Elise Bauman

(On Cable TV, April 2022) When is a made-for-TV romantic comedy featuring a food truck not a food romantic comedy? When the food truck is converted into a mobile fashion boutique, of course, allowing the characters to feature in a fashion romantic comedy. Wholly different subgenres! No, I’m kidding: no matter whether our heroine is a gifted chef or fashion designer, Designed with Love goes over well-trodden territory when it comes to Hallmark-off-brand romantic comedies. There’s a wish-fulfillment fantasy aspect to it all, with the work of a fashion designer outrageously simplified for feel-good effect, cause and effect being compressed in a span of a few in-universe days, and on-the-nose dialogue challenging actors to remain believable despite not portraying reality. (I did like Zarrin Darnell-Martin in her “girlfriend” role a lot better than lead actress Kelly Van der Burg, for instance, but the second of her three scenes is a lamentable example of plot-driven dialogue that no one would ever say this bluntly.)  There are contrivances, plot cheats and fake deadlines, but that’s the way those movies often go, and it’s amusing to see that the same oversized plot instruments are in use no matter if the lead character is an artist, writer, cook or designer. The surprise is that Designed with Love, when compared to other similar films, is a bit better than usual. Director Bill Corcoran crams a lot in 85 minutes, and the central romantic relationship is slightly more credible than usual. I specifically liked how the male lead (played by Benjamin Sutherland) isn’t this flawless prince charming from the get-go – he’s clearly a brilliant but quirky man with serious commitment issues and unconventional looks. While the film does get him to a happy ending, it’s not as easy a process as in other movies where the male lead is a generic placeholder for an ideal mate. The film has a few more ideas than usual for its class of film, and Elise Bauman gets a decent supporting role even if -sigh- the point of the character seems to be receiving a **!makeover!** (gosh, girls!) from the heroine. All in all, though, I’ve seen much worse, and could even muster a bit of interest for the character’s per-ordained fate by the end of the film. Designed with Love is made to formula, sure, but just sufficiently off to be interesting.