The Memory Book

7.7 stars. Sometimes a writer captures a truly eloquent statement. This was a beautiful, but rare moment for me, so I had to mention it. She says to him: "Love never works out and the only thing worse would be having it not work out with you." I mean, who writes this stuff? Who says this stuff? But if I had to break off a potential romance for fear of commitment, or failure, there's no better way to phrase it. Fortunately, most people in this world would take the opportunity to fight relentlessly to save the relationship after hearing an obvious "green light" plea. It is a cry for help...the kind of help that only true love can provide. She must be hoping he can fulfill her ultimate need and desire for love; she needs courage and the faith to believe it actually exists. But, as most standard romance films go, his reaction is quite predictable. Otherwise, how can the marvelous drama build up to the wonderful climax of 'The Memory Book'? This film was obviously released prior to the Hallmark era of "spit and polish" that emerged sometime around 2020. And I'm happy for that, because once in a while a genuine movie comes along without the glitter and fluff we are subjected to these days. I must say I don't find the history of the elderly couple to be realistic. People don't toss love away like this in the real world. It takes more than one reckless moment to destroy a relationship this solid and I think the writer exaggerated the consequences.

I am a bit surprised by al the glowing reviews.. I agree with dallasallis, I got a creepy feeling from parts of this one. In the base a nice story with a lot of potential to be romantic, heartwarming and fun. Only I think the script hasn't been worked out that great. Mostly in the leading lady part. The leading lady doesn't feel that likeable to me from the start. I get she is closed off because of some pain she suffered (although that is not explained), and she has learned to survive on her own. She's prickly, so to say. But it is just a tiny bit too much if you ask me. The thought creeps in my head why Gabe is drawn to her. But for me the real problem is the moment a stranger is really, really clear in saying leave me alone, do not follow me. And the film just pushes through. The way it is presented has a creepy feel to it and is promoting it is okay to stalk. A really bad thing to promote if you ask me. And yes, I get the intention is good, but guess what, most stalkers think of their own intentions to be good. If they just had just taken it down a notch, a little bit from both Cleo's pushing as Sarah's refusal, the feel would be totally different. Having said that, I enjoyed the story base, the fun moments, the nice scenery and the warming ending including a none-prickly Cleo. 4,5 stars for that and another 1/2 for the beautyfull story it could have been.

This is such a gem! A truly beautiful story and two great leads. I also like the theme of being scared of love while secretly desiring it, it's very relatable for a lot of people and highlights the delicacy of love, a surprisingly refreshing take on romance for a Hallmark movie. A memory book has peeked the interest of Chloe, a photographer who believes a long lasting romantic relationship just isn't in her genes. Curious to know if the deep love she dreams about actually exists, she sets out on a search to find the original owner of the book. An annoyingly and sometimes conveniently spontaneous man who she meets after he criticises her artwork becomes her partner in crime.

Photographer Chloe Davenport (Meghan Ory) is exhibiting her photos in a gallery but her confidence takes a hit from bartender Gabe Sinclair (Luke Macfarlane). She is taken with an old photo album at a swap meet and buys it for $10. She grows interested in the couple in the photos and decides to track them down with Gabe's help. It's a Hallmark mystery romance and it's better than most of Hallmark's offerings. I actually like the chemistry of the two leads as they banter back and forth. It could have done more. I do have an issue with Chloe's obsession even after Sarah's plea for her to stop. It puts a damper on the treasure hunt aspect when it's a journey against Sarah's wishes. There has to be a way to put up a speed bump without derailing the whole train. It may work better if Tori's Garden is the one who tells them to stop. There comes a point when being pushy is no longer cute and becomes destructive. Nevertheless, it's great to see Adrienne Barbeau again and she still has it.

Having always lived in a cross-generational households, I love movies where different ages relate and need each other. The actors are cast well for the plot and play their parts perfectly. The photography is stunning from the opening shots right through to the end. Whether it's personally or professionally, sometimes you just gotta follow the leads and see where it takes you and those you meet along the way. If you enjoyed this, try Rachel Boston's 'Gift of Miracles' too.

I'm not sure how I missed this back in 2014! Watched it on Hallmark Drama and thought it was wonderful. The story is sweet. There is great chemistry between the leads. Nice seeing Adrienne Barbeau again. She's still gorgeous. It was a sweet story about finding lost love and current love - and finding your own calling.

'Memory Book' (2014) Opening thoughts: 2014's 'Memory Book' did sound very charming even if the plot synopsis was nothing earth shattering. My Hallmark film completest quest (which has gradually overtime included Lifetime and UPTV), that is still ongoing with no intent to stop just yet, has been a very uneven endeavour but an interesting one with some real winners. Luke Macfarlane has been good in other films (especially his later work), though his films are uneven like with a vast majority of Hallmark regulars. His performance in 'Memory Book' is no exception, and the film itself impressed me quite a lot. Not quite one of the standout viewings of the whole Hallmark completest project but of the early 2010's films it is one of the better ones in my view. It is not earth shattering or anything out of the ordinary, but it was watched by me in the want of something charming, light hearted, touching and heart-warming. 'Memory Book' succeeded in all four of those areas on the whole, even if not every single area overall quite comes off. Bad things: 'Memory Book' isn't perfect. There is admittedly nothing new story wise. It is very easy to tell what is going to happen before it happens and the ending is the pretty typical Hallmark film sort of ending (meaning easily telegraphed and on the too neat side) not in doubt. It is a slight film too, meaning that there are times where it drags a little. Good things: Despite those few things, 'Memory Book' is a charming, heart-warming charmer that succeeds at a vast majority of its aims. One of the biggest strengths is the very winning performance of Macfarlane. Very subtly charismatic, very natural and very honest. Luckily, Meghan Ory (another relatively Hallmark regular who has also done good work in a hit and miss filmography) is every bit his equal, performing with a lot of heart and charm. Have always liked Adrienne Barbeau, ever since her great voice work on 'Scooby Doo on Zombie Island', and she is her usual reliable self. The characters are more than merely ciphers and easy to root for. Visually, 'Memory Book' looks nice. It's not drably lit, is cohesively edited and the locations are made good use of and photographed in an easy on the eyes way. The music is not constant or overpowering. The dialogue doesn't have too much cheese and doesn't fall into schmaltz, it's amusing and sometimes movingly delivered with spirit. It is very touching later on. The direction is more than capable and while the story is far from perfect it is light hearted and heart-warming, with the sentiment never becoming too much. Concluding thoughts: Overall, very well done. 8/10.