Time for another movie recommendation: All of My Heart. Besides just being an enjoyable story, the setting is a lovely historic home that the main characters fix up. And as many of you know, historic homes are one of my weaknesses!
I’ve shared before my dream of fixing up a historic home! I think it would be amazing to preserve a piece of history like that! And let’s face it, much like older furniture has more interest and character than new furniture, I too find that older homes have more interest and character. But that’s a topic for another time!
The Opening
The story begins with Jenny, a talented cook who dreams of being a chef. One day she is told that she has inherited an older home in the country. She is thrilled and decides to move out of her apartment in the city to this picturesque and charming house. The only catch to her plan is that she isn’t the only one to inherit the house!
A workaholic Wall Street trader, Brian, also shares in the inheritance. His solution to this surprise inheritance is simple – sell the house and split the money. But Jenny isn’t about to give up “her house”.
They go out to see the house and property to make a decision about what they are going to do. As they walk through the run-down, dusty house, Jenny thrills at the potential while Brian cringes every step of the way.
As they walk up to the second story the stairs creak and groan. Brian pauses cautiously while remarking, “I don’t trust stairs you can hear.” As they enter yet another dust-laden room he comments, “I can actually taste the dust.” His overly cynical comments are humorous especially when contrasted with her obvious delight in the home.
The Plan
After a bit of haggling and a smidge of begging, Jenny finally convinces Brian to give her a chance to turn the home into a Bed & Breakfast and buy him out. She doesn’t have the immediate funds but she is certain that with a bit of work and some loyal customers she will be able to do so. He agrees, if a bit begrudgingly.
And life goes on. She cleans and begins to get to know the locals, while he leaves for Wall Street to go back to his fast-paced life. She busies herself with baking in anticipation of the B&B and finds many loyal locals who enjoy her delicious cooking. One neighbor suggests that she ask the local coffee shop to sell some of her pastries. The coffee shop agrees to give them a try and she is quickly established as her pastries are a hit!
Everything is looking up and she is approaching her final inspection for opening the B&B when Brian shows up unexpectedly. (Come on, it’s a Hallmark, we obviously need the main guy and girl to be thrown together, right?!)
A merger deal went bad on Wall Street and Brian’s boss threw him under the bus to save face. This home is all that Brian has left so he just needs to land and find a new job. They agree to live in the home together – separately – with the agreement that the kitchen is mutual territory. “We both have to eat,” is his obvious explanation.
He begins his job search while she continues her B&B prep. Shifting from the fast-paced city life is a challenge for him, especially when the plumbing goes out. When a quote comes back that is too high for either of them to pay to fix the plumbing, he decides to fix it himself. Unfortunately he has no prior experience or even knowledge of what he is doing. Luckily, he befriends the General Store owner who seems to know something about everything. Armed with his newfound knowledge, he sets out to fix it. After a few false starts the water is working again and able to pass inspection.
He continues to help with odd jobs around the house, fixing this and painting that. Some projects go better than others and soon Brian and Jenny find themselves enjoying each others company.
Out of the blue, Brian gets a call about a big-time job back on Wall Street, and due to a bit of a misunderstanding he decides to take it.
Happily Ever After
Not to worry this is a Hallmark, so for me to reassure you that it ends happily is a bit redundant! That is one thing I enjoy about Hallmarks – they are typically light-hearted and predictable. The guy and the girl always get each other! Thank goodness!
If you enjoy lighthearted comedies you ought to look this one up! There are also two sequels to the original movie too, so that’s fun!
What about you? Do you enjoy Hallmarks? What is one of your favorites?
Until Next Time!
Hope.
PS. I shared another one of my favorite Hallmarks here: https://www.theamericanlady.com/2019/02/13/the-lost-valentine/