📸: Hallmark Gold Crown
I give this movie 8 out of 10 vomits
🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮
🟢 Plot Spew 🟢
Pen pals with Nick for years, Summer is reluctant for her relationship with him to go public when the former boy band singer comes to town for a comeback concert.
🟢 Cast Spew 🟢
Alexa PenaVega – Summer
Carlos PenaVega – Nick
🟢 Non Spoiler Spew 🟢
Man, this was such a charming romantic comedy. It is a nice change from last weeks movie. Anyone who has ever had a crush on a singing superstar will truly find this movie relatable.
This story was so beautiful. It was heartwarming because this was based on a true story! Willie Aames and Winnie Hung. What’s great is that they also wrote the script. Willie and Winnie were pen pals for 30 years before getting married. Since they were involved in this, this is what makes this movie that much better. It is not someone else telling their story. They are the ones telling it.
I always enjoy watching movies with Alexa and Carlos PenaVega. They are obviously great together since they are married. So the chemistry is for sure there, but they are good actors too. They are also enjoyable to watch. I wish other Hallmark actors would take a look at them and try to match the chemistry they have. A lot of the more recent movies have been lacking in the chemistry department.
Seeing Alexa and Carlos together was honestly a breath of fresh air. I love seeing people in love and making it feel real. Where their chemistry oozes out of the screen. I am a HUGE sucker for Hallmark romance movies. They make me feel warm and fuzzy. So when it is done correctly I am all in.
Side note, since Carlos PenaVega is a singer in real life, this movie also features some of his new music. I love that they let him sing his own songs.
Overall, this was a real enjoyable movie. It was super charming like I said before as well as uplifting. Summer’s grandmother gives great advice. I would totally watch this again when it comes on.
🔴 Summary Spoiler Spew 🔴
It starts off with Summer talking about the biggest boy band. Nick reads a letter and promises his manager that he will keep writing to a girl named Summer. He says that even though he is a big pop star he still has time for fans. Especially with Summer because he thought her note was really sweet and that she said in her letter that all she wanted to do was be friends. For the next 15 years the remained pen pals.
Hearing Summer narrate what was happening was actually a nice change of pace. Hallmark does not use this method often, so it was nice to see that they gave us a change. What was awesome too that was different was the way they displayed text messaging. I know recently they have been showing the bubbles on the side of the screen which I have enjoyed, but they really changed it up in this one. Well, the opening at least. When Summer is telling us about her and Nick’s friendship. It had Crazy Rich Asians and a Ms. Marvel (an extremely tame version) vibe to it.
One thing though that I did not get was why they have not seen each other. I know they explain later that Summer did not want to disappoint, but it still made no sense to me. They have been friends for 15 years. Nick definitely had the resources and money to go see Summer.
I laughed when they mentioned that Nick’s band was called Mendez Brothers. I let out a long ”Hmmmmmmm” when they said that. I automatically went to the Jonas Brothers.
We find out that Summer works in Human Resources at a University and her boss tells her that the board says Summer is not a welcoming person and has no school spirit. Even though Summer likes her privacy she agrees to going to a faculty mixer.
Nick Mendez is doing an interview and the crew does not care for Nick at all. On the way back to sign the release the reporter sees two people walk up to him, Nick’s girlfriend and a stranger, and the stranger buys Nick’s car. We then see that the stranger who is buying the car is a guy named Mike and Nick’s girlfriend leaves with him.
Oh My TV airs the interview, but the reporter is sarcastic the whole time. He put Nick in a bad light. Nick’s band manager and manager tell him he should get back with his brothers and he refuses. His manager books Nick a gig in Salt Lake Utah. Nick surprises Summer while she is working a booth where students can come up and talk to her about HR. She leaves to call Nick and that is when he surprises her.
I could not believe that she just left work like that. She was told be her Dean to stay there and be visible to the students so she can learn to become approachable. As soon as Nick called she just left her post. She has guts man. I could never do that. So the whole time no one was coming to her table, but then I laughed because when Summer was at the table because as soon as she leaves and got her friend to cover her so she could call Nick, a whole gang of people went to the booth.
