from Adriana they are worth engaging with.

It is a very nice looking film too, one of Hallmark's best looking 2018 films in my view. The scenery really does entrance and the photography doesn't cheapen it at all. The music is lovely and it is one of not many scorings where of Hallmark's 2018 output it wasn't a problem. The music in the dance sequences doesn't disappoint. The dancing is beautifully choreographed and danced with a lot of elegance and understanding of what it is being in the dance world, wish there was more of it though. The dialogue is sharp enough and flows naturally, while also having the right amount of sentiment (not too much in quality and quantity). The story may be predictable and not perfect in pace, but it is incredibly charming, sweet without being too sugary and very heart-warming. There is a nice lightness to it too.

Concluding, not great but liked it a good deal. 7/10.

Surprisingly, not as cheesy as I expected.

[LeoMarvin88 · 8/10 · 23 October 2018]

When I read the title, I expected something more cheesy but this is pretty Gouda!

This movie takes place in an actualcity where city life isn't as demonized. I appreciate that since I live in a big city and it's nice to know there might still be Hallmark magic left here.

The characters feel more like real people, both at a career fork in the road, her finding out whether she should do or teach, him following in his family foot steps or an artistic pursuit. So many people can relate to that.

The dancing is so fun to watch, it's like Dirty Dancing: Hallmark Nights. And the music is from artists I've heard of, shocking I know!

Overall, I'd totally watch this again.

This is about having the courage to pursue your passion and love.

[cgvsluis · 7/10 · 20 October 2021]

"Love, their surrounded by it, their in it. Once we focus on true love then everything falls into place."-Hope.

Hope is a dance instructor struggling with the decision to apply for an assistant choreographer position in London or get a loan and buy the dance studio she teaches at. In walks wealthy investment advisor, Eric Gunderson...only they have already met. They got off to a bad start, or had a meet cute depending on your perspective, in which Mr. Gunderson was throwing his name recognition around in order to get backstage at a play. As it turns out Eric is also in a quandary trying to choose between finance and theatre (he has a dual major from college...one for him and one for his dad).

"Are you trying to Mr. Miyagi me?"-Eric

As it turns out, Eric is marrying his business partner and can't dance. Hope, the couple's dance instructor, is having to do some special lessons with a Eric alone and is being pushed to do some out of the box lessons.

"How we are perceived is how the business is perceived."-Adrianna

Through the wedding planning it becomes more and more obvious that Eric and his fiancé Adrianna like and want different things for their future.

I love the romantic piece that Hope choreographs for her audition, it was a beautiful touch.

"I wish I could take the time to do this every day. Walk the Brooklyn bridge."-Eric

Sweet romantic love story...set in New York City. Great chemistry between our leads makes this a must watch in the Hallmark catalog.

Love and dancing...what more do you need?

Surprisingly Real Characters

[omijer · 20 June 2018]

Hallmark movies tend to be formulaic. Blonde heroine, looking for love, smiling frantically at strong, handsome hero..She flutters her eyelashes just often enough, he remains appealing, but unattainable, she giggles and smiles frantically, he softens, and in the end, all is resolved with a kiss and a staged, contrived, silly-looking Hallmark wedding.

This movie defies all those cliches. .and therein lies its appeal. Both the heroine and the male lead have their own internal conflicts..each one has an ethic about their work and commitments, yet each one with dream that needs manifesting and deserves fulfilling. The conflict in both characters draws them to one another, ..yet there is nothing syrupy or typical in their attraction.

Of course, it's a Hallmark movie..so we know they will end up in each others arms..but the road they take to arrive there is so much more serious and mature than almost any Hallmark movie has dared to present. This film actually defies the typical route Hallmark movies take. For one, each of the leads is a fully mature, successful adult with a responsible work identity and obligations. Each has a personal goal, but obstacles that prevent an easy solution. In their relationship with one another, they find encouragement, and support for those dreams and goals..and this growing support between two people is portrayed in a mature and serious manner. There is no flirting, no silliness, no manipulation of one another.

The additional appeal in this film is the third lead, the 'other woman', who is portrayed as a serious, thoughtful, mature character. Her beauty and her deep, comforting voice make her all the more a realistic character and give her a sympathetic appeal.

This is a movie worth watching twice..There is much to enjoy (including some beautiful professional ballet segments) and, more importantly, much to learn about how to move through a life struggle and find ones dream and passion manifested.

One small step above the usual Hallmark dreck

[caseybones · 6/10 · 17 June 2018]

If you have ever watched even one Hallmark movie, you already know how this ends. But, for a change, the girlfriend is not a shrill shrew trying to make us cheer for the leading lady. She's actually played pretty realistically and you don't hate her at the end. It's also a nice change where the leading lady does what seems best for her without dumping her life for the handsome lead.

