Harvest Moon (2015)

Very well executed

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Having moved from the city to the country, this is probably my favourite city/ country movie, even allowing for the fact that it is Hallmark and cheesy (aren't they all?). We're not true country folk - we can't talk about how many generations we've been in the valley - but there are few errors in the film that made us laugh. They're 'mistakes' but somehow they make the movie even more enjoyable. The fence didn't fall down. It's not a fence but a cockie's gate - I believe they're called wire gates in the US. Wire gates have their uses but if Brett wants to keep the cows, he's going to have to use something a lot stronger. Don't ask how we know. Brett tells Jen to leave her fencing tools in the paddock, even though a storm is coming. No, just no. Even if they're stainless steel, we don't know a farmer who would leave their tools in the paddock. Finding them again is part of the problem. They get up on horses to ride around the property. A few minutes later they would be back off again, instead of riding around romantically. 40 acres would probably suffice for a pumpkin farm. Add the homestead and the barns and that's it. No room for the wide open grazing land shown in the movie. 40 acres is a big walk but it's not the Ponderosa! A lighthearted enjoyable movie nonetheless .

It's been done over and over : rich city girl, country boy, both come from different worlds so surely they can't get along?Well it's a hallmark movie so of course they do! Throw in the obligatory rich girl falling in a muddy puddle, and the country boy thinking she's too stuck up to get along with him or his family, and you have all the classics of a harmless family movie.Put it on in the background while you're doing something else and don't take it too seriously ! - nice gentle but predictable... no spoilers needed as you can already guess what is going to happen ... and you'd be correct !

The socialite daughter (Jenny played by Jessy Schram) finds that her family is bankrupt leaving her with only one asset to return prosperity to her & her Dad, but a pumpkin farm seems little more than a plot of land. This city girl is determined to turn a quick profit with a sale of the land, but finds that on face value to sell the farm would provide little of her financial needs. For those of us who have enjoyed farm life to one extent or another, her first meeting with the farm operator is NOT to be missed as Jenny maintains her dignity, in spite of mutually blindsided greeting with Brett. Jenny meets the family takes a tour of the farm before returning home. In keeping with her lifestyle, she decides the farm's value would improve with a "makeover", which she provides from her energy, personality and charm in spite of her lack of knowledge about farm life. She returns to the farm to get the feel of farming and readies herself for her "early start" at 9AM start.A strange noise sends her running for help when she again collides with Brett. He identifies the sound as the family rooster who signaled the start of the work day at 5AM. Initiation into farm life can be hard and tasks have her doing things not really needed and her pay is a sunburn from a day in short shorts and without a hat. Brett's daughter, seeing her discomfort provides the family's formulated pumpkin skin cream that quickly soothes the discomfort from the sun.As Jenny learns the routines and pitfalls they often remind Brett of his wife's tragic death that tears at his heart, even as he is drawn closer to Jenny because of her enthusiasm and positive outlook focused on the success of the farm and the energy she has restored to a family that in a single car accident lost two parents and Brett's wife.The community coming together for an injured neighbor holds a dance to help him. Brett's brother can't dance and resists a charming waitress's hints that she wants him to take her to the event. Jenny then takes the time to teach him even as she continues with her seemingly magical way she works and bonds with the family.Being style smart, she passes a sample of the pumpkin cream to her best friend to evaluate when she goes back to the city after the dance. As Brett and Jenny dance, her best friend overhears the initial tricks played on Jenny and how she could have lost the farm. Heartbroken Jenny leaves to sell the farm as is until her friend arrives just in time with important news.I love this Hallmark movie, perhaps more than any other. Jessy Schram shines in this upbeat tale of two romances and a "Song to Sing" performances that will delight you from start to finish. Those last five minutes must not be missed!

This is perhaps one of Hallmark's poorest attempts at a holiday movie.Though Hallmark is not known for high quality work, there have been notable exceptions, such as Betty White in The Lost Valentine.In general, their movies are more than a bit trite but with decent morals to them. They are often along the lines of The Christmas Carol format, with the bad characters realizing that they have hearts of gold. That makes them quite suitable family fare.This movie does not meet even that standard. The female lead starts off as the Scrooge-type. Which would have been fine if the male lead wasn't as black-hearted as she was. In fact, most all of the characters in this movie were along that line.Both characters do change, but are parted. How they are reunited is a love story told for Wall Street.