Pour The Wine, It's Rom-Com Time
Welcome to Pour The Wine, It’s Rom-Com Time! Join your hosts Garry & Amy as they sip, laugh, and review the latest Hallmark movies and shows. From swoon worthy meet cutes to over the top plot twists, they dissect it all with humor, honesty, and a little bit of wine fueled sass. Whether you're a die hard Hallmark fan or just looking for a cozy, entertaining escape, this podcast is your go to for heartwarming moments, cheesy dialogue, and plenty of laughs. Top off your glass, and press play! Cheers!
*Pour The Wine, It's Rom-Com Time is not affiliated with Hallmark Media*
Pour The Wine, It's Rom-Com Time
Hallmark's Much About Love
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A Hallmark rom-com, Shakespeare, outdoor theater, and a war of wits make Much About Love a super cozy and enjoyable watch. We’re pouring the wine and diving into Hallmark’s festival set romance starring Ashley Williams and Niall Matter.
We unpack the big moments, from the re-meet-cute and playful banter to the story’s Much Ado About Nothing roots and its nods to The Taming of the Shrew and even Romeo and Juliet. We’re also looking at the details that bring the festival world to life, from the costumes and production design to the music.
Then we get into what works, what wobbles, and whether “festival love” really holds up. We talk showmances, the emotional comedown after a production ends, and whether the conflicts feel believable. And, of course, we dive into THE burger-and-beer date, and how a paper-covered table, crayons, and teary eyes make for one of Hallmark’s most unexpectedly creative romantic moments.
Pour yourself a beverage, get cozy, and press play! Cheers!
Send us an email to pourthewineitsromcomtime@gmail.com! We'd love to hear your thoughts!
Music from #Uppbeat
Welcome And Pop Culture News
SPEAKER_03Welcome to Pour the Wine. It's rom com time where we'll sip some wine and review all things rom com on the Hallmark channel. I'm Amy.
SPEAKER_00And I'm Gary. And what do you have for us on Heard It Through the Grapevine?
SPEAKER_03Heard It Through the Grapevine. Well, today I don't have any Hallmark-related news, but we have had a few things come out about other things.
SPEAKER_00Ooh, do tell.
SPEAKER_03Would you like to hear it?
SPEAKER_00Do tell.
SPEAKER_03Drumbert. All right. So first there was a post by Tom Cruise and Ann Hathaway. Days of Thunder. The sequel is coming to theaters in 2020. Days of Thunder. Days of Thunder. Now Days of Thunder was released in 1990. And I was working in a movie theater at that time. And so I used to get to go and I loved loved that movie. I got to sit and watch the movie. If there was downtime, it was pretty cool. I loved the soundtrack. I had the soundtrack on CD.
SPEAKER_00When movies had soundtracks.
SPEAKER_03When when when the yeah when movies had soundtracks. I am what I love, it it's another movie. We've talked about Serendipity, which we're going to talk about again in just a little bit. Um, Serendipity has like my all-time favorite scene in a movie ever. And we've talked about it. Go listen to our review. We just did a review of Serendipity. But this one is really close. This one has my second most favorite, but it's really close. And there's a there's a scene with Robert Duvall, and he's, you know, walking around the car and he's talking to the car and he's kind of telling it what he wants the car to do, what he's gonna do to it to make it work the way he needs it to work, and the way Cold Trickle needs it to work in Days of Thunder. So, which is Tom Cruise's character, of course. I think it's Cold Trickle, is that right? I don't know. Anywho, um, but I just love that scene. And of course, you know, Robert Duval passed away, I think within the past year. And um, so it's just it's kind of cool that they're gonna remake it. A lot of people are kind of talking about the age difference between Tom Cruise and Anne Hathaway, but we don't know that she's his love interest, we don't know anything about it yet. Right. Um, the sequel is coming, so they're not remaking it, but it's a sequel.
SPEAKER_00So what do you think? Yeah, and it's not gonna be released until 2028.
SPEAKER_032028, I believe. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, you know, Ann Hathaway is pregnant right now, so it's not like they can film it right now, anyway. So, or maybe he can film some of his parts. Yeah, she's gonna have the baby and then they're gonna film it, and then it'll be fine, and then by the time it comes out, the baby will be like a year and a half two years.
SPEAKER_00I'm surprised Tom Cruise isn't saying, suck it up, let's go, let's do the stuff.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. So I'm pretty, I'm actually pretty excited about that.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_03So it's pretty cool. And then the other news is that serendipity is getting a redo or a remake. I'm not quite sure how that's gonna go down. Michael Showwater is going to be directing it, and I am not here for that one. Not here for it.
SPEAKER_00I'm just not I know they'll never be able to duplicate the uh first one.
