The Hallmark Channel continues to invite viewers on a winter escape with their latest romance, The Perfect Setting. The film follows a Chicago-based woman (Laci J. Mailey) who visits her grandfather in Belgium to help get their family business out of financial trouble, only to unexpectedly find romance with a local competitor (Ted Lasso‘s David Elsendoorn). But in addition to romance, can our leading lad and lady also find themselves amidst a major jewelry festival that forces them to reconsider the meaning of home?
THE PERFECT SETTING: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
The Gist: Abby Vanderbrink (Laci J. Mailey) aspires to be a high-level designer and creator in the jewelry industry, but is currently relegated to working on repairs at Davidson’s Jeweler in Chicago. Abby’s friend, Rosie (Jinesea Lewis), works as the assistant for Abby’s demanding boss, Nadia (Suzanne McKenney), and manages to convince Nadia to check out some of Abby’s jewelry designs. Unfortunately for Abby, Nadia is impressed with some of the ideas but won’t display any of Abby’s work until she makes a name for herself in the trade. But when a call from a bank in Belgium motivates Abby to take a trip to Antwerp to help her grandfather and his jewelry business, she just may find the perfect opportunity to make a splash in the industry.
Abby’s beloved grandfather, or “Opa,” Laurent (Hans Royaards) has been struggling to keep up with the workload and bills at their longtime family jewelry business, Vanderbrink’s, since his wife died less than a year ago. On the way to the business, Abby ends up helping a woman fix a diamond ring outside the storefront for Laurent’s biggest competitor, Remy & Sons, causing an employee named Alexander (David Elsendoorn) to come out and accuse her of poaching his customer.
Abby and Alexander butt heads a bit over their different perspectives on the jewelry industry, as the former embraces old-world charm and big ideas, while the latter prioritizes the latest tech and crafty business strategies. Wow, it’s almost like these two would make the perfect team… Too bad that Alexander is one of the aforementioned “& Sons” expected to take over his father’s business, making him a direct rival of Abby as she gears up to compete in the 56th Annual Valentine’s Day Diamond Festival on her grandfather’s behalf. Winning would mean enough money to save Vanderbrink’s and Laurent from financial woes, as well as the opportunity for Abby to prove she has what it takes to show off her original work at a high-end jeweler like Davidson’s.
While this puts Abby and Remy on opposing ends of a big competition with international appeal, the two still can’t help but be drawn to one another. While pretending to detest each other in front of their family, they get along well in private and even team up to overcome their respective weaknesses going into the competition. As they try to create the perfect jewelry to fit the festival’s “Home Is Where The Heart Is” theme, will they manage to find both belonging and love with one another in Antwerp, even with the odds stacked against them?
What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: The Perfect Setting is like a combination of the “David Elsendoorn-played European guy and grandma grieving American girl fall in love abroad” aspects of My Norwegian Holiday mixed with the “total opposites who fall for each other while competing” storyline of Just Add Romance. And all three are Hallmark movies! You can’t help but feel the resemblance.
Performance Worth Watching: Laci J. Mailer stands out as Abby Vanderbrink. She delivers a committed performance and is likable enough to make merely talking about the jewelry business seem interesting (and maybe a little romantic!) even for those with no prior knowledge of or investment in that trade.
Memorable Dialogue: Abby playing it cool about Alexander while on the phone with Rosie “His name is Alexander and yes he’s not terrible looking.” Way to play hard to get, queen!
Sex and Skin: None. Just people jazzed about jewels (in a very family-friendly way, of course. This isn’t Uncut Gems.)
Our Take: While it’s fun when Hallmark leaves behind small American towns to tell a new story somewhere else in the world, The Perfect Setting doesn’t manage to reflect the cute charm of its Beglian setting. Perhaps it’s because the entire plot revolves around the jewelry industry, the movie feels a bit niche at times and somewhat boring. I appreciate that the actors genuinely seem to try to inject humor, liveliness, and heart into their roles, but due to the writing and story, their efforts still manage to fall flat. Part of this is due to the largely two-dimensional characters.
While Abby is the most fleshed-out and therefore the most compelling, Alexander pales in comparison. I feel like I ended the movie knowing more about his business practices and family story than about him as a person, which isn’t ideal, considering he’s the male lead. As a result, it’s difficult to feel invested in the romance between Abby and Alexander, and beyond the romance, The Perfect Setting is just a lot of jewelry jargon and prep for a supposedly huge competition.
The competition itself was another issue. What exactly are its stakes and scale? What does it entail beyond the theme “Home Is Where The Heart Is?” We keep hearing that it’s a big deal, but what we see onscreen doesn’t always reflect that. This issue of showing vs. telling persists throughout The Perfect Setting and makes it less engaging overall. And while the themes of home and family were sometimes genuinely sweet, those weren’t enough to elevate this title into standout territory. Ultimately, The Perfect Setting is just okay and will probably make for some easy viewing (especially if you have an avid interest in the creation or sale of jewelry), but likely won’t make much of an impression beyond that.
Our Call: The Perfect Setting isn’t a bad movie, but it just isn’t gripping or memorable enough to be particularly great either. If you’re looking for a true winter escape to beat the cold, your time may be better spent elsewhere. SKIP IT.
The post Stream It Or Skip It: ‘The Perfect Setting’ on the Hallmark Channel, In Which A Belgian Jewelry Competition Forges A Rivals-to-Lovers Romance appeared first on Decider.