The best ending would have been for them to part company but this is Hallmark so you know that would never happen.

The leads were pretty good and (on a shallow note - those eyebrows!) the existing girlfriend wasn't bad either. The dancers they brought in for the ballet sequences were good dancers as well.

So overall, it won't make you want to put a pin through your eyes. But also pretty standard Hallmark with a little improvement.

Love at First Dance

[studioAT · 7/10 · 29 August 2023]

Wow, that wedding band were so good the singer didn't need to sing into the microphone and yet sounded like Michael Buble!

In all seriousness, I thought this was a better than average Hallmark film, that is helped massively by the two things I always say these films need to have to succeed:

1) a good story 2) chemistry between the leads

Both of these things are there, and as others have said, there's a depth to the characters that you don't tend to get normally in this sort of film.

Overall, this was a really enjoyable Hallmark film, and takes a unique plot idea and executes it to good effect.

Drama, romance and real people

[maffydavison · 10/10 · 2 August 2018]

I love most Hallmark movies - especially the holiday-centric ones - and accept that the 2-dimensional male/female relationships often saturate the stories. This one breaks the mold - which makes it one of my favorites. The 'other woman' is not a witch from whom the male lead needs to escape. Instead, this story is about people I can relate to, realizing that they care for each other, but are not a perfect match for marriage. Add to this that I really don't like dance. It's okay - fun to do - but I would never buy tickets to see a dance show. Even so, the dance metaphor and sweet dance scenes are delightful. I love this movie, and the stars in it.

Lacking emotion.

[savethewatchmaker · 4/10 · 16 July 2018]

This movie is classic Hallmark, very formulaic, and therefore nothing special. The storyline is predictable, the characters undergo all the changes expected of them, and the main relationship never exceeds truly average chemistry.

The plot itself, which features Hope, a dance instructor, teaching Eric, a high society businessman about to be married, is a sweet idea in theory, but fell a little flat during the execution. My main gripe with this movie is that it feels like everyone is underacting; essentially, lots of scenes felt like they were missing emotion. Whether this was a lack in adequate directing, script-writing, or acting, it's unclear, but it feels as if every character is much too reserved to respond properly to the situations they are experiencing. A good example of this is Eric's fiance, Adriana, who speaks aloud every single line of dialogue like she is unbelievably disconnected from her own life. Even when deciding not to get married, Adriana's reaction is extremely dull---amazingly enough, she comes to the realization that she and Eric are not right for each other at exactly the same time, and does not even come across as disappointed or even all that affected, which can be boiled down to sloppy, unrealistic writing. The final scene between Eric and Hope is also missing quite a bit of emotion. Eric flies to London to surprise Hope and declare his love for her, and neither seems all that excited or touched by each other's confessions of love. Quite a bit of this can be blamed on lack of chemistry, but a fair bit of it is also weird acting/directing choices. It makes it hard, as the audience, to connect to a couple that doesn't seem all that persuaded of the strength of their own emotions.

The bad writing goes a bit further, though, because it does feel like every other line was taken straight out of a fortune cookie. The script was full of too many pointless aphorisms that had no real meaning instead of meaty dialogue.

Also, considering it was a movie revolving around dancing, I was a tad disappointed about just how little technique was discussed or the audience got to learn about ballroom dance. The majority of Hope's lessons seemed to teach very little actual technique, and focused instead on relaxation and feeling the emotion of the dance (amusing, considering how little emotion there was to go around). For a dance instructor, Hope sure spends a lot of time just swaying back and forth with Eric, along with the occasional dip. As for the dancing in a pond so he could get the rhythm of the water---what? Wouldn't a public pool, which is cleaner and has more water to move around in, been a better location for this lesson? The movie then continues to show us just how wrong Eric and Adriana are for each other because she, surprisingly, doesn't want to randomly wade into a public pond when he suggests it.

Overall, this movie won't sweep anyone off their feet. It's an under average Hallmark movie because, despite the promising plot, the acting falls short on this one. Both leads have proven themselves over time to be great, versatile actors, but this script/pairing didn't do them any justice.

A love story that begins on the dance floor

[eltripbb · 10/10 · 20 January 2021]

Fantastic performances on the dance by Becca Tobin and Niall Matter. Watching them as they fall in love while dancing is a heartwarming and magical experience. Niall Matter had to learn how to do the dances, and he "nailed" it. He is one outstanding performer, no matter the role.

