Watched: 01/04/2026
Format: Hallmark
Viewing: First
Director: Dustin Rikert
Job: head of a premier fashion design studio
Location of story: Fiji
new skill: jungle and beach survival
Man: Ian Harding
Job of Man: Chef!
Goes to/ Returns to: Goes to Fiji
Event: Plane crash
Food: fish
Again, I'd love to know what stats the Hallmark Channel has about viewership when they have Lacey Chabert in a movie. Because someone ran the numbers and was able to show that sending a Hallmark crew and stars to Fiji was going to be profitable.
It's not the first time Chabert has wrangled a destination movie. I've seen her in movies filmed in Malta, Ireland (once as Ireland, once doubling as Scotland), vague Europe, South Africa, Italy and I think Greece. And for the US, I know she went to Hawaii for a movie. I feel like she's been in Manhattan at some point.
I guess I was expecting this movie to basically rip off Swept Away, where a horrible rich lady is stranded on an island with an earthy guy, and they fall for each other.* And that's only partially true.
Chabert plays a fashion designer who, unique for movies, isn't an awful human. Instead, she's a victim of her own success - she's spread too thin, and it's impacted her designs and therefore the company. It's a weirdly buyable version of this type of character. I don't think I knew how much I internalized "well, she'll obvious be a real piece of work" about successful women in media. Time for some self reflection.
Man is a chef who has both lost a restaurant and his girlfriend in that order. He's working at nice places in LA, licking his wounds.
Man's pilot pal offers him a flight on a private plane to Fiji to meet with an investor to obtain a backer for another restaurant. But - because he's flying for free, Man has to pose as a flight attendant on what is Chabert's flight to Fiji to meet with shareholders (it's an emergency, don't worry about the details).
However, a storm knocks the plane out of the air and they wash up on an unknown island.
The pilot and co-pilot sail off to find help, leaving Chabert and Man to sort it out and fall for each other and never worry about how they smell.
The movie is not bad as far as these things go. Man (Ian Harding) is kind of funny, and Chabert is pretty solid as someone in her position. There's a cute floppy dog, quasi-pirates, and unlikely inspiration. The supporting cast is pretty good. Sean Miguel Perez as the our Debbie Downer working off optimist James Trevena was kind of funny.
Is it stupid? No! It's a shockingingly well-paced and tightly written. Sure, it's the kind of movie where our female lead always looks made-up and her ocean-crusted hair falls in lovely waves. She's even set with her own collection she was bringing to Fiji, so she can change clothes often. But this is still Hallmark.
If I have a complaint, it's that this had sitcom written all over it, and the movie is nowhere near as funny as it could be. Hallmark, let Chabert be funny, for God's sake. She should be allowed to get flustered about being stranded on an island (see her flustered in Ghosts of Girlfriends Past), or have to calm frantic Man being stranded. Have her do goofy jungle stuff. It's not that hard. The tumble into the lagoon was a good start! More of that! You had a comedy dog! Use that!
Anyway, for a movie to guide people out of the all-Christmas marathon, it's a nice change of pace.
*I confess, I never saw the original Swept Away, but did watch 20 minutes of the Madonna version, and it's as bad as you heard
They flew out a minimal crew, all above the line. It was kinda fun watching the people I know post about making it as they were shooting.
ReplyDeleteYou need to cozy up more to that director. He seems to be getting these awesome-locale gigs.
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