Movie Review :: Hallmark Channel’s The Perfect Setting

Hallmark Channel

Hallmark’s ‘Winter Escape’ series of films comes to an end and the network is leaving the warm climes of Argentina for the chillier setting of Antwerp, Belgium (even though the February setting appears to be much warmer than one would expect) for a pleasant but unremarkable romance centered around jewelry and what ‘home’ actually means.

The Perfect Setting centers around Abby Vandenbrink (Laci J. Mailey), a Chicagoan working for a high class jeweler who wants nothing more than for her designs to be showcased in the cases of the store. Her boss Nadia (Suzanne McKenney) scoffs at the idea because she has no body of work except for one pair of earrings and a book of drawings, so she can just stick to fixing the customers’ jewelry until she does something to get noticed in their apparently snobby world of high-end jewels. Abby’s friend Rosie (Jinesea Lewis) tries to encourage Abby to forge ahead and create her own pieces so she can show Nadia what she can do. But a call from a bank in Belgium alerting Abby to some financial issues with her grandfather’s jewelry shop — Abby was willed half of the shop when her grandmother passed away — brings Abby to Belgium to see what she can do to help her ‘bompa’ (Hans Royaards) out of his financial woes (unaware at first that he’s five months behind in his mortgage payments). Abby is surprised to see how little of the ‘old world charm’ of Antwerp remains since her last visit, particularly the rival jeweler Remy & Son, which has updated their shop for a more modern era with fancy lighting and video screens. After helping one of Remy’s customers with a ring outside the shop, which hadn’t opened yet for the day, Abby meets ‘& Son’ Alexander, and the two playfully dig at each other but nothing malicious, although Alexander informs her of the jewelry design competition coming up that his shop will win, again, and Abby insists that Vandenbrink will win. Alexander does not think this is possible because Laurent has not entered, but Abby surprises him — and herself — by declaring that it is she who will represent Vandenbrink in the competition. Game on.

Abby quickly learns a few things from Alexander about how businesses thrive in the city, and she puts his suggestions to good use, drawing more customers to her grandfather’s shop. She also learns that Alexander is not a skilled jeweler and offers him some help as well with his design for the competition, on the down low, not wanting his father or her bompa to find out. But at a Carats & Cupids dance, the older men discover their prodigies dancing together and about to kiss, throwing all of their lives into turmoil. Alex also learns some shocking news about the contest and ghosts Abby, leaving her to wonder what she did and if the two can ever reconcile. The contest’s theme of ‘Home is Where the Heart Is’ also becomes more important than ever as Abby is faced with the choice of returning to Chicago or staying in Antwerp.

Hallmark Channel

The Perfect Setting is fine as a romance movie with its two attractive leads. The story is interesting with its look inside the world of high-end jewelry, and how businesses need to adapt to survive without losing the charm that made them successful in the first place. For Abby, Remy & Son is just too modern, but Vandenbrink’s is also quite archaic but she manages to update the shop just enough to make it appealing yet retaining its charm. The whole concept of the competition is also an interesting one, especially as it becomes clear that Alex is in over his head and Abby is more than willing to help. Because he’s cute and he’s a nicer person than his father. There is one clue that things with the contest may not be as they seem through some of Pieter Remy’s dialogue, but the reveal still comes as a bit of a shock, to the viewer and to Alexander. In these Hallmark romances, the main couple usually does not get a kiss until right before the credits, but Abby and Alexander actually sneak one in about two-thirds of the way into the movie, so his ghosting of her — which has nothing to do with her — is a bit heartbreaking because it seems she may just return home without ever seeing him again (but who are we kidding, it’s a Hallmark movie so all will be well in the end). All in all, it is a nicely constructed story, with just a little insight into the world of jewelry, and some nice locations in Antwerp, all directed well by Jonathan Wright.

Laci J. Mailey is very good as Abby, although as written she is supposed to be some sort of master jeweler, but all we ever see her do is squeeze together some prongs to hold a jewel in place (poor Alexander doesn’t even know how to do that, and it seems to be the most basic part of being a jeweler). She does get to pour some gold into a mold as well, but I don’t recall her finished piece actually being gold (not that we got to see a lot of it so maybe it was?). Mailey has a nice familial connection with Hans Royaards as her grandfather, so we do believe in their connection. She also has nice chemistry with David Elsendoorn as Alexander, and even though he’s about a foot-and-a-half taller than her (obviously having to dance with his knees bent to not tower over her), they make a cute couple. Elsendoorn is also very good as Alexander, giving the young man a true sweetness that is the complete opposite of his father, played by John Koensgen. Perhaps because English isn’t his first language, his performance sometimes feels a bit stilted, but he works well enough with Mailey that we root for them to get through the situation that caused him to run away and perhaps even become Remy & Vandenbrink Jewelers some day (I smell a sequel!).

Royaards and Koensgen also play their characters well, basically opposing personalities with Royaards the warm, classic jeweler somewhat lost in the past, and Koensgen’s Remy as the colder, do whatever it takes to succeed businessman. Suzanne McKenney plays Abby’s boss Nadia as snooty and haughty, but also opportunistic, ready to support Abby when she learns her employee is entered in the prestigious competition, hoping to cash in on any success Abby may have. Jinesea Lewis is wonderful as Abby’s bestie Rosie, offering some comic relief and moral support to her pal.

The Perfect Setting certainly makes the world of jewelery intriguing and somewhat cutthroat, and it gives us some good characters and a romance that we want to see develop further. It may not set the world on fire with its storytelling, but it’s a nice diversion, perfect escapism for a chilly winter night.

The Perfect Setting has a run time of 1 hour 24 minutes, and is rated TV-G. The film is streaming on Hallmark+.

Preview – The Perfect Setting

Hallmark Channel