SPEAKER_03So oh my god, I'm just like, don't touch it, don't touch it. I mean, I know people remake things and I know they extend them, and but I I just I feel like that is just and it's not even it wasn't even out that long ago.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_03Right? It's like what, 25 years old?
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03I mean, give it another 25 years, then remake it, right? Like at least give it 50 years or something. I don't know. I just wasn't happy to see that, read it, so I'm not here for that. We love, adore the original.
unknownDon't touch it.
SPEAKER_03Don't touch it.
SPEAKER_00Touch it.
SPEAKER_03So that's my hurt it through the grapefind news.
Movie Setup And Cast Details
SPEAKER_00All right. Well, let's get into the movie.
SPEAKER_03All right, let's get into the real reason we're here. Today we're gonna be reviewing the second Fall Into Love movie of 2026, Much About Love. This had a working title of nothing but love, and it actually is listed on in IMDB that way. However, if you search for Much About Love, it will populate. Go figure. Much about love populates. I don't know. Anywho, it aired on the Hallmark channel on Saturday, August 29th, 2026, and is streaming on Hallmark Plus right now. It stars Ashley Williams as Bia and Niall Mater as Benny. Now, neither of these two really need an introduction, do they? I mean, they're icons of Hallmark at this point, right? We last saw both Ashley and Niall in a 2025 Countdown to Christmas movie. Ashley was in an Alpine holiday, and Niall was in We Met in December, which we adored.
SPEAKER_01We loved it.
SPEAKER_03Oh my gosh. Speaking of serendipity, that's very serendipity-esque. Yes, it is. Now both will appear during 2026 Countdown to Christmas. Ashley is going to be in a yet untitled movie with Alice and Sweeney, Sweeney, Sweenel. Sweeney. I was putting her and Niall together. And Niall will be in a Grand Biltmore Christmas.
SPEAKER_01Ooh, can't wait for that one.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Well, the Ashley and Allison one, I'm I'm looking forward to that one too. Even though we don't have a title yet, we don't know what it's about yet.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. I'm looking forward to that one too. They were great in uh the two Barcelona movies.
SPEAKER_03Yes, yes. All right. So I'm gonna mention a few of the supporting casts because we had a pretty solid supporting cast in this one. Um the I guess I'll talk about the four actors who are in the Shakespeare play. Right.
unknownRight.
SPEAKER_03Lindura is Hannah, Jonathan Sausa is Clay. Um Ma Moni Agonsui. Hopefully I didn't butcher that too much. I apologize. She is Maggie, and Cody Ray Thompson is Don. We also see Jennifer Dale as Bia's mom, Tony. Yeah, and Paul Bronstein is Doug, the stage manager, which we got a kick out of.
SPEAKER_00We gotta kick out of Doug.
SPEAKER_03The composer is Christian Bergheim. The costume designer is Noah Chatters, or Chatters, maybe Chatters, and the production designer is Chloe Olson. Yeah. I have a feeling we'll be talking maybe a little bit about each of those things in our review.
SPEAKER_00I believe so. So much about love was inspired by William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. Of course. Ashley and her husband, Neil Dotson, developed the story, wrote, and produced it. Woo! Well, that's a lot of work to do right there. It's actually based on their own love story and their love of Shakespeare and Shakespeare festivals.
SPEAKER_03Festivals. That's Shakespeare.
SPEAKER_00I was trying to get into costume, right? I was trying to get into it, into character. This is Ashley and Neil's Hallmark debut as writers.
SPEAKER_03Yay, congratulations. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Both have actually produced several Hallmark movies as well. Neil was EP on Fallen Together, Love Classified, and the Sister Swap movies. While Ashley was EP on Small Town Setup, the two Barcelona movies, Falling Together, and the Sister Swap movies.
SPEAKER_03I love that that they're executive producing these movies also. So cool. Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00But what's interesting is I noticed on IMDb that they both are EPs on an upcoming movie called A Christmas Through Your Eyes.
SPEAKER_03Oh. Dun dun dun.
SPEAKER_00That could be a good thing.
SPEAKER_03That's interesting.
SPEAKER_00Not sure if it's Hallmark, but it is directed by Peter Benson and written by Nicole Dresspel, who wrote Hallmark's The Finish Line and Mystic Christmas. And maybe a countdown to Christmas movie?
SPEAKER_03I don't know. Maybe. That's pretty cool.
SPEAKER_00Yes.
SPEAKER_03Christmas Through Your Eyes. I wonder if that title will stay.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's a kind of unique title.
SPEAKER_03So Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00I don't know if it's gonna stick, but we shall see.
SPEAKER_03That would be pretty cool if they I wonder if Ashley's gonna be in it.
SPEAKER_00I hope so.
