Earlier this year, I remember watching Lacey Chabert and Ian Harding together, and we were all wondering what the movie was about. A plane crash, stranded on a deserted island; definitely not what I had in mind. But hey, Hallmark Channel is like Target: they don't ask you what you want, they tell you, and you don't question it. Lost in Paradise is a perfect example of that.
On Hallmark Channel, Lacey Chabert is a staple. She's always challenging herself, taking on different and enjoyable roles. Chabert is one of those actresses you might have grown up watching, and you think you know what kind of roles she'll play.
Director: Dustin Rikert
Writers: Stephanie Jackson, Zach Lewis
Stars: Lacey Chabert, Ian Harding, James Trevena
But she'll always surprise you.
As much as I hate Harding, I always see him as the teacher from Pretty Little Liars. It's not fair; it's just one of those things that happens. That said, I enjoy the other roles he plays.
Sophia (Chabert) is one of the most important figures in fashion. Her company, Tierra, is developing its new product line when her ex-husband announces he wants to sell his shares. The company is struggling, and he wants out while he still can.
No matter how hard Sophia tries to convince him not to sell, he won't budge. This means she and her team must secure the board's support. Sophia will have to travel to Fiji to speak with one of them.
Max's best friend was the pilot, and he got him on the plane. Of course, it was under false pretenses, and Max had to pose as a flight attendant. They're headed to Fiji for meetings, and everything seems to be going well, until the plane crashes into the ocean.
I have to say, the way they depicted the turbulence and the resulting atmosphere made me not want to fly anytime soon.
When you wake up on a deserted island after a plane crash, it's normal to panic. I would. Sophia is unconscious on the raft, and everyone else is scrambling to gather whatever they can.
While I don't think Harding and Chabert have the best on-screen chemistry, I find it interesting that they still manage to keep things under control. Their dry banter keeps me engaged because I wonder if it's simply because they're getting to know each other or if they're both scared after being stranded on a deserted island.
When he confesses on the plane that he's not a flight attendant, she's in the middle of turbulence and hearing the plane sinking, so she doesn't care. However, she does care on the island. She doesn't seem to want to forget that he was a stowaway. But it becomes a running joke.
Max makes me laugh because he tries to decipher his emotions after waking up. He tells her he can relate because he felt all those emotions while she was asleep. It's Max's ability to focus on himself that makes me think that's what their relationship is about.
The pilots decide they're going to have to seek help. One of them is overly optimistic, and the other keeps telling them all the negatives. It's interesting to see how they handle the situation.
It's wonderful to know that in this movie you'll face a constant challenge, trying to decipher each character's personality. I think the only thing missing is Max and Sophia's personalities; you really can't understand anything other than their fear. So, by leaving them alone on the island for a few days, I thought they were going to tear each other apart. Leaving them alone gives us the opportunity to see who they are.
I think a lot of Hallmark movies don't do this: there's always someone intervening to make things better for the people involved, encouraging them to come together. We're constantly guessing who the character is, and something important in any movie is character development.
If there's no character development or interest in the characters present, it's very difficult to connect with what you're seeing.
Ultimately, anyone would stop watching something if they didn't feel they could connect with the character or get involved at all. We were just looking for something to escape with, and with these two, we escaped to a deserted island.
The departure of both pilots was essential, as was the journey Sophia and Max are about to embark on.
Watching Sophia and Max figure out how to survive makes me laugh. I feel like some scenes are supposed to be funny, but they aren't. The part where they were spearfishing didn't make me laugh, but I did think those moments were amusing.
When the two of them go to explore the island, I expected them to encounter some wild animals. However, they don't. Well, except for that snake at that moment. That did make me laugh. It shows the difference between expectations and reality.
Comments
Post a Comment