Meh At First Dance

[Anonnamus · 3/10 · 27 February 2019]

Let me start by saying this had all the elements to make my perfect romantic flick. Dancing and two actors I've always liked in the past. I fell in love with Niall Matter in every other Hallmark film I've seen him in, and Becca Tobin was always wonderful as Kitty on Glee. Together, they fell flat. Zero chemistry (a description all too commonly thrown around, but true in this case) between them, as I couldn't tell if they were supposed to be falling in love or if this was going to be a story about two people helping each other discover their true calling in life.

The acting wasn't great, though the script was decent. Tobin reminded me too much of a past-her-prime actress loaded up with Botox trying to relive her youth by accepting a role of a character she wasn't comfortable with. Her face never changed expressions. Happy, sad, angry, irritated; it all looked like boredom. Her performance was wooden, her body language tense and stiff as a board. Matter is a very charming actor who never disappoints as a character everyone can fall in love with. He looked completely ill-at-ease in this one. He looked less like an investment broker, more like a used car salesman.

Bottom line, nothing about this worked, though it started with potential. Give this a try if there is nothing else on, but I wouldn't give this a rewatch.

different

[Kirpianuscus · 2 October 2021]

Niall Matter. He is the key for the feeling to see a little different Hallmark than you expect. Because he has the opportunity to confirm his beautiful skills, remarkable in others films of genre , obvious in this movie, to sustain, in strong and fair manner, romantic story not in sketches of acting but in real, serious sense. The second virtue - the dance and the music and the dance in Central Park and the dialogue between Adriana and Eric about the fall of idea of wedding. So, different Hallmark for the smart nuances of familiar story.

Nice diversion

[nptomey · 10/10 · 1 March 2022]

I find find this movie to be quite pleasing. Niall Matter is a good actor. I think he is somewhat under used. This movie showed a side of him he you usually don't get to see very often. He is quite talented but rarely gets to show just how versatile he is. Honestly, it was good to see him in a different mode. I used to dance all the time, the scene and music in the ballroom was a real treat. It is my favorite scene in the entire film.

Adriana was a wooden character to say the least. Their dancing in was painful to watch. She is a big woman. It is no wonder their dance scenes were so awkward. On the other hand, the scenes with hope were quite fluid, a pleasure to watch. All in all a satisfying movie.

Would watch again

[jewelch · 5/10 · 18 February 2021]

I thought this movie was fantastic. He played the part of an absent father who showed much respect and love for a daughter he never knew he had and his ex-wife who passed away. Which John Schneider played the part very well. I have never seen a movie of his I didn't like Christmas at Willlow Creek, Sydney White and in the Dukes of Hazzard all were great. That is why I give it 10 stars. James Welch Henderson, Arkansas 2/18/2021

It's all about the people

[Jackbv123 · 8/10 · 18 June 2018]

While Becca Tobin never jumps off the screen, there is still chemistry between her and Niall Matter. I haven't paid enough attention to Matter in the past, but I realized he is a solid half of the ... Father Christmas set of movies. And he does a great job in this one. You could see Eric grow in confidence as the story goes on, and underneath it he's falling in love.

Tobin is a steady presence throughout. I couldn't decide if she was a little too reserved, or just right, but you can understand easily how Eric could fall in love with Hope.

The third part of the triangle, Adriana, is no villain and compared to her Hope is downright giddy, but Adriana is supposed to be an unemotional rock.

Supporting characters are adequate if not great

I think the outline of the story could have been written by the viewer as soon as the background was established. These movies don't necessarily need surprises. But that means that one of the things this one had to do right was put the leads together as much as possible, and it did.

I usually don't like musical interludes that are often just there to avoid writing more plot, but in this case it was a nice dance interlude.

No Chemistry

[bjeliason · 1/10 · 17 June 2018]

I have not watched Hallmark movies but for some reason I have been watching the channel this month hey don't shoot me. While I have actually enjoyed many of the movies including ones from the past couple of years I was looking forward this movie and I was not impressed as I ended up doing things around the house. I think it was the casting as I have become spoiled by the chemistry between Pascale Hutton and Kavan Smith who have so much chemistry I could watch them in anything.

Its not the actors fault that they were cast but something was off.

Don't waste your time.

Typical but fun

[fkuriger · 8/10 · 17 January 2020]

Contrary to a previous viewer, I thought Becca was perfect for the role.

Not sure how to add a "goof" but pretty ridiculous that when they went to hear the band there were vocals but nobody in the band was singing.