SPEAKER_03As well. Yes. As the Allison Sweeney one.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_03She could be in it also. That would be pretty cool. I mean, Peter Benson, he's yeah. It's gotta be a Hallmark one, right?
SPEAKER_00It's a Hallmark one.
SPEAKER_03I don't know. Well, we don't know that for sure.
SPEAKER_00Come on now.
SPEAKER_03You got also that's pretty cool.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Also credited as a writer is Ramona Barquette. Ramona has one other Hallmark credit, twas the date before Christmas. Uh Shemin Sharif directed much about love. Shemim last directed six episodes of The Way Home.
SPEAKER_03Which Well, we love that.
SPEAKER_00And wish Hallmark would bring it back.
SPEAKER_03We wish Hallmark or someone.
SPEAKER_00Or Netflix.
SPEAKER_03If the train has left the station at Hallmark, Netflix could pick it up. Hulu, someone, come on, Prime, Amazon Prime.
SPEAKER_00So much more story to tell with that.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. All right.
Synopsis And Spoiler Warning
SPEAKER_00All right. So time to drop the synopsis.
SPEAKER_03All right. A TV director returns to her theater roots for a Shakespeare festival and runs into an old flame, rekindling a merry war of wits in the modern retelling of Much Ado About Nothing.
SPEAKER_00So this is the part of the podcast where we tell you we're going to drop some spoilers. So if you haven't seen the movie yet, turn us off, go watch it, come back, turn us back on, listen to our review, and let us know down in the comments what you think.
SPEAKER_03Well, I think we're going to talk about one scene. Are we going to give details about that specific scene?
SPEAKER_00You know what? It's been all over social media. Okay, okay. So we're gonna we are. How about that?
SPEAKER_03And it's great that we both know what scene we're talking about.
SPEAKER_00And as a matter of fact, I believe uh there is a clip from Ashley Williams herself. How they shot that scene.
SPEAKER_03Oh, really?
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Oh.
SPEAKER_00So there you go.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, okay, cool. Look at you. With the with the Instagram peak before the podcast. That's cool. Okay.
SPEAKER_00All right, so you ready to pour this
First Impressions And Shakespeare Vibe
SPEAKER_00out?
SPEAKER_03Let's pour it out. What did you think of this one?
SPEAKER_00There's a lot to unpack.
SPEAKER_03There's a lot to unpack.
SPEAKER_00Um, you know, I thought it was good.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00I enjoyed the the concept of Shakespeare and how it was woven, how three actually Shakespeare plays were woven in into this one movie. The costumes were beautiful.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00The music was good. And I kind of like that live outdoor theater.
SPEAKER_03Yes.
SPEAKER_00I think that's pretty cool because there you you're live. You're on stage and you're outdoors, and live theater is usually live.
SPEAKER_03No, I'm just saying you're you're it was just funny, you're like, you're live, you know, and you're outside, you're in the elements.
SPEAKER_00You're not you don't there's just not the audience, there's the elements, right? Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. But yes. Well, that's true.
SPEAKER_00So yeah, I enjoyed the movie. What'd you think?
SPEAKER_03I really I was just looking up something really quickly before I go. But um I I too, I enjoyed it. I thought I thought it was cute, I thought it was fun. Um, you know, I I I think it it it's difficult this one, right? Because I did like the banter that they had. I loved that they didn't have them hate each other. It was more of like a fun type of banter. It wasn't just like outright hatred towards each other, which I really appreciated. I love how it is a retelling of Much Ado About Nothing because of the four other characters. I thought we had a great supporting cast. Um, you know, I thought, like you said, the costumes were great. I thought the production design of the set itself, I just like the shots that we got. Um the pacing was pretty good. I thought the music was really good. Right. I liked the composed music and the songs, right? So um, so I enjoyed it. I did I think it was like over the top great. No. But I really enjoyed it for what it was. It was just we had a great Saturday night. Now you and I are not, you know, like Shakespeare aficionados. We're I mean, we're fans of Shakespeare, I guess you could say, but I couldn't quote very much or you know, I'm not like super knowledgeable about the plays of Shakespeare. So some of that stuff, I'm sure, is a little over my head. Some of the references and things. Um, but I mean, overall, I would say, and like you said, the outdoor theater part, it reminded me of, you know, we live sort of close to the outer banks of North Carolina, and um in Manio, North Carolina, they have an outdoor theater and it's it's called the Lost Colony. And I have you ever gone to see it?
SPEAKER_00No, I have never been.
SPEAKER_03Right. So um, you know, it's it's a pretty iconic stage, I I guess you could say, um, and people come from all over to go to the lost colony. I believe they only do the play in the summer, I want to say. Right. I'm not 100% certain about that. Um but it's it's pretty cool. It's it's about I was looking it up. It's a story of Sir Walter Raleigh's final expedition to the new world and the 117 men, women, and children who disappear into mystery.
