A Perky Poppy
Some say Poppy Summerall (Ashley Williams - Christmas In Evergreen) has trouble committing, be it to relationships or jobs, but Poppy says she hasn't found what she is good at yet or the right one. But it is very clear that Poppy has a natural gift when it comes to children so she decides to hire herself out as a nanny to Ryan Lawson (Sam Jaeger - Catch and Release), a workaholic widower with two children who are not the happiest. Being an eternal optimist, Poppy refuses to be deterred and sets about not only showing the children there are good things in life but also teaching Ryan that there is more to life than work. The question is; when Poppy finds herself becoming close to both the kids as well as Ryan will her commitment issues lead to her running away again.
I will guarantee you that as you begin to watch "October Kiss" you will feel like you have watched it before as it doesn't really do anything new. We have a young woman taking care of children who have a few issues and there are a few minor incidents during the things they do from an incident with a goat to Poppy sitting in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. And then of course there is the inevitable romance with the children's widowed father, a romance which of course can't run completely smoothly because that would be boring. Not that this familiarity matters because "October Kiss" delivers all this stereotypical Hallmark stuff with plenty of fun and energy giving it the right vibe.
But more importantly what "October Kiss" has is Ashley Williams, one of those actresses whose own likeability can pretty much carry a movie on its own, it is a gift which Ashley Williams shares with Lacey Chabert. As such Williams' perky performance as Poppy, her never give up fun attitude, her smile, the caring side and quite simply how good she looks in pretty much everything she wears makes "October Kiss" so easy to watch. And in fairness Sam Jaeger as Ryan brings plenty of charm to the movie as well, he looks good; he gives the character a caring side and also works well with Williams.
What this all boils down to is that "October Kiss" is an enjoyable but ultimately typical Hallmark movie. But it is also one which works mainly because of Ashley Williams whose likeability makes "October Kiss" a pleasant experience.
