Love on Safari (2018) Reviews

• Not a travel movie

  ronbokirk2018-07-30

  If this were a travel documentary it would be worthy of all the praise other reviewers have given it. South Africa was wonderful. Casting was great. I was happy to see Britanny Bristow getting bigger parts. She is really good. The only problem is this was NOT a travel movie but was supposed to be a Romance. The romantic leads were well paired, but the love scenes were void of emotion or "fireworks". It had the potential for 10 stars but without the romance it only earned 5.

• Gorgeous Scenery but That's It

  moho-402602018-07-29

  I would have given the movie one star but felt it deserved two as it was shot in South Africa and the wildlife and the scenery are breathtaking. But anything redeeming about this movie stops right there. Lacey Chabert seems to be playing the same character over and over again on these Hallmark movies and she can do so much better (one of her standout HM is The Color of Rain--check it out), but lately she seems to be phoning it in and I guess I can't blame her as there are no acting challenges in her movies of late. The storyline is insipid--an old forgotten uncle leaves his only surviving relative--a niece he barely knows, his life's work of a wildlife refuge. The Hallmark formula ensues--girl meets boy, girl has a boyfriend but falls in love with boy, confusion of feelings, girl leaves boyfriend and falls into the arms of boy. I think all Hallmark fans get the picture. The dialog was awful. Lacey's character said "wow" at least a dozen times in the first hour and toward the end I felt like I was watching an old Rooney/Garland "let's put on a show" movies where the farm is saved (in this case a wildlife refuge) and all ends with a kiss. I did like the lead actor John Cor. Never heard or saw him before but he does have HM potential. The second female banana played by Brittany Bristow was annoying. She had a silly smile plastered across her face most of the movie and then out of the blue tells the lead male actor he's in love with the Lacey Chabert character. All this after about three days in the wild. As I have said in my other HM reviews, I really do love HM channel movies, but they are starting to get very long in the tooth and they truly need to mix it up somehow. This was pretty much the same story we've seen in their famous Countdown to Christmas, Valentine's, Spring and June weddings, just a with a few lions, giraffes, and rhinos thrown in.

• Stunningly beautiful location...Mediocre story.

  catsmeow-122019-01-17

  I'm a big fan of Hallmark movies and Lacey Chabert is one of my favorites, but this film just didn't grab me. The best aspect of Love on Safari is the absolutely gorgeous location and scenery, and I appreciate the underlying messages about conservation, honoring the past, and being a part of something that is bigger than ourselves. The overall story however is mediocre and not terribly compelling. Lacey is worth watching, and the other actors are competent, but the romance between the lead characters lacks chemistry and just isn't convincing. I gave it 7 stars only because of the beautiful location and photography. Worth the time for the stunning scenery, but not much else.

• Nice?

  idozah2018-08-20

  The movie was okay. I loved the animals, the scenery and Africa, very beautiful! The bad thing is that the leads don't have chemistry at all, the male lead was not suited for Lacey, she is amazing as always, so she saved the movie. It's a movie worth watching one time!

• Romance?

  susan50962019-01-19

  The story was thin but that's not rare for Hallmark movies. The lead male actor was neither attractive nor a good actor and that was the main problem for me. There was no romantic energy in this film at all and I've seen Chabert strike sparks with a plethora of male leads. That bit of poor casting really cost this film. The animals, the scenery, and the South African cast were wonderful. In fact.