Hallmark Movie Review: ‘Autumn In The City’

When you come to New York, you truly are here for a specific reason. Sometimes you don’t know what that is – but we’ll firmly believe that it can be boiled down to two things – to find yourself or to find love.

We’ll put finding ones passion under the same heading as finding ones self. And that’s exactly what idealistic Piper is doing, heading to New York to find herself and her passion.

And boy does she get lucky with the apartment she finds in the West Village and the hot guy across the hall.

Autumn in the City is reminding me of the reasons that I moved to New York. But nothing more about that. Lets get to the movie.

Austin is a New Yorker, lived his entire life in the city. He is the quintessential New Yorker and he’s doing everything that he can to chase his passion – even if it’s not with the silver spoon influence that his mother yields.

Two people from completely different worlds, just living their best lives in New York and trying to chase their dreams. Each are chasing them in different ways, but we know from the beginning that these two are going to keep crossing paths and what it’s going to give us is a great Hallmark enemies to lovers trope movie.

And that, our friends, makes our fangirl hearts so happy.

Autumn in the City, is the quintessential story. Girl moves to New York to find herself, finds love and her dreams, but not before experiencing some heartaches along the way. Sure, if you get really technical, there’s a lot of stuff that wouldn’t happen – like Washington Square Park being that empty for instance. BUT, it’s a movie and you need to let the what couldn’t be true be, and live for the moments.

Because that’s what this movie is – a lot of moments that remind you that you need to be honest with yourself and others.

Now, we will say this, we went into this movie, hoping to love it, because it has three of our favorite things – New York, Aimee Teegarden, and Evan Roderick. What we found was that those three things were a big part of what we loved about the movie. But at the very heart of what we loved was the way that this movie had us wanting to fall in love with New York again.

After all, New York is the greatest city in the world.

Early on, we find out Austin wants to write children’s books, but his Mom doesn’t think that is something important. She wants him to follow in her footsteps and become a journalist. So, she’s set up an “interview” for him at the New York Chronicle.

Piper has moved to the city from Omaha, and has given herself two months to figure out her passion. Now, two months is no time in the city, so there is a part of me that is cringing at this thing. But, I do know that it is a movie and I do know that i have to separate the reality from the fiction.

Austin and Piper do not hit it off, but I don’t really feel like it’s enemies. I feel like it’s because they are both struggling to find their way and come from two very different worlds. Omaha and New York are completely different worlds.

The thing about New York is that there is something for everyone. Piper does find her place – by tasting Pumpkin Bread of all things (she is more courageous than all of us, because as a New Yorker, I would never).

Enter Will and Toby – husbands who have opened the Keystone Cafe, for anyone new to the city. Will is exactly like Piper. He came to the city to reinvent himself and was able to do just that, but understands that can be overwhelming. But there is a place in New York for everyone.

Turns out that Austin knows the cafe well, and is surprised when he finds Piper there. Will and Toby warmed up to her, faster than they ever did to him. But it’s because these two get involved that these two let their walls down a little bit and get to know each other.

Austin really is the quintessential New Yorker. Piper things that because of his cynicism that New York holds no magic for him. But that is definitely not it. New York holds magic, but he’s a New Yorker, he’s supposed to hate everything. Doesn’t mean that he doesn’t recognize the beauty of the city.

“I always pictured it in the summer, but it’s better in the fall. It’s beautiful.”

-Austin

The thing about different points of view is that they can help you see the beauty in differences, but also see how sometimes you really aren’t that far off from searching for the same thing. You’re just trying to find a way to reach that point. You’re trying to find some sort of hope.

And for Piper and Austin they are both doing that. They’re looking for some hope in a place that they feel really lost in. But for me – it’s what Austin and Piper pull out of each other and the two that see that they just need a little guidance. It’s the guidance that they are given from Will and Toby, may just make them find what they’ve been looking for all along.

When Will and Toby set them up on a date, which is the quintessential movie NY date, a picnic in the park. Personally, a dollar slice and a walk is always better, but maybe that’s just me.

It’s that date though that changes everything for the two of them and they are able to find a common thread that keeps them wanting to get to know more about each other. And hey, when you want to know more about each other, you spend more time together.

Austin and Piper go to dinner with his Mom, where we get to see more of why he wants to not follow in her footsteps, but also how his Mom is consistently over stepping. She wants something more for her son, because she couldn’t give that to him.

What we also get to see is the way that Austin feels inferior to his Mom’s expectations. That’s kind of the beauty of seeing him progress and evolve. Piper bring the beauty of him – the part of him that believes in himself and the things that he can do.

Austin submits his book and he has this pitch that he has to do to make it a series. Over time, he realizes that he wants Piper to illustrate the presentation. What he does is bring out of her the ability to believe in herself.

But as he has disappointment after disappointment with the women in his life, with Piper he finds a belief in himself. But one can get blinded from belief when dreams come true. When he should stand up for Piper is when he looses focus the most. But what upset me the most was that he took Piper’s feelings for granted.

Rather than cop up to the fact that he didn’t fight for Piper’s illustrations, he sets her up to – well not necessarily fail – but also no succeed. He sets himself up to have a cop out. He doesn’t do what he should do as a human being.

Ultimately, Piper’s two months ends in New York, and it’s her 30th birthday. She’s ready to leave, and is about to, but Will and Toby remind her that she has to be her own champion, which leads her back to Austin’s Mom, and ultimately fighting for herself.

And yes, don’t you worry, we get the happy ending – Austin and Piper together. She gets to illustrate the book that he wrote. They are a package deal. She stood up for herself, before he stood up for her. But he did. And she did.

The point is that they found each other.

As a person who has moved to New York to try to find herself, I appreciate movies like this. Movies that make me believe in hope and dreams and remind me that I live in the greatest city in the world.

OTHER THOUGHTS

• I wish that Washington Square Park was ever that empty. I’d spend a lot more time there.
• Austin and the bottle of wine, knocking on the door late… I laughed. Also 9pm is early.
• Austin’s Mom is a lot.
• The way that Piper and Austin move in unison and the little looks that they give each other… loving every moment.
• Aimee Teegarden and Evan Roderick are our new favorite Hallmark couple. More movies together please.
• This is a Hallmark Channel movie that we’ll watch on repeat.

Autumn in the City airs on The Hallmark Channel.