This is an inspirational romantic drama full of heart and humor about finding the strength to be true to oneself. After an ill-fated audition at the prestigious New York music conservatory, violinist Finley Sinclair (Rose Reid) travels to an Irish coastal village to begin her semester studying abroad. At the B&B run by her host family including Nora (Fiona Bell) and husband Sean (Ciaran McMahon) and their daughter Emma (Saoirse-Monica Jackson), she encounters gregarious and persistent heartthrob movie star Beckett Rush (Jedidiah Goodacre), who is there to film another installment of his medieval fantasy-adventure franchise. As romance sparks between the unlikely pair, Beckett ignites a journey of discovery for Finley that transforms her heart, her music, and her look on life. In turn, Finley emboldens Beckett to reach beyond his teen-idol image, and pursue his true passion. But when forces surrounding Beckett's stardom threatens to crush their dreams, Finley must decide what she is willing to risk for love.
Others to round out the cast are Vanessa Redgrave as Cathleen Sweeney, Tom Everett Rush as Montgomery Rush, Beckett's father, Patrick Bergin as Seamus, Judith Hoag as Jennifer Sinclair as Finley's mother and Helen Roche as Fiona Doyle.
This was paced and staged well by director Brian Baugh ("To Save a Life" '09, "I'm Not Ashamed" '16, "The World We Make" '19) plus TV. Even though this filmmaker doesn't have an extensive resume, he was able to combine the heartfelt feeling of an interesting story with the reality that these characters were emitting throughout the film. He is truly a natural, so much so that if the directing was to your liking, his "Appointments with Heaven" is in pre-production along with the writing penned also by him. This was also effectively written by Baugh ("To Save a Life" '09, "The World We Make" '19), based on the book, "There You'll Find Me" by Jenny B. Jones. This film could've been written in such a sappy, sentimental way, but even though it was heartfelt, it was grounded in just the right amount of reality that made this, not only palatable, but a movie that captured the attention of its audience. Other than a couple of very small places of inconsistencies, this story rocked. The photography filmed on location in Ireland by Michael Lavelle, isc was breathtaking and definitely added to the story, as was the music which consisted of fiddles and dancing Irish style.
Certainly if you like romantic dramas, you'll love this, but even if not, the chemistry between the two young stars was real as it was entertaining. These two were about as unlikely to meet and eventually connect as a couple could be, but it should show us that anyone can meet and have that connection no matter how different we are. If you don't believe it, watch "Here Today" which was also recently released and still in theaters.
Out of 4 Stars: 3.5 Rated: PG 119mins.
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