A Taste of Romance is a sweet tale of love (pun intended). After all, it’s a Hallmark Original Movie so from the start you know it’s going to have interesting characters and a cute plot, with the two main characters ending up together in the end. But what makes this movie stand out is the third actor in the mix. Young Bailee Madison plays Hannah, the daughter of widowed firefighter Gill Callahan (James Patrick Stuart) who, along with his friends has just opened the Five Alarm Grill in a small Central California town.
The Plot of A Taste of Romance
The story unfolds with the fact that The Five Alarm Grill, an establishment that serves hamburgers, mac and cheese, onion rings and crab cakes, sits next to the Chez Varenne, an upscale French restaurant owned and run by Sara Westbrook (Teri Polo), an uptight woman who does things by the book from her classical training in French cuisine.
Gill and his firefighter buddies are more fly-by-the-seat-of-their-pants kind of guys who play loud rock music and enjoy some ruckus, which doesn’t sit well with Sara who prefers classical music and a quiet atmosphere.
The two owners clash and Gill decides to pull a prank on Sara, the same way the guys do at the fire house. Although it bothers her, she manages to weather the storm and decides turnabout is fair play. So they’re off on a tit-for-tat game of pranks.
Of course you know from the start that there is a romantic spark between these two characters. How they deal with that is what takes them from the opening scene to the finale.
Bailee Madison
The one to watch in this film is young Bailee Madison. Hannah misses her mother and does whatever she can to keep her memory, even going so far as to read her mother’s books. When Hannah meets Sara she finds a woman with whom she can easily relate. And Sara offers to teach her how to cook and speak French.
Hannah does whatever she can to get her dad and Sara together. This little matchmaker is adorable.
Bailee Madison is an exceptional young actress. She has some difficult scenes in this film, and pulls them off like a pro. She is totally believable as a young girl who yearns for her mother’s voice but cannot hear it any more.
Bailee has been in several films, most recently Just Go With It, with Jennifer Anniston and Adam Sandler, and has appeared in many TV shows. I would definitely say, if this young girl wants to make a career in acting, she has a good start and can achieve a solid career. Besides her acting talent, she is as cute as a bug.
A Taste of Romance premiers Saturday, January 14, 2012 on Hallmark Channel at 9 pm ET/PT. After you watch the movie you might crave a chocolate crepe and some beef stew! Hey, don’t say I didn’t warn you.
