Great American Family has posted the network's July movie premiere. It is an acquired film from Reel One Entertainment, which was initially released in 2021.
Here are the details for this romantic comedy...
Sweet Maple Romance
Previous title: The Beauty Of Love
Premiere date: July 27, 2024 at 8pm/7c.
Starring: Jonathan Stoddard and Katerina Eichenberger
Storyline: Emma has built a successful lifestyle website that she puts her heart and soul into called “Classically Emma”. But when her numbers start trending down, she thinks she might’ve found her fix in a partnership with an ambitious millennial named Jill who has her own dreams. Will Jill’s protective brother Jesse become a roadblock on Emma’s path to lasting success? Or will he be the unexpected obstacle that leads her down an even better road?
Movie Reviews:
☀ We thought Sweet Maple Romance was good. It was a nice end to a long day. Christie
☀ Sweet Maple Romance was okay….just a one time watch for me. It’s rare that a Reel One movie will blow me away. Okay on another note, I was shocked to see Lindsay Hartley in the movie. I totally remember watching the soap opera Passions when I was in maybe junior high and I got in trouble when my mom found out. I remember Lindsay from the soap opera, she looks the same, it’s crazy. Just made me laugh as I remembered being sneaky and watching it with my younger sister, and then we would get grounded from watching our favorite shows, and my brother getting in trouble for watching Simpsons, Lol ~Paula
☀ Sweet Maple Romance – This movie is family-friendly and a lighthearted watch, but for me, it was kind of humdrum. I appreciated Jonathan Stoddard’s performance, but he was the only stand-out for me.
I also recognized Lindsay Hartley (like Paula), from the Hallmark movie, Perfect on Paper.
The title Sweet Maple Romance is cute, but this was likely a one-time watch for me. ~Net
Movie Trailer:
(Caution: If you don't like spoilers, then you'll want to skip this promo!)
Please share your thoughts on this movie in the comments below.
Have any of you had the opportunity to view it via streaming? If so, I would love to get your take on it.
Awww, this was such a sweet movie, I'm so glad GAF picked this up!!! -Maria
ReplyDeleteMaria, Thank you for sharing your review with us! :) ~Net
DeleteNet, I think GAC Channel has changed the start date of the Great American Christmas from October 11th to October 18th. On their home page the countdown clock says 93 days until Great American Christmas. I have a countdown set up ha-ha and it has 85 days(close to 86 with the hours) on it that would bring it to Friday October 11th so 93 days brings it to October 18th. They must have changed it to a week later.
ReplyDeleteJim, I thought the numbers seemed different, but I hadn't stopped to add it all up. Thank you for doing the math for us!
DeleteI'm glad they are waiting another week. Mid-October seems a little too soon. At least, for me. No matter when they start, though, it always seems to fly by in a wink of an eye!!!
Thank you, again, for catching this & sharing!!! :) ~Net
The Beauty Of Love
ReplyDeleteNet's original post:
Also, Great American Family posted at the bottom of the TV screen the official return of their new movies coming weekly with this statement, "Original Movie Premieres Every Saturday Night Beginning July 27 8/7c."
My response:
Provided I totally understand what "original " means looking forward to what may turn up in this Saturday night slot
So I was right to be wary - obviously "original" has some deep meaning I don't fully understand.
It was shown on the internet back in 2021 it has an IMDB rating of 5.5 which tells you a lot.
From what I remember it was a standard typical Rom.Com.
I suppose I should laugh but I don't find it very funny - extremely disappointing - Florence
Why do reruns bother you so much? They give others more time to watch other things, or watch something they've possibly never seen before! Also, I don't know a single person who heavily relys on IMDB for how good a movie is like you do. I personally never rely on that site for that kind of thing. -Maria
DeleteI guess you missed Net posts about The Engagement Plan starring Faith Forf, Ted McGinley, Judd Nelson, Eva LaRue debuting on September 7. I guess you always missed that Mr Manhattan making it television debut on GAF. I would not relay on a IMDB rating too much Faling Like Snowflakes got a 6.0 and it was the worst movie.
DeleteI’m going to have to agree with Florence, here. For me, it’s not the fact that it’s a rerun movie being shown -- that in itself is fine (although, some brand spanking new, never-before-seen movies would be nice!) -- but it’s the fact that movies are being portrayed/implied to be unique and first-time-ever-shown movies. I’m a bit of a stickler for language and, even though I am often guilty of its misuse, I appreciate when it is used properly by television marketing and advertising professionals.
