A Taste of Romance (2012)

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

I knew this was a Hallmark film so needless to say my expectations were not very high. But to my surprise, I found myself not only entertained by A Taste of Romance, but actually liking it and being moved by it. The story is simple: two restaurants clash, but then the uptight owner of one and the down to earth owner of the other start growing fond of each other. There's romance in the air! It's really quite good how everything plays out, the performances all around are much better than expected for a TV movie, especially a Hallmark one. Teri Polo, Bailee Madison, and James Patrick Stuart work well together, their interactions work. The film is very obvious, lacks any subtleties, buts that's my only major complaint about it.It's not a good movie by Hollywood standards, but it's a good TV movie.

A Taste of Romance is one of the better made and more enjoyable Hallmark films. Sarah Westbrook (Teri Polo) and Gill Callahan (Jame Patrick Stuart) are complete opposites who own and run neighboring restaurants with polar-opposite strengths. Both characters initially seem unlikeable as they clash with each other, but we (the audience) start to genuinely like them as they first slowly learn to co-exist, and then become attracted to each other. The catalyst for their budding romance is Gill's young daughter, Hannah -who is beautifully acted by Bailee Madison.Indeed, a great strength of this movie is that it is well-acted and has characters you can believe in. Teri Polo does a fine job of portraying a complicated woman whose passions and hangups are a significant barrier to new romance. James Patrick Stuart manages to bring warmth and likability to the male romantic lead role. And Bailee Madison delivers one of the best and most believable depictions of a young child that I have seen in a Hallmark TV movie. I do wish there had been a bit more chemistry between the romantic leads - perhaps, a few more lingering looks, a few more tears when setbacks occur. But the feel-good ending is emotionally satisfying and delivers what the Hallmark audience wants. And the story that brings us to that ending never makes us roll our eyes in disbelief nor does it fail to hold our interest. A well-done movie!Recommended.

LOUD music. this TV movie's scenario premise is just too absurd. the guy, a widower with a teenage daughter, leased a space for his junk pizza business, from day 1 when he started the remodeling of his joint, he brought in radio and turned its volume to the extreme, bombarded the neighboring french restaurant. well, here's the first stupid arrangement to have a red-neck pizza joint next to a classy french restaurant. may i ask, what kind business neighborhood is this? how come a guy could be such an arse as a retired fireman when his neighbor complaining the loud and very disturbing music, his answer and response to such complaints would be, so what? this is a free country, i have the right to turn my music volume as loud as i like. no wonder this rude and arrogant bastard's wife would die so early. the causes of her death were obvious: his arrogance and his deafening loud music. the daughter role is very likable and, the french chef, a beautiful female, an American sweetheart, neither needed such arse to be either the father or the next-door neighbor business owner. file a complaint to the landlord and to the city for noise control code. romance? not in a million years!

For a TV movie, this was an engaging movie, but the highlight for me was Bailee Madison. Before this movie, I was not familiar with this very talented and versatile young actor, though now I realize that I have seen some of her other work. She was great! She convincingly rides the emotional gamut in a childlike manner that was refreshing. I found Teri Polo's acting a bit over the top with how uptight she was, but maybe there are actually people out there like that. She did refresh my "how to make a bechamel sauce" skills. Her assistant chef, Romy Rosemont, had perfect timing again and again, and was the one who consistently made me laugh. It is a movie with no real surprises, but for me, it hit the sweet spot on love.