Hallmark "Made for Each Other"
Hallmark’s new weekend premiere, “Made for Each Other,” was a lighthearted, comedy-romance about a woman whose sculpture came to life as her perfect man. In the end, she had to choose between her dream man and a real-life friend she was feeling a connection with. Alexandra Turshen, Matt Cohen, and Aaron O’Connell shined in the film. The movie deserves high marks, but some reviews among Hallmark viewers were mixed. However, most agreed that the film far exceeded their expectations and the stars were delightful.
This article will have spoilers for “Made for Each Other.”
The Stars Brought a Surprisingly Solid Foundation to a Magical Fantasy Backdrop
Hallmark“Made for Each Other”
The premise of the movie is a single woman, Rachel (played by Alexandra Turshen) bringing her artistic sculpture named Clay (Aaron O’Connell) to life thanks to a magical amulet provided by Doris (Illeana Douglas.) She immediately falls for Clay, but soon realizes that true love goes deeper than simply finding someone who always agrees with you. Over time, she has a deepening connection to David (Matt Cohen), who ultimately steals her heart.
The stars had a great deal of chemistry. I believed that Rachel really was attracted to Clay from the start. O’Connell, meanwhile, did a great job of portraying the innocent excitement of a new creation who slowly discovers more and more about himself, developing a personality all his own. Meanwhile, Cohen did a great job of developing a strong rapport between his character, David, and both Clay and Rachel.
But the chemistry extended beyond the leads. The brother-in-law and sister had a lot of funny and believable exchanges (including good-natured ribbing at David for not having a chance with Rachel.)
Teryl Rothery did a great job playing an overbearing mother whose fear of showing any chinks in the armor of her marriage ended up giving Rachel the wrong idea about what to expect from a man. Unfortunately, I couldn’t feel complete sympathy for her character even at the end, since she was so pushy throughout the movie. But her pushiness did help move the plot along.
And Illeana Douglas’ Doris was a shining star in the film, showcasing what a great life she was having as a single woman with her own adventures and empowerment.
David & Clay Interrupting Rachel’s Art Exhibit Needed a Bigger Fallout
Hallmark“Made for Each Other”
Things felt a bit off briefly at the end. Throughout the film, David was respectful of Rachel and Clay’s relationship, based on his friendship with both (and his friendship with Rachel’s brother.) But in the end, he takes Doris’ advice and ends up barging into Clay’s proposal to Rachel, which felt out of character for him. (And in real life, that would have been a very risky move. In fact, Clay’s proposal during her big art exhibit debut would have been very risky too.)
Much of Rachel’s story was about her independence as an artist and her desire to find her own path. But in the end, when she’s getting the biggest honor of her career so far, both Clay and David take the spotlight from her. Clay does so at the insistence of Rachel’s mom, and David does so at the insistence of Doris. The fact that this didn’t bother Rachel at all, or that the people attending the show cheered when she kissed David right after Clay had just proposed, felt a bit off from the rest of the script. I think it would have been better if she realized on her own that Clay wasn’t right for her, and quietly turned him down just before visiting the end of David’s comedy show to share the good news after. But movies typically need big, showy payoffs, so it’s understandable why they chose this route.
The movie did make up for this with the final montage, which was really sweet. Everyone got their own happy ending, including Clay who achieved an impressive career as a chef.
One Viewer Said the Movie Reminded Them of ‘Weird Science’ in the 1980s & Another Said It Reminded Them of ‘Snowmance’
Fans had mixed reviews about the movie when responding to a post on Heavy on Hallmark’s Facebook page.
Phyliss Smith-Williams wrote, “Not the best Hallmark movie this year, but the movies have far exceeded any in past years.”
Diane Yonn wrote, “I thought it was entertaining. A stray from the usual Hallmark movie which isn’t a bad thing.”
Ann Webber Dahlgren wrote, “It was a foolish silly storyline…But I loved it! The actors and actress’s were all very good, engaging, and overall a light enjoyable feel good movie!”
Bob Boyd commented, in part: “I liked the casting. The actors did well with the material they were given.”
Enne Bond wrote, “Congratulations to Hallmark and their creative writers. I love all of the Hallmark movies and appreciate new story lines . Real life can be hard. I need fantasy and enjoyment.”
For some, the departure from Hallmark’s normal storyline and the magical element was too much. Sheila K. Johnson commented, “It was ok but way too unreal. But I watched it anyway, but it’s not one that I would watch again.”
Sally Brownlee said it reminded her of a 1980s movie. She wrote, “The Hallmark equivalent of the 80’s flick Weird Science. On the fence but I did watch the whole thing. Not sure if I’ll keep it on my DVR tho. It was funny watching Clay’s gaffs! 🤣🤣”
In a different Hallmark discussion group, one person pointed out that the premise reminded them of “Snowmance.” “Snowmance” aired in 2017 and is about a woman who builds a snowman boyfriend every year with her best friend, Nick. But one year, the snowman comes to life. That movie stars Jesse Hutch, Adam Hurtig, and Ashley Newbrough.
Others pointed out that despite the magical element, there were other elements that were more realistic, like serving boxed wine or talking with food in their mouths.
Dawn Drubert wrote, “I love this movie!! So refreshingly different! People actually stuffed food in their mouths & talked! Box wine! How real life! I am eager to see more movies like this as well as movies from the two leads.”
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