Hallmark Review: 'Caribbean Summer'

Synopsis:

Jade Taylor (Heather Hemmens) has put in a lot of work to become a respected news producer. But her "all work, no play" attitude has put a real dent in her romantic life--at least, that's what her ex-boyfriend says. It's only after an embarrassing incident during a live broadcast that Jade realizes she does need time to decompress before she spirals into burnout. Put on a leave of absence by her boss, Jade takes the opportunity to book a trip to Maceo Island. Her vacation gets off to a bumpy start when she learns that the "rental home" she booked isn't actually for rent and is the home of Maceo Island resident Ford (Ser'Darius Blain). Sympathetic to the fact that Jade was scammed, Ford agrees to allow his unexpected houseguest to stay in his spare bedroom. From there, Jade gingerly learns to unwind and an attraction forms between her and Ford as they spend more time together. But will Jade learning the truth about Ford's past put an end to all that?

Story:

While it could've had a heartfelt and intriguing story, Caribbean Summer misses that opportunity with its uneven pacing and underdeveloped plot points. The plot initially seems to be going for a slow boil, only to instead segue into a monotonous stretch that gets worse once Ford's secret is revealed. It doesn't help that Jade and Ford's romance is the standard "Uptight Workaholic Meets Easygoing Free Spirit" love story Hallmark has told in various ways and that the tropical activities they bond over aren't all that attention-keeping. While they're given a bit of an edge through their connections to Caribbean culture, it's still a cycle of eating, dancing, and sightseeing that gets old after a while. Ford's secret makes for a little compelling drama, but it struggles to avoid being completely smothered by the excessive padding.

There are a few subplots that could've brought given the film some flavor, such as Jade investigating the rental home scam, her estranged relationship with her sister, and Ford's friend Hughes dealing with his father wanting to sell the family restaurant despite Hughes' desire to start running it. The implications that the scam was committed by someone familiar with Ford's home and that Pop Hughes is motivated by greed and selfishness add further potential juice to these storylines. Sadly, all of them are wrapped up in very unsatisfying ways after being given next to no room to grow. The rental home scam is quickly forgotten about, the sisterly estrangement arc is barely there, and SPOILER ALERT after being set up as a self-absorbed father who cares more about money than his son's happiness, Pop Hughes accepts Hughes' career decisions without a fight. Spoilers Over It only adds to the bland atmosphere Caribbean Summer cultivates over its 84-minute runtime.

Characters:

While the story around Jade and Ford may be drab, it allows them to evolve as people and show that their Hallmark-familiar personalities come with some depths. Ford's laidback, off-the-grid approach to life is revealed to be the result of a painful event from his past while Jade's workaholic tendencies are shown to be legitimately detrimental to her. Rather than just being treated as a romantic hurdle, we get to see that Jade has become so accustomed to being in "work mode" 24/7 that she doesn't really know how to relax and enjoy her time off. Her boss isn't wrong to say that such poor work-life balance could have consequences more severe than some mild embarrassment. These character shadings are a much-appreciated consolation prize for the lack of a consistently entertaining and well-paced narrative.

The pool of supporting characters, however, is shallow and not utilized very well. Hughes and his parents all get the same case of rushed development as Hughes' subplot while local police officer Hibbert is left to be little more than window dressing after the rental scam plotline comes to an abrupt end. The only Maceo Island native to be spared from this fate is Hughes' fiancée Ingrid, who quickly becomes Jade's confidante and stays by her side even when her and Ford's relationship starts getting hit by third-act complications. As for Jade's New York associates, her co-worker friends are your standard "Heroine's Supportive Bestie" characters and her boss Tabitha initially seems to be in the same boat. SPOILER ALERT But then she finds out about Ford's true identity and, without even consulting Jade, sends one of her reporters to ambush Ford. When confronted by a rightfully furious Jade, Tabitha not only dismisses her feelings, but accuses her of "slipping." The fact that Tabitha's callous self-interest is never really addressed results in her character ending the movie on a bad note for me. Spoilers Over

Acting:

Heather Hemmens and Ser'Darius Blain both give solid performances that provide support to Jade and Ford's character arcs and their development as a couple. There's a definite chemistry between the two and both do fantastic work when it comes time for Jade and Ford's emotionally packed scenes. Most of their co-stars aren't as fortunate. Aisha Toussaint does good work as the lovable Ingrid. But while her onscreen partner Buom Tihngang fares fine during Hughes' upbeat moments as Ford's charismatic buddy, his attempts at conveying the difficult position his character is in fall apart thanks to his one-note line delivery. Everyone else gets placed in roles too slight to make any noteworthy impressions, positive or negative.

Overall:

The tug-of-war between Caribbean Summer's good and bad qualities ends in a draw. The stale story chockful of untouched or mangled plot threads is counteracted by the strong leads and their chemistry that makes it worth sticking around to watch them fall in love and then grapple with a few hard truths. With rewrites, this could've been another great Hallmark feature about a woman going on a tropical vacation, finding romance, and learning a few things about herself along the way. But as is, Caribbean Summer fails to soak up as much sun as it could have, rendering it a lukewarm summer flick. Ironic, huh?

Score: 5 out of 10 bootleg suntan lotion gangs.