Metcalfe Does Country
When Bradley (Jesse Metcalfe - Fairfield Road) was just 13 years-old his parents died and not only was he left with out a family but he had to leave his home in Milltown. But before he left, Bradley and his best friend, and sweetheart, Sarah (Autumn Reeser - I Do, I Do, I Do) had a pretend wedding in a barn, performed by their friend, Adam (Aaron Craven - Debbie Macomber's Dashing Through the Snow), the son of the local vicar. Many years later and Bradley, having become a huge country star, is about to marry his award winning actress girlfriend, a wedding he wants to be quiet and intimate whilst she and her agent have other, much grander and public plans. But before he does Bradley returns to Milltown to sell his parent's home which leads to him bumping in to Sarah who never left, enjoying the simple life and her home despite facing some financial problems. But the return home and seeing Sarah again causes Bradley to question where his heart really lies.
Nearly every time I watch a Hallmark movie, and I have watched quite a few, I get reminded very quickly that they often roll out the same storyline but dressed up differently, be it going for soft romantic drama or sometimes more full on comedy. I got reminded of this within minutes of "A Country Wedding" starting as firstly we meet Sarah who could lose both her home and business as the bank is looking to foreclose. Then we have her childhood friend Bradley who has become a big country star with a big city lifestyle who of course returns home and finds himself reconnecting with his roots and friendships. And well do I really need to say any more, I don't think so because "A Country Wedding" has a familiar storyline dressed up in a soft romantic/country styling, or at least the Hallmark version of country.
But when they get a Hallmark movie right they really get it very right and "A Country Wedding" really gets it right from the locations and characters, to the twang in Autumn Reeser's voice and pretty much everything else because this hits the sweet spot time and again. And where "A Country Wedding" really scores is in that Jesse Metcalfe looks completely at home on a ranch, those few seasons of "Dallas" must have brought out the TV cowboy in him. But it is also the fact that he doesn't just look the part he sings as well and his singing contributes to the softness and simple beauty of this Hallmark movie.
What this all boils down to is that "A Country Wedding" isn't anything new as it features a familiar Hallmark story with some contemporary country, cowboy clothes and music dressing it up. But it works amazingly well and has a real simple beauty about it which makes it a warm and charming afternoon movie.