Delete“Original” implies a movie was created by GAF and/or has never been seen before. So, for instance, let’s say that by some stroke of wonder GAF acquires Candace Cameron Bure’s 2014 “Christmas Under Wraps” movie. If they then advertised this as an “original premiere movie”, wouldn’t that be a false statement or, at the very least, misleading? I think it’s the term “original” that I get hung up on. “Premiere” is also a bit ambiguous and implies a first showing. Perhaps, the term “new” might be a better option for them to use? Or maybe something like “new to GAF”, “network television debut”, “newly acquired movies to premiere on GAF in August”, “first time network showing”, or ___????
I’m trying to remember how UPtv advertises all their Reel One movies that have been shown before on streaming services. I think they usually say “premiere movie”. Ultimately, I don’t see any easy way for GAF (and UPtv) to change their wording because they need to use quick one-to-two-word bites in their advertising and I can’t think of any terms that work better than “new”, “premiere” and “original”. π€·♀️
So, I suppose I’ll just have to lower my expectations and hope it’s a good movie, whether it’s a rerun or a true original. π ~~Jane
Also, similar to Florence, I often like to look at the IMDB website to get information on movies. Ultimately, I prefer Christian-based websites and reviews but IMDB gets me a lot of info that is very helpful in making decisions. Although it’s not always a given, and although I don’t always concur with every reviewer over there, I tend to agree with the overall ratings (with the caveat that this does not always apply to movies with content that is not family friendly). I also read most of their reviews and determine whom I most agree with (often based on that person’s previous reviews). Because I’m not just a language geek but also a numbers geek, I actually keep a chart for Christmas movies and factor in not only the overall rating at IMDB but, also, the total number of people who have rated a movie, because that number has a huge bearing on the value of that final rating. So, for instance, Falling Like Snowflakes has a 6.0 rating out of only 362 people while Christmas Under Wraps has a fairly similar 6.2 rating, but out of a whopping 6,300 people. That tells me that if 6,000 more people watch and rate the Snowflakes movie, that final rating will probably drop down by quite a lot, especially based on the mostly mediocre reviews. In fact, if you average out the ratings of the ten people who took the time to write reviews for the Snowflakes movie, then you get a rating of only 4.4!! If nothing else, the numbers tell me that the 6.2 for the Under Wraps movie is probably a pretty realistic rating since over 6,000 people of varying tastes have rated it over the years.
DeleteSo, when I go to grab one of my MANY Christmas dvds to watch I usually consult my chart and I can almost always count on the IMDB rating to reflect my own enjoyment. And by the way, I also include helpful notes on my chart that are based on different people’s reviews here on Net’s “wonderful” site! π ~~Jane
They could use "TV premiere". It clearly imply that it isn't a brand new movie.
DeleteThis is an interesting conversation.
DeleteI, too, like to check out reviews on various websites, including IMDB, Amazon, online forums, social media, etc... Most of the the time these movie reviews are extremely helpful in my choosing of whether or not to watch a film. Do I always agree with the reviews? No, not always, but I'm mostly looking for objectionable content and not necessarily if the reviewer enjoyed the film. Of course, sometimes, that is important, too.
Florence, I absolutely agree... "The Beauty Of Love" is not what I would call an "Original Movie Premiere." I've noticed UPtv often calls their Reel One Premieres - Cable Movie Premieres, so that's why I labeled this one as such in the title of this post.
I'm hoping in the future we will see some newer premieres, other than Christmas. Of course, we have "The Ainsley McGregor Mysteries: A Case for the Winemaker" coming in October!
Jane, Your system for ranking movies according to their ratings and reviews sounds incredible and impressive! I'm glad It's a Wonderful Movie is also helpful for you with this process.
As for the "Falling Like Snowflakes" movie, my suggestion is to watch the promo and skip it. Unfortunately, it just doesn't have that special warm feeling and it actually feels more wintery and less Christmassy! Some of the acting is even a little stiff from supporting cast members, but I am going to be generous and give it a 5/10.
Jane, I too usually look at the IMDB rating for a movie. More often than not it is usually in line with my opinion, especially if it has a high rating.
