'Summer Nights' movie review: 'A Taste of Summer'
Although this summer-infused romance takes a while to get moving, once "A Taste of Summer" (airing August 10 as part of the Hallmark Channel's Summer Nights) finally takes shape, it becomes an encouraging story of entrepreneurship and starting anew.
In short: Former Manhattan sous chef Gabby (Roselyn Sanchez) opens her own restaurant in a small town for a fresh start when she meets rival restaurant owner Caleb (Eric Winter) - with both restaurants competing in a summer food festival.
Confident yet cautious, Gabby is a terrific protagonist with an inspiring character arc. She starts off as a successful but stagnant chef stuck in a routine, forced to regain her love of cooking. Gabby is scared of taking the leap into restaurant ownership - she’s confident in her cooking but knows too well how unforgiving the restaurant business can be. But Gabby is an unflappable professional who faces the challenge of starting a small business head on - whether she has to roll up her sleeves to fix a broke refrigerator or thoroughly research the local competition. Sure the movie could have just had characters just say "gee Gabby is a great chef," but "Taste" shows her being a determined and legit chef.
Caleb's whole subplot as a softball coach doesn't add much to the film. Honestly, a lot of Caleb's arch is either redundant or just feels tacked on. Gabby's storyline emphasizes her desire to rediscover her love of passion for cooking - so Caleb's attempt to shake up his restaurant just duplicates that theme. Caleb is clearly the supporting character, yet he is reinvigorated by Gabby -- and from a storytelling point of view, it really should be the supporting character who redirects the protagonist ... and not the other way around. The entire "softball team goes to the playoffs" b-plot is filler that just distracts from Gabby's stronger plot.
For a "romance," this Hallmark movie really underplays the romance between Gabby and Caleb -- a move that actually strengthens the relationship between the two love interests. They're played more as rivals who push each other to grow. The romance is a byproduct of their competitive bristling - which makes their respective storylines as restaurant owners the focus.
Final verdict: "Taste" is a motivating, encouraging journey about following a dream and dealing with any obstacle that pops up. The fact that it's a romance is just icing on the cake for this summer winner.
Score: 4-out-of-5 summer nights
"A Taste of Summer" is rated TV-G and has a running time of 90 minutes. The movie premieres on The Hallmark Channel on August 10.
