Give us your opinion of Big Sky River [Netflix]

Director: Peter Benson | Script: J.B. White | Cast: Emmanuelle Vaugier (Tara), Kavan Smith (Boone), Cassidy Nugent (Erin), John JJ Miller (Griffin), Sawyer Fraser (Fletcher), ea | Time to play: 84 minutes | Year: 2022

Just because Hallmark is best known for the endless amount of cheap Christmas movies this company drops each fall, that doesn’t mean people are just going to sit there for the rest of the year. based on big sky river apparently the same plotlines are used for summer movies as well: a divorced New York woman retires to the country and falls in love with her handsome neighbor, raising the question of whether she still wants to go back. Exactly the formula of countless Hallmark Christmas movies, but then done without any Christmas charm.

Although chewed up, this fact is still quite viable. The cultural differences between urban and rural areas in the United States are quite large, so there is something to be done about it. so it’s a shame big sky river he cleverly avoids any possibility of drama or conflict. Everyone in the town of Parable, Montana is happy with New York Tara and she immediately feels at ease when she settles there for a vacation after her divorce.

Although Tara says a few times that it was a bad divorce and that she’s had a rough year, there’s no other way to tell. She is always kind, calm and well rested. She never gets the impression that she needs to relax. The exact type of vacation she envisions remains unclear. We never see her exploring the area or even reading a book. She came to Parable because of fond memories of a summer camp she had there as a child, but that past is never explored further.

Despite the death of his wife, his temporary neighbor Boone is just as comfortable with himself, despite the fact that he has to raise two children alone and also has the necessary obligations as a sheriff. At least, so you would think. Most of the time he seems to be free to help his new neighbor with all sorts of chores. He immediately connects with Tara and everything is fine between him and his children. Despite the loss of his mother and his difficult age, he never has to call them to order.

Perhaps there is something healthy in the fact that these two people lead a good life without a partner. Many romantic movies feature two troubled characters who only become better people through their blossoming love for each other. Tara and Boone, on the other hand, are high-functioning people, so they don’t need to fix each other up.

But in the end, a movie should only tell a story. And two people who like each other from the beginning and continue to like each other throughout the movie is not a story. Not all romances have to be accompanied by irritations or misunderstandings, but is a little development really too much to ask? The first meeting between these two is one in which he berates her in the capacity of her sheriff. A great opportunity for some friction, which can be overcome as the two get closer. But no, here too there is nothing but kindness.

The reason for the absence of any conflict seems to be that, in the eyes of the filmmakers, the film should look good. And so any potential inconvenience has been eliminated: everyone gets along great, everything is clean and tidy, and the only one who occasionally throws a wrench is Tara’s ex-husband in New York. The only issue that ultimately arises is whether Tara is willing to stay at Parable. But that is not a personal dilemma, at best a logistical question.

Maybe all this would be forgivable if big sky river something was still done skillfully, but unfortunately everything is cheap and uninspired. Technically everything is fine, but not a single shot shows the slightest bit of creativity. Scenes also often begin with the actors in an unnatural position, never giving the impression that they walked or drove there. They just stand or sit there and then the conversation starts.

If you pay attention, you will see such shortcomings everywhere. After a barbecue, a tablecloth is as clean as before. After all, these scenes need to be filmed as quickly as possible, so there’s really no time to fix the set between takes. It can almost be considered impressive that some empty beer bottles have been placed on the table.

big sky river it’s boringly written, boringly filmed, and boringly acted. Everyone obediently says their lines, but no one seems to have thought about how the scene could be improved. The fact that it’s not a movie you can really get mad at is only because it’s hardly trying to be more than a fill-in-the-blank exercise. This movie doesn’t go down hard, but you can’t if you never step on the ice.

big sky river can be seen in Netflix.