SPEAKER_01Ooh.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. So that tells you a little bit. Um, but it just reminded me of that. It's an outdoor theater, it's kind of cool to go and see that. The vibe of that is really cool, you know. Um, so I I mean I enjoyed it, and the whole Shakespeare festival part of it I thought was kind of cool.
Theater Life And Festival Love
SPEAKER_00Yeah. So I found something interesting, and maybe you've heard of the two terms, but because our kids were in theater, yes, is was the showmances and the festival love.
SPEAKER_03Yes, I was gonna talk about this too. You want to talk about it now? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Why not?
SPEAKER_00I I I never heard of it, but I thought it was pretty cool. I like the names.
SPEAKER_03Well, showman's I don't think I'd I'd heard of it. It's so interesting that you brought this up because, and you know, we'll get further into the review in a little bit, but um, yeah, our kids did a local theater production company. Mine did it for years, yours maybe a couple years.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, but three years.
SPEAKER_03Um, and we were very involved, you know. I did the sound for it, and by sound I mean I push play on a computer, um, you know, for the plays. And they're they're pretty big productions for the area we live in, they're really big productions, actually. And um, my kids got to go and perform on the stage at the Lost Colony, just so you know, in one of the plays. Um, but when you talk about festival love and not about like, you know, grown-ups getting together, but just there's just there's just this camaraderie. When you're doing a play, when you have all of these rehearsals, you do get close. You do become a tight-knit family.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_03And during the show's run, you know, you may, it's it's kind of like a family. You might, you know, you know, you might have arguments, you might have debates and things, but you do get so close. And there is just this euphoria of a play, right? Or a or a show that you're in, and you're just in this kind of world for a set amount of time, and you're together a lot.
SPEAKER_01Yes, you will.
SPEAKER_03A lot, a lot, a lot, right? And so I just think that that can it carries over when the show ends. There is such a depression, especially if it's a really good run. Yeah, you know, you really do. So I could see the showman's part, um, the festival love what'd you say, festival love where you're just you're just in love with all of it. And then you have to kind of go back to the real world when it's done.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03You know, when it's over with and you're not with these people so much. And and I mean, yeah, you get back into your normal life, but it's hard sometimes, you know.
SPEAKER_01It is.
SPEAKER_03There were a few productions that were really, gosh, I even had a hard time, and I was, you know, as a behind the scenes person.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_03So what about you? What do you think about those?
SPEAKER_00No, I I I think you're you're right, because you know, I did a couple of the um the stage hands, yeah, some of the productions, and y you're right. It it is this camaraderie, and you know, just watching the kids and watching the adults speak their lines, and everybody's on headsets and you're listening to what's going on. And you know, it's just so cool. And you're right, when it's over with, you find yourself like, Oh, what what do I do now? You know, yeah. And that depression does set in, it's a real thing.
SPEAKER_03And the kids, you know, get together, there are hookups, there are you know, probably adults too. I just didn't know about that as much, you know. So yeah, but uh yeah, I I can see where you would be caught up in that. Yeah, where you could potentially be caught up in that and how it could not extend into the real world, although love is love, right? And if you fall in love there, it can, you know, potentially go on. It sounds like it did for Ashley and her husband, Neil, right?
SPEAKER_00And we did have a couple of kids from from the area that made it big. So yeah, yeah, there you go.
SPEAKER_03Pretty cool, pretty
Re Meet Cute And Banter Score
SPEAKER_03cool.
SPEAKER_00All right, so you want to get into some favorite scenes?
SPEAKER_03Right, let's uh talk about the meat cute.
SPEAKER_00Okay, we'll talk about it.
SPEAKER_03I don't have any favorite scenes before the meat cute, do you? Because I mean that kind of happens.
SPEAKER_00That kind of happens right away. So what'd you think?
SPEAKER_03Um, well, we have the re-meet cute, right? So Bia's been gone for a long time. She comes home to the festival, she's gonna direct the taming of the shrew, right? That's the did I get that right? Taming the shrew. And you know, the Shakespeare festival's going on. Her mom has run it for all these years, and she comes home and she's kind of looking at this picture of uh it's a shot of Romeo and Juliet, and it's her and it's Bia and Benny when they were younger in their younger years, and she's kind of looking at it, you know, a little bit longingly, and then she turns around, she's talking to her mom, and then Benny walks in while Bia is talking to her mom, and he's you know, basically they see each other and they're like, How long have you been here? How long are you gonna be in town? And they find out that, you know, sh she he finds out that she's directing it and she finds out that he's gonna be in it.
SPEAKER_01They're leaving it, yeah.
SPEAKER_03And her mom didn't tell either of them that the other was gonna be involved on purpose, right?
