Sunday, April 10, 2022

Movie: Hearts Down Under (2020) ***

 This movie is also called Romance on the Menu. 

A fancy NYC restaurateur, Caroline, inherits a café in Australia. She visits Down Under and decides to sell the café because she doesn't think she can maintain both restaurants. The staff decide to mount a campaign to get her to maintain ownership, and the cafe's cook, is a handsome fellow. You know what happens. At the climactic point in the movie, her ex from NYC, Nathaniel, shows up in Australia and professes his love. Nathaniel wasn't trying to be controlling or overstep, he just thought he was being romantic, but instead of treating him like a misunderstood man, Caroline treated him like he was an asshole, literally kicking him to the curb in another country. 

The writers let this trope play out like normal, but it would have been a breath of fresh air if Caroline would have turned to Cook and explained the misunderstanding before she took Nathaniel aside to explain to him her feelings. This actually goes back to the beginning: Caroline should have just explained how she felt abandoned and wasn't interested in him anymore instead of avoiding and putting off Nathaniel. But yeah... I know that feeling of wanting to avoid hard conversations, so that's relatable. 

Anyway, this was an enjoyable film. I like actress Cindy Busby (Heartland, Christmas In Royal Fashion). I like travel stories. I like women discovering and pursuing their happiness.