TV Movie Review: "When Sparks Fly"

Synopsis: One Fourth of July, Amy's (Meghan Markle) parents plan their usual fireworks bonanza, while Amy herself drops a bombshell on her friends and family: she is moving to Chicago to take a job with a big newspaper.  Amy's boyfriend, Hank, unbeknownst to her, was about to pop the question when she told him the news.  Seven years later, Amy is living in the big city with a new beau, Phil, and a job at the paper.  When her boss tells her that her writing seems uninspired, he sends her back to her hometown to cover the annual patriotic celebration.  While there, she plans to be the maid of honor at her BFF Sammie's wedding; problem is, Sammie is about to wed Hank, Amy's ex! When the three of them work together to plan the big day, Sammie doubts there's anything going on between Amy and Hank...but, everyone is in for a big surprise!

The Good: There's no denying how cute Meghan Markle is; just like with the previous movie of hers I reviewed, it's easy to see why Prince Harry fell for her.  This movie praises the small-town way of life, which was great.  The content was mostly clean: language was no worse than "gosh," nothing in the way of violence, sex was limited to kissing, etc.  Then again, that's what most people would expect from a Hallmark Channel telefilm.

The Bad: If only the plot and production values matched up.  Seriously, this movie's story is ridiculous; why would an engaged woman let her fiancée hang out with an old flame for any reason? Also, Sammie was a bit of a bridezilla; her intense desire for everything to be either red, white, or blue made me feel like I was watching a TLC reality show instead.  My mom saw a bit of this, and said she could see why Meghan Markle left acting; I kind of had to agree.  The only content concern was drinking; champagne is consumed quite a bit.  For some people, that may be no big deal; still, I'm not used to seeing people imbibe onscreen.

Conclusion: Hallmark movies might seem like they're right up my alley: clean content, attractive female leads...why wouldn't I enjoy them? However, now that I'm thirty years old, it takes more than a pretty lady and a lack of profanity, sex, or graphic violence to make me enjoy a film.  With the Hollywood Princess being in the news, people are likely to check out her celluloid works; if you decide to see this, be ready to seriously suspend your disbelief.  I've seen some pretty good movies from the greeting card network, but this one is ruined by its plot and performances.  At least I can finally trade in my DVD of this.

Score: 2/5