I know that I sound like a broken record, but I am really loving the changes and growth that Hallmark is showing. Romance With A Twist felt like we were revisiting some of the old and mixing it with the new. It was a mix of a formula (that works and that we love) and a mix of unpredictability. Romance With A Twist was a gift – a gift to remind us that love is everywhere if you just let down your guard.
But it was also a slap to my face, as I will be the first to say that feelings are my enemy, but this movie told me to snap out of it.
Love is everywhere.
But as I sit here and complain about yet another movie reminding me to take stock of the things around me, to allow people in, and to live life to it’s fullest, I have no right to complain. My therapist (yes, I have talked to my therapist about my love for Hallmark movies) says that sometimes what we love watching things that challenge our feelings that we have become comfortable settling in and reminding us that we need to let go.
Like the movie said, “I let fear become my boss.”
Fear sometimes takes hold, but letting fear take hold denies us the thing that well, most of us crave the most… a love story.
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Luna (Jocelyn Hudon) is a former dancer who left that dream behind for a grounded life managing her family’s construction business. She steps into a life changing opportunity when she takes a job turning a gymnasium into a studio for aerials. As she finishes up the job, she can’t resist giving the silks a try, just to see if she’s still got it. She’s transported back to her days on stage for just a moment before Bennett (Oliver Renaud), a professional aerialist, interrupts her…and he’s rather annoyed to find his contractor messing around on the silks. The studio is now ready for rehearsals for the local Hazelton Arts Festival where Bennett will perform an aerial duet in a show stopping finale. The only problem is his partner has bailed at the last minute and he can’t do it alone. With the festival just a few short weeks away, Bennett agrees to partner up with Luna, who is eager to prove herself and get back on stage. Soon enough she faces the challenge of a lifetime as they rehearse for the show. As the hard work of this dynamic sport teaches them both to face their fears and brings them closer together, will their relationship crash or will they find a way to reach new heights?
WHAT IT INSPIRED ME TO DO: Strengthen my core. Like for real, gotta do a lot of work on our core. There is no way I could pull myself up on a silk. It would not and could not happen. But I really did feel like looking into thing
WHO STOOD OUT: Jocelyn Hudon and Oliver Renaud both stood out. At first I was gonna give all the praise to Hudon, but as the movie went on, I saw what it meant for them both to be on screen together. It was innocence, it was strength. It was everything that I didn’t know was needed, but it was performances that made us really believe that they were falling in love.
THE FESTIVAL ASPECT: Yes, I am completely over festivals in movies, but this one was so secondary, I didn’t care. It was more about the show.
ALL THE FEELS: We all make sacrifices in our lives for the people that we love. It’s something that happens and sometimes we end up settling and forgetting what we want to do. For Luna, she came home to work in her families business when they needed her. But construction isn’t what she wants to do.
Not even close.
Bennett has returned to town to perform in the festival that his sister is in charge of. He wants to be there for her, knowing he’s let her down before. He’s kinda an ass and is really guarded. When he tell his sister that his partner isn’t coming (she got a part in a Rhianna video – which hey, we wish one was coming) she insists that he gets one.
And that partner ends up being Luna. It’s her chance to follow her dreams, even though Bennett seems dead set against helping her with anything. He doesn’t want to make a connection. He doesn’t want to acknowledge that she’s trying. Forget saying that she’s doing a good job.
Instead he’s determined to not make a human connection. He doesn’t think that she can learn arial stunts and only agrees to train her for two weeks. The issue is that over those two weeks the two start to fall for each other.
I think that part of the joy of Hallmark movies – or you know any movie where you watch people fall in love, is the path. The path from enemies or hating each other to love is never linear. What it is though, is something that we all experience. It’s not always romantic love and it’s not always falling in love with people. Sometimes it is a journey back to your dreams, your life, and your soul. Falling in love can be multi layered.
For Luna and Bennett it is layered. Allowing their walls down; allowing people in: allowing themselves to chase their dreams.
The tension was there between the two of them. But what I appreciated about this movie was there was no huge fight that led them to not talking and having to overcome things. There was just life. It was the challenges that they had in life that made them move forward and find a common ground and a connection. I loved that it just felt natural.
The fear of moving forward in life was there for both, but they were the change – hell, the motivation – that each needed to realize that they weren’t living. They were existing.
While Romance with a Twist wasn’t my favorite, it was good. To me it had perfect timing. Valentines Day is around the corner and hey, we all need a moment to remember that we are worthy of love.
