A Taste of Romance (2012 TV Movie) User Reviews (16)

Light and Tasty Fare

[Marta123 · 7/10 · 4 December 2011]

For a TV movie, this was an engaging movie, but the highlight for me was Bailee Madison. Before this movie, I was not familiar with this very talented and versatile young actor, though now I realize that I have seen some of her other work. She was great! She convincingly rides the emotional gamut in a childlike manner that was refreshing. I found Teri Polo's acting a bit over the top with how uptight she was, but maybe there are actually people out there like that. She did refresh my "how to make a bechamel sauce" skills. Her assistant chef, Romy Rosemont, had perfect timing again and again, and was the one who consistently made me laugh.

It is a movie with no real surprises, but for me, it hit the sweet spot on love.

Comfort Food

[elusivecritter-103-455710 · 7/10 · 10 August 2018]

I don't know why it is, but I have a not-so-secret appetite for movies where romance is served along-side the roulade and love is layered into the lasagna.

"A Taste of Romance" is a pleasant little rom-com, somewhat pedestrian but served with heart and comfortingly familiar to the palate. The place-setting is overly formal, too clean (if such a thing is possible) and neat. The restaurants, the market, the apartments are all too obviously set-pieces. The required formulaic characters are all there, and you know exactly what's going to happen, but that is what comfort food is all about. Don't be mistaken; this movie is just that, comfort food, there are no exotic ingredients here, only familiar heart-warming fair served in the proper proportions,

The casting follows the same recipe, charming and familiar. Well prepared, but nothing outstanding. Except possibly Bailee Madison who plays the daughter. At eighteen-years-old (twelve at the time this movie was shot) she has, in the dozen years of her career, racked up an impressive 50 acting credits, ten nominations, and five awards.

Fun film except for a few things.

[wkozak221 · 7/10 · 19 May 2019]

This is a fun film. The story is good, the acting is good. It has some really funny scenes that make you laugh. The rivalry is good natured. I have a slight problem with the daughter. She seems to be nice. However, she reads books in French, she tries very hard to get her dad hitched and the scene where she cries about her mom feels forced. If her storyline was toned down the film would be better.

Tasty romance

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 3 July 2023]

Any film and television series etc centered around food immediately has me sold. The culinary/restaurant setting has been done to death before and has been a common setting since, but anybody that loves food and loves to cook and always finds themselves salivating at different dishes on cookery competitions may find that that doesn't matter. Whenever Hallmark do this setting, it does vary in quality. Particularly in the storytelling and whether the characters are any good.

2012's 'A Taste of Romance' is one of the food-related Hallmark films to handle both well on the whole. Have seen some food-centered Hallmark and Lifetime films over the past few months, especially the Christmas films, that have really not worked for reasons other than setting, but this felt like a refreshment in comparison to those. It is a treat for anybody that loves food, mixes of food and romance and loves to cook and is not only a romance worth seeing unfold but it is a tasty one.

It is not perfect. The music is too loud and constant for my taste and it occasionally affect dialogue clarity and is better suited for melodramas. It's also not particularly good on its own, with it feeling drab and pedestrian. It also took a while for me to warm to James Patrick Stuart's character, did find him too selfish and lacking in self-awareness.

Personally did find the ending too pat and it is the kind of ending that never comes over realistically in Hallmark films when it goes against everything that came before it. It did have emotion definitely, but it didn't quite work for me.

So much is good however. It is very well acted, with Teri Polo giving a deeply felt but also good natured performance that shows that she does have a lighter side instead of playing it constantly seriously. Stuart does do a good job also, didn't like his character to begin with but he becomes a lot more charming as he softens. Bailee Madison shows why she was one of the best child actresses at that time, she brings a lot of warmth and charm to her role of the daughter. Mostly the characters are written well, Polo's being written the most consistently, and she and Stuart have a sweet, genuine chemistry that was just about right.

The production values are pleasing, never cheap while not overblown. The script is good natured and heartfelt, with the two leads' back and forth being entertaining. Any hostility did not come over as too overdone and nothing felt juvenile or over-sentimental. The story is not an original one, but it has a nice energy even when quite gentle in pace, doesn't take itself too seriously while not treating it as a joke and is cute.

