Introduction
Just in time for the St Patrick’s Day holiday, Netflix releases their latest Lindsay Lohan offering. You may remember her for her most successful Netflix holiday rom-com, Falling for Christmas which earned her first Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes in ten years. This one won’t topple her record. Of course, I had to view it for one of my contributions to the annual #begorrathon and #ReadingIrelandMonth hosted yearly by Cathy at 746 Books.
Blurb
When the love of her life gets engaged to her friend, Maddie puts her feelings aside to be a bridesmaid at their wedding in Ireland. Days before the wedding, Maddie makes a spontaneous wish for true love, only to wake up as the bride-to-be.
My Thoughts
Madeline (Maddie) Kelly is in love with an author whose book she’s been editing, Paul Kennedy played by Alexander Vlahos.
She hasn’t shared that tidbit with her two best friends, only her mother, played by Jane Seymour. She is celebrating his book release party and hoping he’ll confess he feels the same for her. He doesn’t. No, he proposes she edits his next book and when she introduces her friends, there is an obvious connection between him and BFF Emma.
Yes, we rolled out the insta-love and ALL the clichés they could think of for this one! (I think the one that annoys me most is the suddenly clumsy persona.) And just like that, they are on their way to a destination wedding in Ireland, the “Kennedy House.” (The home is actually a historic private estate and working farm known as the Killruddery House and breathtakingly gorgeous.)
Okay, throw in all the usual silliness (including the aforementioned clumsiness), the introduction of James Thomas who will be the wedding photographer played by Ed Speleers. The scene with Saint Brigid is beautiful and I wondered at times if colors were enhanced or scenes graphically adjusted. It is, after all, a travelogue and they don’t miss much including Westport and the Cliffs of Moher.
Well, Saint Brigid worked her magic, but it doesn’t quite work as Maddie is soon to realize. As the priest said, she has a sense of humor…”She may not give you what you want, but she’ll always give you what you need.” In this case, another old saying comes to mind.
The movie also stars Jane Seymour, Elizabeth Tan, and Ayesha Curry, and is directed by Janeen Damian and written by Kirsten Hansen.
The critics have had a field day with this romp into unreality or fantasy borrowing from every slick production tried before. I loved the comments by top critic Kevin MaherTimes (UK) who noted on Rotten Tomatoes, “It’s genuinely terrible, but also oddly watchable.” Due in no small part, I’m sure, to the cinematography.
I’m still scratching my head over the costume changes from smart, professional to hausfrau once she arrives in Ireland. 
What was that all about? I didn’t notice the other characters dressing down and for me stood in jarring contrast to the historic majesty of the estate in particular, if not to the support characters.
Rotten Tomatoes, by the way, as of this writing puts it at 35%, although that appears to be changing. Perhaps the viewing public is starved for a light-hearted trope. Indeed, it appears that just days after release the movie hit the Netflix top ten rankings. How long has it been since Netflix had a general change-up of their roster?
Perhaps I should mention that I’m not a fan of Lindsay Lohan, her level of acting in contrast to most of the rest of the notable cast, with some exceptions. If you are looking for a whimsy rom-com with fantasy overload and some adolescent dialogue, you may well enjoy this piece of fluff.
While I would agree Paul was not a good choice (don’t get me started on the would be mother-in-law), neither would I have said an itinerant photographer would be a solid choice. But then, I’m obviously looking on the practical side and I’m telling you, Saint Brigid or not, that couple couldn’t have worked either.
Kinda like the movie.
It’s out now and streaming on Netflix.
©2024 V Williams
Attributes: House Beautiful
Rotten Tomatoes
Games Radar
imdb.com
Official Release Poster
Thank you so much for the share!
I was torn on watching this . . . thanks for helping me make up my mind LOL.
you’re welcome. was it a yay or nay?
I thought this looked like one of those movies that was so bad it might actually be good fun!
HA! and you would be right! i’m sure you must have heard my groan the first time Maddie (Lindsay) started tripping over her own feet–knew what i was in for.
Well, with that recommendation, how can I not watch. 🤣 I do love a good Hallmark, rom-com, fluffy movie as an easy to watch, no brainer, so I will watch this one. I will add it to my Reading Ireland post when I do. Interesting about the costume changes though. I will have to check that out. Wonderful review, Virginia, I love your thoughts.
LOL, true. I agreed with that one critic. i loved the scenes of Ireland, of course, and the colors, particularly on the wishing bench, were so striking, vivid–a treat for the eyes. fantasy enhanced? not sure. you’ll have to read some of the critics reviews–they are a hoot. in any case, very timely.