SPEAKER_00Which was funny.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah. So and what's interesting is, you know, and they both kind of say, Well, this is news to me, you know, like I think she says this is news to me, and he says this is news to me too, you know.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_03And then um he Nile made her in the scene sounds kind of hoarse to me, like he was sick or something, didn't he? I don't know. It was some scenes, yeah, yeah. So then so then the mom walks away, and then Bia walks away, and then Benny goes and looks at the same picture.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, the Romeo and Julia.
SPEAKER_03Right, yeah, right. So let's talk about the meat cute then. What would you decant it, like the gold standard of meat cute, sip it cute enough to enjoy, or cork it, no spark, nada, nothing.
SPEAKER_00I mean, I thought it was interesting. I kind of like to banter between them. So yeah, sip it for me.
SPEAKER_03I would go sip it also. I think the fact that they both looked at the picture at different times, I I loved that in that part of the store. I thought that that was kind of cool.
SPEAKER_02Yep.
SPEAKER_03You know, I didn't think he was gonna do it at the end, but it was kind of cool how they each had their moment with that picture of the two of them from the past. And they're kind of you can see they're kind of reminiscing, and so I I thought that was cool. So I go sip it also.
SPEAKER_00All right, cool. So we're both on the same
Favorite Scenes And Backstory Reveal
SPEAKER_00base.
SPEAKER_03Same erse.
SPEAKER_00All right, now we can move into some favorite scenes.
SPEAKER_03Favorite scenes, all right. You want to do two each?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, let's do two each.
SPEAKER_03Okay. Um, I had a few that I just scenes that I enjoyed, you know, just um, but if I had to pick a favorite, do you have one handy that you're gonna go right?
SPEAKER_00Well, I know we both have one favorite.
SPEAKER_03Yes, yes. The one we'll talk about last, right?
SPEAKER_00So my first favorite was when Bia, um so her mom, Tony, this was her last hurrah, right? Because she wants to she wants to retire. So Bia, returning from a long stint of being away because she didn't want to act anymore, decides she wants to take over for her mom. So she's doing this pitch to her mom. And Tony had already said, Yes, you can have it. And it was so funny because she's she's talking over, but she wasn't listening to her mom. And her mom kept saying yes. And then Tony said, When someone says yes, you can stop.
SPEAKER_03You can stop. Yeah, it was kind of funny.
SPEAKER_00So it was a really good, well-timed stu uh banter between them two. I just thought it was really well done.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I I agree. I agree. Because Bia's kind of like, now hear me out, you know, don't say no yet. And her and her mom is like, Yes, yes, you could take it. I want you to take over the festival, you know. And it would just be I like that too.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So what about you?
SPEAKER_03What was your um well? I really gosh, I don't even know where to start. I I really liked the scene. Um I like the supermarket scene, of course. I thought that was good.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that was cute.
SPEAKER_03Um, when Bia is walking and talking to Hannah, and then they show Benny and Clay talking, and I think this might have been when they're trying to to dissuade them from liking each other. But Hannah, so they're talking, and Hannah is texting Clay, and then they go to Clay and they show Clay receiving the text.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_03I thought that that was kind of cool. The way they shot it. Yeah, it was really and the way, yeah, and Clay is kind of complimenting Hannah and Benny, you know, is trying to tell them falling for your leading lady is a mistake. You know, don't do that. This is where like the festival love, you know, it's festival love, it's not real love, kind of thing.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_03And I just kind of like that. And Clay was like, Are you talking about me or are you talking about you and Bia? I mean, there's just and then they go back to Hannah and Bia, you know, and Hannah's like, what's up with you and Benny? And I just I really liked the way that was shot. I liked the discussions between, you know, the two females and the two males, because they're talking about each other in the other scene. So I thought that it was really clever the way that that was done.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and that's what I was saying about how the three Shakespeare movies were intertwined in into this one movie where you had much about or much ado about nothing, which was BM Benny's romance. And then you had the taming of the shrew, which was the festival production in itself.
SPEAKER_03Oh, I didn't know that. Okay.
SPEAKER_00And then you had Romeo and Juliet, which to me was BM Benny's romantic, romantic past. So them we weaving that in to the movie, I thought was pretty cool.
SPEAKER_03Oh, that's pretty good. I knew the you know, the much ado about nothing where the the four try to set them up.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_03That's like that in the play, right? You have friends and family members that are trying to set up um Benedict and Beatrice, right? Shakespeare's. So yeah, it it's it was in the retelling of it, it was that was kind of cute. And the way they shot it was was was good.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. All right. So you want to get into our last one, which is both of our favorite scene.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, um, well, I'll take one more. We can both talk about the you can take the the last one. Um there's a scene where Bia and Hannah are just they're having a discussion during the fitting, and that's where Bia finally opens up and tells Hannah that she got a battery view, it crushed her. That's why she left. Basically, she finished the run of Romeo and Juliet and she left to study directing, which she's directing the newbie.
unknownThe newbie.
