Director: David Weaver
Stars: Bethany Joy Lenz, Andrew Walker
Star rating: 5
Film’s length: 1h 25 min
Certificate: TV-G
Bottled with Love which was released in 2019 on the Hallmark channel taps into the romantic notion that you can never underestimate the chances of where you may find love. David Weaver the director of Bottled With Love has also directed Hallmark films such as Wedding March 2. He once again revisits this theme of romantic love. With Bottled with Love he has successfully been able to draw from films such as The Shop Around The Corner and You’ve Got Mail which also addresses correspondence by email. The main scenery is shot on location the stunning district of Victoria British Columbia. This really depicts the ideal setting for the plot of the movie.
Bethany Joy Lenz plays Abbey a hardworking executive in the city of Boston who has faced disappointment in the area of love. As a result of these circumstances, she decides to take a leap of faith by writing and placing her deepest feelings in a bottle. A fisherman called Nick played by Andrew Walker discovers her letter by chance and begins an email exchange which develops throughout the entire film. Nick decides to return reluctantly back to Boston and work for the company Everett Valley Farms run by his father, who is the CEO. This then builds up to an exciting exchange of emails between both characters that seem to clash throughout the day at work. What makes this exchange between the characters thrilling is that although both Abbey and Nick have different views on business, they have more in common than they realise.
Abbey composes her letter to love and expresses her deepest feelings and emotions and throws it out to sea which marks a dramatic change. This makes her change her outlook on love from being shy and retiring to becoming bold and adventurous. Why this scene works so well is that Abbey tone of voice expresses cynicism at the idea. The narrative dialogue which takes place in Abbeys head upon deciding to take a step of faith really helps to give authenticity to the character being the shy retiring type. The acoustic guitar music to the sound effects of the bottle being thrown out to sea all make vital contributions to making this particular scene plausible.
Bethany Joy Lenz and Andrew Walker both give impressive performances as the two main leads of the film and the dialogue between them flows effortlessly throughout. Andrew Walker who is no stranger to Hallmark films visits familiar territory as the romantic lead in Bottled With Love. He really brings out all the character’s expressions and emotions displayed by Nick. There is never a dull moment from the first meeting of the two characters discovering that they will be colleagues to the email conversations which they have developed online. The script for this film never appears stilted and humour in the film flows naturally. For instance, a funny moment in the film is when Nick’s father Earl Everson tells Abbey he requested for his son Nick to help her she responds by stuttering ‘help help how’ which brings out the humour in Abbey’s personality. Frances Flanigan also brings an extra charm and wit as her aunt who encourages Abbey to leave her comfort zone.
What the script for this movie tackles so well are Abbey’s lack of spontaneity and Nick’s resolution to think and make bigger decisions. It manages to show how both characters address these convincingly.
The thoughts and emotions which are portrayed by Abbey writing her letter to Nick discovering her letter conveys plenty of excitement. You can’t help but root for the characters throughout. The music score by Hal David, John Cacavas and Austin Basham works superbly to enhance the romance and interaction between the main characters. It’s never overbearing but light hearted.
The camera work and the cinematography in this film are calculated effectively from scene to scene. For instance, the office scenes which take place between Nick and Abbey are shot with superb precision. The camera angles which zoom in and out of the various locations really highlight and emphasise each scene’s dramatic moment.
The choice of costume design takes its influence from the 1990s and incorporates this so effectively into the movie. One particular scene which shows Bethany Joy Lenz wearing a polka dot dress is very symbolic of the film Pretty Woman starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts. This really adds a nostalgic feel to Bottled With Love.
Bottled With Love is a light hearted romantic film which can be watched by all. There isn’t a dull moment in this movie and although it deals with the popular tradition of romantic love via email it’s not tedious but refreshing.