Overall, nicely done and tasty. 7/10.

A charming Hallmarker

[jml1988 · 7/10 · 20 November 2019]

I enjoyed this movie, though it was expectedly predictable, it was still good, and I loved the restaurant atmosphere. Worth the watch!

Well-acted emotionally-satisfying Hallmark movie

[gordonm888 · 7/10 · 23 December 2013]

A Taste of Romance is one of the better made and more enjoyable Hallmark films.

Sarah Westbrook (Teri Polo) and Gill Callahan (Jame Patrick Stuart) are complete opposites who own and run neighboring restaurants with polar-opposite strengths. Both characters initially seem unlikeable as they clash with each other, but we (the audience) start to genuinely like them as they first slowly learn to co-exist, and then become attracted to each other. The catalyst for their budding romance is Gill's young daughter, Hannah -who is beautifully acted by Bailee Madison.

Indeed, a great strength of this movie is that it is well-acted and has characters you can believe in. Teri Polo does a fine job of portraying a complicated woman whose passions and hangups are a significant barrier to new romance. James Patrick Stuart manages to bring warmth and likability to the male romantic lead role. And Bailee Madison delivers one of the best and most believable depictions of a young child that I have seen in a Hallmark TV movie.

I do wish there had been a bit more chemistry between the romantic leads - perhaps, a few more lingering looks, a few more tears when setbacks occur. But the feel-good ending is emotionally satisfying and delivers what the Hallmark audience wants. And the story that brings us to that ending never makes us roll our eyes in disbelief nor does it fail to hold our interest. A well-done movie!

Recommended.

a pleasant surprise

[PandoraProductions4 · 7/10 · 17 August 2015]

I knew this was a Hallmark film so needless to say my expectations were not very high. But to my surprise, I found myself not only entertained by A Taste of Romance, but actually liking it and being moved by it.

The story is simple: two restaurants clash, but then the uptight owner of one and the down to earth owner of the other start growing fond of each other. There's romance in the air!

It's really quite good how everything plays out, the performances all around are much better than expected for a TV movie, especially a Hallmark one. Teri Polo, Bailee Madison, and James Patrick Stuart work well together, their interactions work.

The film is very obvious, lacks any subtleties, buts that's my only major complaint about it.

It's not a good movie by Hollywood standards, but it's a good TV movie.

A great movie for the family!

[suresh12345 · 10/10 · 19 September 2011]

Finally, a movie that is heart-warming without over-the-top melodrama that dominates romantic movies today or the unnecessary crutch of sex!

My husband and I watched it on "pixl" a movie channel (that I did not know about before) and we liked it so much that I actually watched it again with my 8 year old daughter because it dealt with aspects of love,and romance without the hysteria and showed how real- life situations can be full of emotional ups and downs.

Sara and Gill own restaurants next door to each other and start off the wrong foot with each other; however through a series of situations, manage to set things right and eventually fall in love with each other. The director has dealt with these situations not only with a pace that it engaging and humorous but also without resorting to sex which unfortunately so many movies these days cannot seem to do without.

What a breath of fresh air; Kudos to all the artists in the movie. A wonderful performance with excellent direction!

Single dad, opens grill next to a high-end french restaurant with a single, bilingual, very particular, female chef. Pranks become a neighbourly friendship and deeper feelings

[theshadow_58 · 7/10 · 28 December 2012]

These past few days i have watched a lot of hallmark movies and i have to say this one is by far the best one yet.If you liked No Reservations and the like then you will definitely like this one!

The storyline may not be all that original but its redone very well with its own unique spin. The performances are amazing, the characters very real and so are the stories they tell. Hats off to Bailee Madison. Of course as said before the main and other supporting actors did a good job as well. The entire movie seemed very realistic, not over the top and doesn't try too hard to create a romance or a situation that influences romance; thats why I recommend it. a good heartwarming, funny and light and realistic movie. The best in the series of Hallmark movies i have watched this week!

Wow. Hate the ending.

[unfetteredbygrace · 4/10 · 12 August 2019]

Great until the end - he goes on TV and suddenly she professes mad live for him - closes HER restaurant and cooks in his. Really bad ending.

