Hallmark Channel movie review: 'Love on the Menu'

It's hard to resist smiling while watching a laid-back chef and strait-laced executive slowly fall for each other in "Love on the Menu" (airing Feb. 23 as part of the Hallmark Channel's Countdown to Valentine's Day).

In short: Chef Hank (Kavan Smith) owns a struggling restaurant and makes a deal with frozen food executive Maggie (Autumn Reeser) in order to save his business.

Hallmark movies live-and-die with the casting of its leads - and "Menu" crackles with Reeser and Smith as co-stars. "Opposites attract" could be its own subgenre of Hallmark movies, yet Reeser and Smith find the perfect balance of clearly defined character differences without turning them into broad caricatures. Reeser exudes an inclination for precision, but her character is never overtly uptight -- if anything, she's playfully game to take on whatever is thrown at her. On the other end, Smith's free-wheeling and casual chef plays fast and loose with his recipes, yet he's rigidly set in his ways. Their differences are surface-only and the script allows Reeser and Smith to play with their character's similarities.

"Menu" doesn't waste the audience's time with any silly "will they or won't they" fake tension - the script gently outlines their differences, but lets them organically come together. We all know these two will fall in love - yet the genuine surprise of "Menu" is just how natural and right it feels for these two to realize they just click.

While the whole "company hires Hank to come up with frozen food recipes" plot brings Hank and Maggie together, it's arguably the weakest part of the movie. The "frozen food" plot really only pops in at the beginning - is then all but completely abandoned - then swoops back in during the final act. The business deal between Maggie's company and Hank's restaurant is a pretense to getting them together - and "Menu" is best when that shallow plot device is left in the background. Barbara Niven is wasted on an extremely thin role that serves as just a plot point - something to put pressure on Maggie.

Final verdict: "Menu" is like a dish that was overcooked on the outside, yet satisfying and delectable on the inside. The vague, disappointing premise is offset by the delight of watching two characters with genuine romantic chemistry.

Score: 3.5-out-of-5-hearts

"Love on the Menu" is rated TV-G and has a running time of 90 minutes. The movie premieres on The Hallmark Channel on Feb. 23.