Cider and Sunsets Review

Cider and Sunsets is part of the Great American Family channels Autumn Harvest lineup. For the month of October the network is filled with pumpkin and fall themed movies. Here is my Cider and Sunsets review to let you know if this movie is worth watching, or whether you should just skip ahead to the Christmas season.

Cider and Sunsets Movie

As you would expect from an Autumn theme, this movie is all about some of the best parts of the season. Cider and Sunsets is the story of Marley, played by Erin Agostino and Curt played by Aaron Ashmore. Marley is a wedding proposal planner whose next assignment is to plan the proposal for her best friend Lara. Marley of course wants the proposal to be extra special for her friend so she travels to Lara's hometown to make the arrangements.

Marley wants to arrange the proposal at an apple orchard that has special meaning to Lara. But, with it being the peak of the season and the owner Curt too busy with harvesting the apples, it looks like Marley has to find a different location.

The movie takes us on a journey where of course Marley and Curt keep running into each other. Of course they don't bump into each other by accident. Close family friends see the potential sparks between these two and they secretly arrange situations where the two will be together. And along the way, Curt decides that he'll help Marley plan the perfect proposal for her friend.

Subplots Within Cider and Sunsets

Like any good movie, there are some additional subplots. I mean what would a romance movie be if there wasn't some additional drama or tension right? This of course means that the apple orchard and farm that Curt runs is in financial trouble. He doesn't have the money to hire the staff he needs to harvest the apples and can't fulfill a big order that could help the business.

Curt's passion is to sell his apple cider and to make a name for himself and the orchard. Marley naturally helps. She shows him how to make changes to his cider to make it more marketable and more appealing. She also comes up with additional revenue streams to help the orchard.

What I Liked About Cider and Sunsets

I have to admit that this was my first Great American Family movie in a while. And, the first of the movies from their Autumn Harvest theme that I watched. As much as I love Christmas movies, I have to say that I usually really enjoy fall themed movies too. I mean, fall is the best season so what's not to love about a fall movie.

There's so much to love about a fall movie. The weather is usually perfect, there's apple picking, hay rides, pumpkins, baking, and lots of fun activities. Just like the holidays, autumn brings out similar feelings of nostalgia and the comfort that comes from small town living. For me it really brings me back to my childhood and all of the wonderful memories I have.

A Cider and Sunsets review wouldn't be complete without a look at the cast. I'm a big fan of Aaron Ashmore. I've seen him in Hallmark movies before. Plus, I watched Sky Med over the summer and he's one of the main characters on that show. Like his twin brother Shawn, I find Aaron so relaxed on screen. He's real, down to earth, and just so darn nice.

I don't remember seeing Erin Agostino in anything before, before her bio has a long list of movies to her credit. Including, a number of Christmas movies. So while I don't remember her, I've probably watched her before. But my lack of familiarity with her was nice. She felt young, new, and fresh to me. She kind of has an Anna Kendrick vibe to me, which I mean in a good way. She has a very relaxed and natural way about her on screen and the connection she had with Aaron is perfect.

I can't overlook the supporting cast in my Cider and Sunsets review. Mary Long has been part of the Hallmark channel for many years. She always pops up in the Christmas movies playing a Grandmother, store owner, or supporting cast member of some sort. It nice to see her a little more front and center in this movie.

My Rating for Cider and Sunsets

I really enjoyed Cider and Sunsets and it gives me a lot of hope for what is to come for the Christmas season at Great American Family. The network has spent the last year building their pipeline of movies for the fall and Christmas seasons. Where Christmas movies from 2021 and movies from the beginning of 2022 were underwhelming, this movie gives me hope.

It was so nice to see familiar faces like Mary Long's. But, I also enjoyed seeing Aaron and Erin in fresh roles. One of my pet peeves with the Hallmark movies is that the pacing of the movies is usually really bad. It's like they run out of time and have to wrap-up so much in the last five minutes. With Cider and Sunsets you can see the relationship forming and there is a nice lead-up to the finale.

Recap of Cider and Sunsets Review

I've given you a little look at the movie, but my Cider and Sunsets review purposely leaves out a lot of details regarding the storyline. No spoilers here, other than to say that I really enjoyed this movie. If you're feeling nostalgic for apple picking and fall activities, then you'll feel right at home with this movie.

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