SPEAKER_03Which is, you know, Ashley Williams herself has directed episodes of The Rookie. So I thought that was a really cute play on that. Was really cute. Anywho, um, you know, and she basically, you know, Bia admits in that moment that, you know, Benny was gonna be a shooting star, just like her mom. And her mom had the festival, and she just felt like she was never gonna measure up.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_03And I felt like that's really relatable to so many people when you have somebody who's either in your family or a good friend who's like the shining star, you know, and you just feel like you're never gonna be good enough and you're never gonna catch up to them. So she left because of that and because of the bad review. But I just thought they had a really good, I just liked the conversation during that. And again, the way it was shot, yeah, the what the things that they said. I I thought that that scene totally, totally worked.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. And and I like when she told Benny about it, and he was like, What? Yeah, reviews are just noise, you know. Yeah, you know, don't he was really surprised.
SPEAKER_03Well, and she's trying to convince Hannah that, you know, I don't want you to fall in love with Clay because when you go out on stage, the audience is gonna see Hannah, who loves Clay, instead of Right, the characters. The character, right, yeah, from the play. And and that's all Hannah's gonna be thinking about is Clay instead of what she should be focused on. So all right.
SPEAKER_00Well, let's get into the last favorite scene, which was bugger and beer date.
SPEAKER_03The bugger and beer date.
SPEAKER_00Which I thought was really good. And it's interesting because you know, you go to those restaurants where they have the paper tablecloth and they give you some crayons and you can write and doodle on them. And I just thought it was so romantic how um, you know, Benny wrote upside down, and it ended up being, you know, him saying he loves he loves her, and she says she loves him, and the way they drew it all out was just it was done so well.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Yeah, I I agree. I loved, you know, and and Benny has like they both have like sort of tears in their eyes. And you have to, you know, and and we did see or hear, um, I think it might have been a Nile interview where he said that Ashley Williams and her husband, Neil Dotson, have that up in their house. Yeah, that that like really happened. So they the way they drew and the things that they said with the crayons, it's just it was really well done. And I can't believe no one's ever done it before. What a creative way!
SPEAKER_00That was very creative.
SPEAKER_03It was so creative, and to think that that's actually a snippet of Ashley and Neil's story is just so cool. And they got that on film. I mean, how cool is that?
SPEAKER_00It it was really cool. Yeah, it was just I really I I really loved that scene. It was very intense.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it's like, you know, what do they say? Art imitates life, life imitates art, you know, which is it. So I mean, I just thought that that was what a cool thing and what a very personal
Burger And Beer Date Spotlight
SPEAKER_03thing to put in the movie. Because you know, not much as personal these, but it it just really worked since the story was sort of about them and their love for Shakespeare and their love for festivals and each other, you know, kind of their story. So um, thank you, Ashley and Neil, for putting that in there. It was it was really cool. I could not I could not get past the tears.
SPEAKER_02I know.
SPEAKER_03Like it Niall made her how he did that. He's just looking at her with these tears in his eye. Oh my gosh, it was so so well done, so well shot. And I want to know, like, was Niall really writing upside down? Like, that's a skill.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's I don't know.
SPEAKER_03Can you I can't write it, I can't even write right side up, Marty. I know that is pretty good. I want to know how they did that. Yeah, I don't know. I don't know. I haven't seen it.
SPEAKER_00There's a video out there that shows it, so uh oh, okay.
SPEAKER_03On Ashley.
SPEAKER_00I think Ashley released it the other day. So Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Well, it's funny because before we saw it, Ashley Williams has said that was her favorite scene.
SPEAKER_00I think it's everybody's favorite scene.
SPEAKER_03But well, she had said that before the movie aired, and you know, we don't get screeners. So and it was just a shot of those two at a table in front of a fireplace. You don't see the drawings, you don't see the crayons, you have no idea why that's her favorite. And I thought that was really cool too for her to kind of put it that way, where it's like, okay, and now you know why. Yes, you know, after time, after seeing it, after so I agree. Yeah. Can we just talk about the moment when Hannah towards the end, when Hannah said she was going through
Chemistry Rating Plus Cheers And Jeers
SPEAKER_03security and she heard someone shouting, Don't get on the plane. She said, I felt like I was in a rom com. Yes. I thought that was really clever. Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00I love when they do stuff like that.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Yeah. And then, of course, um, you know, the the kiss at the end. Yeah. And then the spin and the dip. Yes. That was just like the raising of the leg. And the raising of the leg, that was so cute. I loved, I actually loved that. I thought that was really, really cool.