DeleteI love your charting system! Unfortunately, my tracking system is not nearly as sophisticated. Instead of a chart, what I have are sheets of paper - yes, I am that old-fashioned in this case - that go back some years that list the Hallmark/GAF/Lifetime/etc. Christmas movies and my opinion of each movie. Next to the title I show an up arrow for a movie I liked, a down arrow for one I didn't, a dash for a movie I could take-or-leave, and an X for a movie that I didn't watch based on its content or others' reviews. In fact, I just looked at last year's sheets to refresh my memory in completing the Christmas movie voting. For me. it turns out that HMM had, percentage-wise, the best movies in 2023.
Jane and Mark
DeleteGenerally speaking, the IMDB ratings are pretty good provided there are a reasonable number of them so that a relatively small number doesn't skew the figures.
Sometimes it's easy to spot "fake2 reviews particularly gushing ones written by the director's sister's best friend etc!
Of course, you'll never agree with all of them and as Jane says the score tends to drop as more make their score although I don't really understand why this should be.
The charting system looks interesting bit I just wouldn't have the time to organise it - if a movie I've seen before comes up I generally know my previous opinion of it.
I keep a small pile of movies aside I would like to rewatch but it's very difficult to find the time and sadly it tends to get bigger so that every so often I need to cull it - Florence.
Anonymous, “TV Premiere” seems like a good option. It sounds exciting enough to get people to watch, plus by using “TV” instead of “Original” they sort of cover their bases with silly sticklers like myself. π
DeleteNet, I actually developed my crazy rating system years ago for books, since - other than at Christmastime - I read books much more than I watch movies. I found that ratings on Amazon and GoodReads and other sites couldn’t always be taken at face value; there were many other variables that needed to be factored into that final rating. So, this book nerd developed an Excel spreadsheet to track book ratings and the many differing reviews from my book friends. Therefore, it seemed only logical to continue the fun with movies! Lol! π I find that IMDB gives me a general idea of a movie’s overall entertainment value (for lack of a better term). But your site is such a huge blessing -- it’s my favorite place to go to find out the actual “quality” of a movie. The reviews and thoughts by you and the IAWM family carry much more weight, for me, than the reviews at IMDB because I know they’re coming from people who have similar values and beliefs. Thank you for creating this wonderful place to visit and share!!
Mark 25, Oh dear, we might be in the same geek sphere! π I love your system, especially the up and down arrows and the dash mark. For a movie that was a top favorite, do you give it multiple up arrows or highlight or differentiate in some other way? During the Christmas season, I abandon my computer spreadsheet and use many sheets of paper stapled together to keep track of everything. Friends and family just roll their eyes! On the actual dvd cases I have a tiny sticker with the IMDB rating as well as stars to indicate how much I liked it. I only buy movies that I like but sometimes with a multiple-movie set, I’ll put an ”x” or write a tiny “meh” next to the movies I wasn’t thrilled with, but I’m now thinking your dash mark might be better. Oh, good grief, I seem to have way too much time for being a nerd! π
~~Jane
Given that this movie comes on July 27th, I wonder if they are going to cut short Christmas in July or maybe this movie is just an isolated movie fit in between all the other Christmas movies through the end of July?
ReplyDeleteJim, See Bebe's comment below and be sure to chec out my Christmas Schedule:
Deletehttp://itsawonderfulmovie.blogspot.com/2014/09/christmas-movie-tv-schedule-hallmark-up.html
Happy Christmas in July!!! :)
I'm not familiar with it, but it's nice they have new programming.
ReplyDeleteWhile I’m watching “A Christmas Present”, when I saw at the bottom of the screen
ReplyDeleteA Little Women’s Christmas All new movie premiere
Starring Trevor Donovan, Jillian Murray, Jen Lilley, Jesse Hutch, & Laura Osnes
Coming to Great American Christmas 2024
Original Movies Premieres are back!
ReplyDeleteEvery Saturday at 8pm ET/5pm PT
Starring July 27, 2024
The Beauty of Love
Starring Jonathan Stoddard
If anyone is wondering about Christmas movies continuing next week. My guide is updated and the movie airs at 8pm. With Christmas movies airing before and after the movie.
ReplyDeleteBebe, Thank you for sharing that. I'm also seeing in my guide Christmas movies running next week and all next weekend, as well! It looks like they are, indeed, finishing out the entire month with Christmas 24/7, minus the one premiere movie on Saturday, July 27th.
DeleteSo far, I can only see in my guide up to the 29th, but I'm hoping they will go to the 31st. Can you see that far?