The cast isn't appealing

[phd_travel · 3/10 · 2 October 2018]

I barely enjoyed this formula and badly cast romance about a dancing coach and the groom of a wedding she is coaching. Tobin is borderline annoying. The guy doesn't come across as a well to do guy. Not much dancing by the leads. Is it romantic to steal away the groom from the bride who is prettier. Only saving grace is the solution to their problem is quite satisfying.

Loved it

[manfredpeter-09628 · 9/10 · 25 August 2020]

First time seeing Niall Matter in real romance. I think the chemistry was great, enhanced by the dance scenes which were excellent. Friendship believable and meaningful. Nothing new except, this one hit the formulas perfectly.

Not believable!

[krichter-24724 · 2/10 · 20 April 2019]

I am not impressed with Becca Tobin. Her acting is not believable. Boring. Bring back Lacey Chabert!

Great movie

[dianamarinelli · 9/10 · 2 December 2020]

Because Tobin did well in this movie especially the other lead their chemistry was magical with the added hallmark cliches

Drama, not Romance

[ronbokirk · 5/10 · 18 June 2018]

This was a better movie than I expected considering the cast. Niall Matter cannot do romance at all, but this one had very little romance. This was about living your dream, working out life problems, and learning to dance. There was no love, no fireworks, no emotions, no chemistry, but a good story. What we have is not a romance but a drama. I gave it a 5

Very enjoyable movie

[rightingwrong · 10/10 · 17 April 2020]

I thought Becca Tobin did a great job in this movie. She is a dance instructor instructing a man before his wedding. She's supposed to have a professional work ethic and not fawn over her clients. I thought she handled herself perfectly-friendly but not flirtatious or inappropriate. It was wonderful seeing the friendship and trust develop between her and the lead male character, Niall Matter. I thought their chemistry was subtle but definitely present. And of course had the happy ending I watch Hallmark movies to see. I'm glad his fiancée wasn't made out to be a nasty woman. Rather, she was a kind and likable person and that was good to see as well. Overall, a very fun and enjoyable movie.

No chemistry

[scratic · 4/10 · 30 June 2021]

The script is decent, however the main characters do not have any chemistry. I tend to watch Hallmark channel movies for the romance. I usually cheer on main couple to find love. I enjoy the journey and look forward to them being together. I didn't really feel that for them. I appreciated the friendship and how they supported each other. However, I didn't think it was much more than that.

Dancers and financiers

[MickyG333 · 8/10 · 22 March 2023]

8.4 stars.

This is a well choreographed love story from start to finish and I am glad for the privilege to watch "Love at First Dance". Now several days since a notably superior film has graced my presence, my faith in Hallmark is restored.

The synergy of these actors is no doubt palpable; they have bonafide attraction and there is no mistaking it. It's not due to accomplished performances or good direction.

As the story goes, a man and woman have been handed a respectable brokerage firm from their fathers. They are also soon to be wed, so preparations for the wedding are underway. The only obstacle is that he must learn to dance for the wedding, otherwise he may look foolish being in the spotlight for wealthy clientele and the media. Enter the dance instructor, a gorgeous woman with a gentle soul. She also has life altering choices to make, whether to purchase the dance studio where she teaches ballet, or take a risk to be a choreographer for a dance production in London. For now she must work a miracle to make him a capable dancer in a few short weeks, which is no small feat considering he has two left ones.

As they get acquainted, the friendship buds organically, and unbeknownst to the dancer and financier duo, they are falling steadily in love. We as the audience can see the possibilities, and of course this is Hallmark, so it is telegraphed before the movie is even conceptualized.

The gradual transition from teacher/student to friendship, to love is imperceptible and sweet. As a result "Love at First Dance" is easy, fun and entertaining to watch. Soon they begin to cultivate a hopefulness in each other's dreams, but there is no pressure, just genuine warmth emanating from a spark of true love. Even now they cannot see anything beyond a platonic relationship, but things will soon change.

What hopes and dreams of happily ever after does "Love at First Dance" evoke within the soul of the hopeless romantic, especially on this fine spring day. If you are patient with this story, it won't disappoint, however I must point out that In this instance it is love at last dance.

A movie about dancing that knows nothing about dancing

[jim_chung · 4/10 · 13 June 2021]

As the main plot device of the story, the writers of this script clearly know less than nothing about dancing.

There is no music playing during any of the dance scenes. How is Hope supposed to teaching dancing without music? It defies ... comprehension and belief.

Hope attempts to teach dancing by wading into a fountain in Central Park. How is this supposed to work? Maybe by weakly replicating a scene from Dirty Dancing? BUT the reason why Swayze and Grey were dancing in the lake was to practice catching her without injury. Geessh!