Finding Love in Mountain View

I’m always looking for movies and television shows that are “family-friendly” or age-appropriate to watch with my older daughters. It can be rather challenging, to say the least.

One source that rarely disappoints, however, is the Hallmark network. My older daughters and I started to bond over Hallmark’s seasonal movies during the winter of 2015. We looked forward to the plethora of Christmas-inspired movies featured each holiday season and snuggling up on the couch to fall in love with the very predictable but always cherished storylines. These moments became memories engraved in our hearts as well as traditions highly anticipated. 

So imagine my utter disappointment [in the summer of 2019] when my husband and I decided to eliminate our cable TV service as a way to cut back on our monthly spending. If I recall correctly, I fought hard to save our cable programming and did not want to lose the Hallmark network – it was my “guilty pleasure,” my opportunity to escape life’s daily to-dos as I mindlessly indulged in the dramatic romantic and mysterious plots of featured films. 

It’s been two years since we cut the fat off our television offerings and while I know it was a wise decision in the long-run, I am still bitter about missing the new releases of Hallmark movies. 

When given the opportunity to preview the upcoming fall movie, Finding Love in Mountain View, I didn’t think twice. 

Finding Love in Mountain View, showcased on the Hallmark Movies & Mystery Channel, is a modern rendition of Miralee Ferrell’s book, Finding Love in Bridal Veil, Oregon. In the film adaption, Margaret, a highly independent woman and career-driven architect, is caught off-guard when she is notified of the passing of her beloved cousin. Upon hearing the news, Margaret learns of her cousin’s will – she has been entrusted as the legal guardian to her two young cousins. Even though Margaret and her deceased cousin were closer than sisters growing up, their relationship had gradually drifted apart post-high school. 

Which begs the question – What led her cousin to choose Margaret as the guardian of her children without previously acquiring Margaret’s approval?

Tragedies tend to occur when we least expect them and this one is no different. Margaret is torn between honoring her cousin’s wishes and focusing on her career and her relationship with her equally career-committed boyfriend. Without accepting or denying the guardianship of her younger cousins, Margaret travels back to her hometown of Mountain View to visit her cousins and get to know them. But drama often begets more drama… Margaret receives another surprise comes when she discovers her former high school boyfriend (who is also the local school counselor) has a special relationship with the two elementary-aged cousins she is willed to adopt. You can practically cut the romantic tension with a knife! 

Finding Love in Mountain View is a heartfelt story mixed with some nostalgia, tender-loving affection, a bit of necessary drama and mystery, and optimism for blank slates and new beginnings. I watched this movie with my older daughters (ages 11 and 8) and we were pleasantly amused by this film. There is something to be said about being able to enjoy a movie together with your loved ones. With so much junk being produced today, that is a gift I never want to take for granted. 

Like most Hallmark movies, the content is wholesome and there is no inappropriate language (i.e. provocative/curse words), smut (i.e. sex scenes, sexual innuendos) or promotion of secularly accepted behaviors or decisions (i.e. abortion, “hook-up” culture, same-sex relationships). Yet, take note that there are also overly cheesy, inconsistent themes/scenes/props, and somewhat cringy moments that tend to be signature staples of any Hallmark movie (read: poor lip sync portrayal and guitar playing).

Nonetheless, it is worth the watch if you are interested in heartwarming plots and overall clean entertainment.

Wanna learn more?  Click here to watch the trailer! 

Click here to enter the giveaway!*

*3 winners will be selected on 9/30/21 and notified by email. 

**I was able to pre-screen this film through FrontGate Media in exchange for my honest review and promotion.