SPEAKER_00So speaking of that, that moves us into our chemistry uncork. So, okay. Which bottle will you uncork? A house wine, which is forgettable, lacking chemistry, the estate, which is warm chemistry, and then the grand reserve, or as I like to say, the grand crew, which is electric chemistry. It's on fire. What would you choose?
SPEAKER_03I would go with I would uncork an estate wine. I thought they had enjoyable, warm chemistry. I didn't see it as like electric or you know, lighting the night on fire, but I they definitely just had this warm genuine banter.
SPEAKER_00I agree.
SPEAKER_03I don't know. And chemistry. But that's what about you?
SPEAKER_00No, I I'm going with the estate. I mean, it it was warm. You know, it wasn't that on fire type of chemistry, right? Which is fine. You don't always need it in a Hallmark movie.
SPEAKER_03No, no.
SPEAKER_00But you know, I thought it I thought it was good. And then you had the secondary um chemistry, which was between Clay and Hannah.
SPEAKER_03Yes.
SPEAKER_00Which, you know, it kind of mimicked uh Bia and Benny's life in the past. So you know, it was good. You're like, nah, it was good. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03So let's move into the wait what's you have any wait what can we just uh I I know I keep saying this, but the four characters, the um Clay and Don and Hannah and Maggie. Well, Hannah and Clay and Maggie and Don, when they were painting their masks for the masquerade ball, which is actually another scene that I really enjoyed.
SPEAKER_00Yes.
SPEAKER_03I can't believe I didn't bring that up yet. That was another one.
SPEAKER_00The masquerade ball.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. I thought the masquerade ball was really cool the way that was shot.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, those lights hanging out in the woods.
SPEAKER_03It was the hanging lampshades and everything. I just we gotta call that out because that's part of like the story, but the set, you know, design and production.
SPEAKER_00And then they're playing like modern music, which I thought was pretty cool.
SPEAKER_03Well, the song playing, one of the songs playing was Would You Call Me Up by John Bryant.
SPEAKER_01Oh.
SPEAKER_03Which I really liked. Yeah. Yeah, I'm gonna have to download that. I haven't done that yet, but I wrote it down. I was like, let me write it down really quick. I found it. I was like, That's awesome. So when Would You Call Me Up by John Bryant?
SPEAKER_00Go find it. Go find it. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Again, hallmark, playlist, Spotify, Apple Music, get us one.
SPEAKER_00There you go. You heard it through the grapevine.
SPEAKER_03Yes. So anyway, what's uh the only one for me would be the title of the movie um blended into the background at the very beginning that bothered me. I don't know why, just visually I was like, why is the title? Because it was like white, but the bla background was light. So you know it's light, yeah. It was hard to see, so yeah. I agree. And maybe because it ran with nothing but love, they had a different plan, but um, you know, much about love.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I agree.
SPEAKER_03What about you? Any wait what for you?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, what would Hannah really leave like that? I mean, yeah, after everything Bia has done for her, yeah.
SPEAKER_03And she's an act, she's like a big time actress, right? On a TV series, on her series.
SPEAKER_00And she's like, I'm leaving because I'll destroy the your production, but you're destroying it by leaving, so it's kind of a uh you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Or or would Bia really quit acting over one review?
SPEAKER_03Well, I think it was probably the combination of that review, her seeing that Benny was gonna shine and do great things, and comparing herself to her mom. I think it was probably that review was sort of like the straw that broke the camel's back. That's the way I viewed it anyway. I don't know.
SPEAKER_00All right. All right, well, let's move on to our cheers and jeers section. Did you have any cheers?
SPEAKER_03I I thought the banter was cute. I enjoyed Ashley and Niall in this together. You know, they were in Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas sweater, and they were great in that. I thought that was really fun and cute. I enjoyed this movie. I thought they were I thought they just, you know, I don't think we've seen anything that we haven't liked either of them in, honestly. You know, so um I think they just they just worked. I thought the composed music was great. I liked the songs that we got. I loved the four friends.
SPEAKER_01Yes.
SPEAKER_03I thought that I thought we got just such a solid supporting cast. And I really liked the stage manager. He was kind of quirky and fun, and he's the guy who's keep trying to keep you straight and keep you in line, you know.
SPEAKER_01Yes.
SPEAKER_03Um the parallel of the discussions between all of them I thought really worked. Um what about you? Biggest cheers?
SPEAKER_00Um, just uh I love the costumes.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that too.
SPEAKER_00And I too, and I'll talk about it later, but I I I enjoyed the um the the the three Shakespeare, you know, intertwined with the movie. I just thought it was really good. That's cool.
SPEAKER_03I didn't realize it was all yeah.
SPEAKER_00So do you have any jeers?