This movie is way underrated

[jantien-451-191756 · 9/10 · 24 September 2013]

I absolutely loved this movie. I had no idea what to expect and just started watching while doing something else. And after like 2 minutes I dropped everything and only had eyes for the movie. If you want to feel good, or maybe you want to see a romantic movie, or it's the holiday season - > watch this. It's great. It made me sad, it made me cry tears of joy, it made me laugh, it made me wanna hug my boyfriend. And then when I looked it up on IMDb I saw it didn't even have a picture, and the score was only 6,1. How is it possible that some people didn't like this movie? And that so little people have seen it? Only 360 people watched it and it's been out there for like a year now. I am going to recommend it to everyone from now on, and I really hope the director gets the credit he deserves.

Such an engaging film highlighting the therapeutic nature of food and cooking

[skpn123 · 10/10 · 29 January 2021]

Really this was a romance coinoisseurs delight with just the right amount of sugar and spice (excuse the pun) and dealing with some heavy issues like grief and loss but without getting dark or heavy.

But a special treat was seeing a young Bailee Madison. I can now see clearly why she was selected for an ongoing role in 'Good Witch' and has gone on to be a highly respected young actor.

Great movie

[jewhitmer25 · 10/10 · 30 July 2021]

Such a great rom-com, a real feel-good movie.

I loved Teri Polo as Sarah and James Patrick Stuart as Gill together, great chemistry even when their characters were fighting. I always enjoy Teri Polo she is always marvelous. I don't remember seeing James Patrick Stuart in anything before but I will certainly be on the lookout for movies he is in from now on. Teri and James gave good solid performances.

Bailee Madison as Hannah was a delight. She is a very talented child, I look forward to seeing more of her.

Romy Rosemont as Patsy was the perfect blend of assistant chef and best friend. Her timing and pacing were impeccable.

Plot - Sarah Westbrook is owner and head chef of a fancy French restaurant. Gill Callahan and some Fire Fighter pals open The Five Alarm Grill next door. The two owners clash from the beginning and it is interesting to watch their relationship improve and grow, helped in part by the matchmaking efforts of Gill's daughter Hannah.

My Advice -watch this movie a time or two.

A Touch of Romance and Humor

[wlhawk-91860 · 9/10 · 15 July 2020]

Could be Spoilers Ahead: A single father hoping to provide a new adventure for his little girl open a Restaurant next to an established French Restaurant after the death of his Wife. This movie has a great blend of subtle humor as well as a genuine and supportive cast of friends and family that make it very sweet and funny.

Typical Hallmark-But At Its Best ***

[edwagreen · 8/10 · 21 January 2012]

This typical Hallmark film was very nicely done.

A widower and former fireman, opens a restaurant right next door to a woman who has just opened a French restaurant.

While she immediately bonds with his young precocious daughter, the two can't seem to get along at the beginning. For starters, she complains about his loud music which she feels is a detriment to the ambiance of her place.

By Hallmark standards, the two eventually fall for each other.

Peter Shaughnessy, of "The Nanny," co-stars as a food critic. Our guy shows what he is made of when our gal goes to his restaurant to cook when his daughter is injured in an accident. It is just then that our critic goes to review his restaurant but is enticed by what he sees at her.

You'll just enjoy the ending is this breezy story.

horrible scenario, unlikable widower and his rude, self-centered

[rightwingisevil · 9 June 2013]

LOUD music. this TV movie's scenario premise is just too absurd. the guy, a widower with a teenage daughter, leased a space for his junk pizza business, from day 1 when he started the remodeling of his joint, he brought in radio and turned its volume to the extreme, bombarded the neighboring french restaurant. well, here's the first stupid arrangement to have a red-neck pizza joint next to a classy french restaurant. may i ask, what kind business neighborhood is this? how come a guy could be such an arse as a retired fireman when his neighbor complaining the loud and very disturbing music, his answer and response to such complaints would be, so what? this is a free country, i have the right to turn my music volume as loud as i like. no wonder this rude and arrogant bastard's wife would die so early. the causes of her death were obvious: his arrogance and his deafening loud music. the daughter role is very likable and, the french chef, a beautiful female, an American sweetheart, neither needed such arse to be either the father or the next-door neighbor business owner. file a complaint to the landlord and to the city for noise control code. romance? not in a million years!