Love on the Vines (2017) Margo Harshman, Steve Talley, Brittany Underwood, Catherine Mary Stewart, Samantha Figura Movie Review

Love on the Vines (2017)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Steve Talley in Love on the Vines (2017)

Harvest at the Vineyard

When her uncle died Diana (Margo Harshman - Sorority Row), a busy city lawyer, gets a call from the local lawyer, Jill Hanson (Catherine Mary Stewart - A Christmas Snow), as she is named in his will. It seems that her uncle divided his vineyard equally between Diana and his foreman, Seth (Steve Talley - Beyond the Blackboard), who just happens to be Diana's former boyfriend from when they were at college together. But there is a stipulation in the will as they must work together to bring in the final harvest in order for them to inherit or else the whole estate will be put up for auction. Whilst Diana and Seth try to work together local businessman Grant Garritson (Jack Wagner - The Wedding March 2: Resorting to Love), who has been after the vineyard for ages, sees this as the perfect time to try and buy it. Meanwhile Grant's son Paul (Parker Harris) has eyes for a Amelia (Brittany Underwood) who works at the town's diner run by Jill Hanson's daughter Suzy (Samantha Figura).

Maybe it is just me but when you compare the made for TV movies which are currently being shown on Pixl with those on the Hallmark Channel there seems to be one significant difference, the Pixl movies tend to have more subplots and character connections. Maybe it is just my imagination but take "Love on the Vines" which at its heart features the familiar set up of old college sweethearts working together in order to get an inheritance. It is extremely typical from the setting being a vineyard to there being a businessman on the prowl who wants to snap up the property. It doesn't take a genius to know where this part of "Love on the Vines" is heading and it is pleasant enough in an easy to watch kind of way.

Margo Harshman in Love on the Vines (2017)

But as I said there seems to be more going on in a Pixl movie than in other TV movies, as such in "Love on the Vines" we have the cold hearted businessman Grant wanting his son Paul to date someone he deems appropriate and so a waitress is not. There is also the elements of the local lawyer Jill Henson not only being mother to Suzy who runs the diner but also a silent partner in the business. In many ways it is these subplots and character connections which gives "Love on the Vines" that extra layer of entertainment. And as such the likes of Jack Wagner, Catherine Mary Stewart and Brittany Underwood all have bigger parts to play than just showing up to fill in the gaps. As for the leads, Margo Harshman and Steve Talley, they are pleasant although the romantic chemistry doesn't really materialise.

What this all boils down to is that "Love on the Vines" has that easy to watch nature of a made for TV romantic drama but also with it being a Pixl movie it feels more rounded with subplots surrounding supporting characters having more of a part to play in the overall story.


LATEST REVIEWS