SPEAKER_03The only jeer that I had was I didn't really like the conflict when Clay tells Bia that Benny said she had big shoes to fill. Yeah. I just I felt like that wasn't enough for me. You know what I mean? Like I just uh she's like, oh really? You know, she I I don't know. I just didn't I I don't know. I I just think that didn't work enough as a conflict for me for a grown adult. And I know we're supposed to, you know, suspend reality a little bit, but I thought that that could have been different.
SPEAKER_00Yes, I agree with you.
SPEAKER_03That's me. Was that your biggest cheer?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. Like I just I don't see somebody running off because they're afraid to destroy a show after somebody has been so kind to you.
SPEAKER_03Oh, you're talking about Hannah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I just I know that's different than I was I just that kind of bugged me a little bit because I was like, Come on now.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00But anywho, it was part of the movie, so we got to deal with it.
SPEAKER_03I have to say there's one part before we go toward the end, um, where Bia says to Benny, I don't have time for your Gershton shenanigans when she says that to Benny. And I looked that up and I thought it was a sh Shakespeare reference at first, and I guess it kind of sorta is. It's a reference to an American theatrical producer, um, and he was a leader for the New York Shakespeare Festival, which I thought was pretty cool. I was like, okay, I get that now. I didn't get it at first, I had to look it up.
SPEAKER_00Well, there was a lot of Easter eggs in this one, so yeah. That was part of them. So yeah, it was pretty good. Yep, yep. So who would you have a glass of wine with in this particular movie?
SPEAKER_03That's a really good question. That is a good one.
SPEAKER_00I know who I'd have a glass with.
SPEAKER_03I think I would have a glass of wine with gosh, I don't know. I don't know. Um I actually think I'd go with Doug, the stage manager, just because he was fun.
SPEAKER_01That's who I picked.
SPEAKER_03I just think he's just so he's quirky enough and he keeps people lying. I would like to loosen him up, give him some wine, and really hear the stories that he has to tell about behind the scenes at the theater. You know, that's that's where I would go. You too.
SPEAKER_00It was so funny because you know, he always had a stopwatch, and his mask and the masquerade ball was half of a clock. And I just thought it was so it just went so well with him, like Father Time, you know what I mean? It was just so well written. I I loved it. So, yes, I too want to have a glass of water.
SPEAKER_02You too, you too. With Doug.
SPEAKER_03All right.
Final Score And Listener Callouts
SPEAKER_03Let's do the final we're ready for the final pour out of five quirks.
SPEAKER_00You go first on this one.
SPEAKER_03How many are you giving it? Okay, so let's be honest here. So we watch it twice.
SPEAKER_00Yes, we do, right?
SPEAKER_03We watch it once to enjoy it, and then we watch it a second time to do our little notes and everything. And both times that I watched it, I was like, you know, it it's pretty good. I mean, I I enjoyed it. I I liked the banter. I just just like an enjoyable Saturday night watch for me. So I would probably go like a 3.75.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_00What about you? You took my drinking buddy, and now you took my score. I took your score.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. But what about so why were you? I I feel like it's almost at a four for me, but not quite.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Um, you know, and the more we talk about it, you know, it's like, oh yeah, the production was great. But it just, you know, there was just I mean, it was pretty, it was pretty good.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_03An enjoyable night.
SPEAKER_00I think we've been getting so many location movies over the past couple of weeks. Oh, you think that's what's been and this was just local, you know, not a lot of scenery going. Yeah, I mean, and they had a lot of great scenes, but yeah, I mean, for me, a 375.
SPEAKER_03375 is still good.
SPEAKER_00I mean, I'd sit down and watch it again.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, if it was on, we'd leave it on for sure.
SPEAKER_00And then who doesn't love, you know, my own mater and Ashley and Ashley?
SPEAKER_03I know. I know, I know.
SPEAKER_00So there you go. So is that a wrap?
SPEAKER_03That's a wrap.
SPEAKER_00Well, we'd like to thank you for listening. And if you want to help other Hallmark fans find our podcast, you can do so by giving us ratings on Apple or Spotify. And if you like watching us on video, you can catch us at YouTube at Pour the Wine, it's romcom time. But don't forget to click that bell and that subscribe button so you never miss an episode when we release them.
SPEAKER_03Or send us an email to pour the wine is romcomtime at gmail.com. I keep saying or it should be and give us five stars and then send us an email and say, hey, I just gave you five stars because I love your podcast. Love it, love it, love it. No, we really appreciate you listening. And if you have time and you want to shoot us an email, that would be great. We would love to hear your thoughts on anything homework related, anything um rom-com related.
SPEAKER_01Yep.
SPEAKER_03Any news that you've heard that you want us to share on the podcast, we are here for it.
SPEAKER_00We are 100%.
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SPEAKER_02Cheers.