Summer tells Nick that her Dad has no idea that they have been speaking for 15 years. Her dad is very old fashioned and would not understand their friendship, but her Mom and Grandma know they speak. While on a park bench Nick wants to take a picture together, but Summer does not because she likes to remember things as they happen.
Two girls come up to them and one of them asks Nick, “You used to be Nick Mendez right?”. Then she takes a selfie with him. She then says that her babysitter has all of her CDs. Summer then caves and takes the photo with Nick.
Nick’s manager loves that Nick and Summer have stayed in touch all these years. His manager wants him to give this story to social media. She feels it will bring him followers again. While out shopping with Summer, Nick brings this idea to her and she hates it. She tells him that she thought they were friends and she cannot believe all she was to him was to make him look like a good person to the press.
During rehearsals Nick is really bombing because he has not done this in a long time and he has hurt his friendship. Summer’s Grandma tells her that instead of completely letting him go, to see the good she saw in him before. Summer talks with Nick and she tells him that she does not want her personal life out there for everyone to read about. Summer invites Nick to dinner with her friends and Nick gets his singing groove back.
At dinner Nick learns that no date of Summer’s has ever met her family, let alone her Dad. Nick learns this from Summer’s friends husband, Toby.
I am disgusted with the dinner. They each have their own shareable plate at a Chinese restaurant. Like WTF. You are supposed to each share the plates. They each have their own plate. One has Fried Rice, Orange Chicken, Kung Pao Chicken, and Chow Mein.
Toby was THE BEST at this dinner. He was totally the way I would act. He asks Nick if he is a millionaire and that he blurts out that it seems personal that Summer does not want Nick to meet her family. I love that he is blurting this all out and then looks at his wife confused because he is not sure why everyone is acting all weird at his comments.
Nick and Summer walk in a park and she tells him that she does not bring him home because her family is traditional. So bringing him home would mean a lot more than normal. After dinner Summer and Nick walk in a park and tell each other how they feel. She also invites him to her grandma’s birthday party. While they are kissing a photographer catches them and takes lots of pictures.
They are SO CUTE! He is holding her shoes and holding hands! They start kissing and it is adorable! BUT ruined by the photographers!
To prep Nick for her family she is giving him the low down on each member of her family.
I love that she does this because this is so typical!
At the Grandma’s dinner, Summer wanted to keep it from her family who he was. But her brother, Alex recognized who he was. So, the dinner was super awkward because Summer’s dad, Antonio does not approve at all. Nick confesses his love for Summer and Summer tells her dad that they have been friends for 15 years. Antonio does not take any of this well and dinner is ruined.
Nick head over to Antonio while he is working on his car and helps him. Nick talks to Antonio and Antonio tells him that Summer was bullied in school, this is why he is protective over her. He explains why Summer is the way she is. In school she was bullied because she has immigrant parents who had accents. When she entered a school show n tell to sing, her fellow classmates started to call her names. Nick makes up with Antonio. Nick plays the guitar for the family and Antonio starts to dance to it and shows off his dance moves.
Summer and Nick see on TV that the pictures of them kissing are all over the media. She is upset about it because she didn’t want her life to be so public and out in the open and she doesn’t want random people taking photos of her. So they break up.
I love, Love, LOVE that Summer’s grandma tells it like it is. She is the most realest person I think I have seen in a Hallmark movie. She tells Summer to not be dumb and that her and Nick have been friends for 15 years.
There is a part where Summer tells Alyssa to play Mendez Boys. Nick’s old boy band. I laughed so hard because instead of Alexa they say Alyssa.
Nick plays his show and Summer does not know if she should go to the concert. Summer ends up going and Nick pulls her on stage to sing with him.
Dudes. In this House of Blues looking place, it is EMPTY. You would think they would have filled the place with extras. Like come on. Fill it more than just half the room.
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