My Fake Fiance

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As I sat down to watch my Fake Fiance I wasn't expecting a work of cinematic genuis for a number of reasons. Mainly because it was a made for TV movie produced for ABC the Disney/Family channel of American network television amd as it began I wasn't really disapointed. The acting wasn't amazing and the dialogue left something to be wanted. However, it didn't stop me from watching and as the movie progressed my film snobbery faded into the background and I found the story rather enjoyable.

There is nothing exceptional about the story. It involves a fairly common and predictable storyline. Jennifer (Melissa Joan Hart) has all of her possessions, minus two boxes of pillows, stolen while Vince (Joey Lawrence) owes a 15,000 gambling debt to 'The Monkey.' There is no doubt that Jennifer and Vince will by the end of the movie fall in love for real but on the most basic level that is why it's so enjoyable. This film is about pure story. It wasn't a film that made me think but it didn't let me forget, as I'm still thinking about it a day later when my usual retention of films is only a few hours.

The problem I had with it, which isn't necessarily specific to this film and more widely applied to romantic films in general is the representation of the two leads falling in love. There are several shots of Vince looking longingly at Jennifer and you feel connected with him emotionally when he's playing with the kids but you don't get the reverse. There aren't shots of Jennifer falling for Vince so the proposal at the end and the declaration of love isn't really that belivable coming from her.

Yes the story could have been more developed and the dialogue greatly improved and even the acting more genuine but overall, it was a fun family film for the romantic at heart.