So not sure why this is part of Winterfest on the Hallmark Channel, as it’s all about autumn, but whatever. Today’s installment is Falling for Vermont. Starring people I’ve seen before, but have no idea who they are. It’s a rare one – as the heroine is a brunette!
Angela Young is a writer of YA time travel stuff, looking for time to enjoy her success. Her book series is being made into a movie, and she’s freaking out – she doesn’t want to be in front of crowds, but she’s at an author event at Book Expo. Her boyfriend, Brad, also her manager, who is kind of a tool – he’s all about the money, not about the creative process. She’s putting her foot down, and wants a break from her routine – she wants to see fall foliage! So she runs out of her interview at “Beantown Today” and heads off to the country. Such a responsible thing to do.
Jeffrey Callan is a small-town widowed doctor, who has 2 kids, Emily and Alex, and a mom who thinks that Jeffrey needs a girlfriend. Emily is a fan of Angela’s YA series.
Angela doesn’t know how to drive in the rain, and crashes her car. Next scene is she wandering a deserted road, very dazed, and with amnesia! So, small town doctor has to help her, in the town of Hopedale, Vermont. Because she doesn’t know her own name, she decides on Elizabeth, based on some tabloids she found in the doctor’s office.
I guess Dr. Jeff’s practice isn’t that busy because he has time to walk her around the small town to see if she remembers anything. But Jeff is all about small town living – his parents run the diner, and his mom volunteers Jeff’s guest house to “Elizabeth” – because a small town doctor must needs have a guest house.
Hopedale has “Fall Fest” – it’s amazing – food, and a Ferris wheel, and Jeff’s daughter has to write a play. Guess having an amnesiac writer in the guest house will be helpful! Apparently, Angela/Elizabeth also knows a lot about canoes. She correctly identifies the model of decrepit canoe that Jeff has in his hard – I didn’t even know canoes had different types of models. But her knowledge of this is a good sign of her memory loss, so yay!
Angela’s sister and tool boyfriend Brad are freaking out, but not enough to do anything about it.
A girl at the town hall meeting offers to post Angela/Elizabeth’s picture to social media. How does a small-town girl have a couple thousand Instagram followers? I think I have like 4. But whatevs.
So the whole thing about this movie is that it’s fall, right? In Vermont? At the height of the foliage season? Then why are all the trees still green, except for a few that are blatantly planted by Jeff’s house? And the overhead shots of the bucolic town do not match the action shots of them walking around a town with green trees.
Also, Angela/Elizabeth has been wearing old scrubs for days – but she still manages to have great hair and wear eyeliner. How does that work?
Oh goodness. It’s a montage of Angela/Elizabeth trying on clothes at the thrift store. Ew.
So now, Angela/Elizabeth is repaying Dr. Jeff’s kindness by babysitting – and she’s roping the kids into helping repair the canoe. Meanwhile, Tool Brad and Sister don’t want to rock the boat and create a panic, so they are still not calling the police about their missing girlfriend/sister – even though it’s been four days. Not very responsible of them, right? But all the more time for Dreamy Dr. Jeff and Angela/Elizabeth to get all swoony. And Fall Fest is still approaching!
In a twist, Dr. Jeff has a sassy friend (Sheriff) – and he’s all like, ‘don’t worry – just enjoy the time you have with her.’ Way to go, Sassy Friend!
Jeff and Angela/Elizabeth almost kiss, but don’t. But now it’s weird between them, and he has to quote his doctor oath about not hooking up with his patients. I’m glad he has ethics.
Setting up for Fall Fest – so many hay bales. But the play that Emily is writing with Angela/Elizabeth’s help isn’t going well. Emily really wants Angela/Elizabeth to be there, but the next scene is Tool Brad and Sister filing a missing persons report. And in the meantime, Angela/Elizabeth has an allergic reaction to nuts and Jeff has to save her. For an amnesiac author, this girl has a lot of issues!
Jeff’s kids know that he likes Elizabeth, and they are cool with it. He doesn’t want the kids to be hurt when she leaves, but they’re like, it’s all good, dad. They are remarkably well adjusted for having a mom who’s dead.
During Fall Fest preparations – Sheriff Sassy Friend calls to let him know they found Angela’s car, and have identified Elizabeth as Angela. Cue to Tool Brad and Sister, and they are on their way to Hopedale!
The one bookstore in town is covered with Angela’s book, and she remembers who she is! The plot has bugged me thus far because usually there is a picture of the author on the back of the cover – but the fake copies of the book in the bookstore just have a blurb about the author, no picture. So at least they covered that end of it. But she knows who she is – is she going to say anything? And Jeff knows who she is. Will he say anything? There is still 20 minutes left, so my guess is not now. And I’m right – but because Angela still wants a few more hours of normal, and since Jeff totally wants that too, it’s ok.
Montage of Fall Festival stuff.
There are so many feels right now between Jeff and Angela right now, but it’s time for Emily’s play! It’s a dumb play. But whatever, she’s 12.
Angela takes the opportunity at the end of the play to announce that her memory is back, and is about to announce her name is Angela Young – but Tool Brad shows up and does it first. He’s such a tool. Jeff and Angela have to say good-bye – without having a kiss at the fair. They’re both so upset. Jeff looks off into the middle distance, he’s so upset. It reads like constipation.
Tool Brad and Sister don’t even register that Angela had amnesia – they are still acting like everything is fine. So Angela is unhappy.
Cut to one month later – she’s back at the TV station for “Beantown Today” – to talk about her Vermont adventure. Which Jeff watches, all broody in an un-tucked shirt. But it leads to clarity – and Angela breaks up with Tool Brad, because he cares more for selling books than being her boyfriend. He takes it pretty well. Sister gives her the keys to the car, and Angela’s back in Hopedale! (Which, after a month, still is more green than anything else. Guess Global Warming really is a thing.)
They are slowly walking towards each other. But finally, guitars swell and they kiss while Jeff’s kids watch creepily. And done.
I will not pretend that this one was in the top 10 of Hallmark movies, but it was nice to be not in snow for once. I haven’t been to Vermont since High School, but it seems like a nice place, and if every town has a Fall Fest, color me there. I’ll do it, just so you don’t have to.
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