Review

Season for Love (2018) - A Recipe for Romance or Just Another Hallmark Holiday Stew?

If you've ever wondered what would happen if Top Chef met Hallmark holiday movies, then Season for Love is the answer. This movie takes all the ingredients of a classic Hallmark movie—a small town, an old flame, and a conveniently timed festival—and stirs them together like a well-seasoned chili.

Starring Autumn Reeser as Tyler, a big-city chef who returns to her Texas hometown, and Marc Blucas as Corey, the charming (and conveniently single) high school sweetheart she left behind, the movie serves up a heaping plate of predictable but heartwarming romance. The two find themselves in a chili cook-off, where the real competition isn’t about the best bowl of Texas red—it’s about who can resist falling back in love first. (Spoiler alert: They both lose.)

True to Hallmark holiday movies, Season for Love features a town so idyllic it makes Mayberry look like Gotham, an ex-boyfriend who somehow became hotter despite never leaving town, and a mom (played by Shelley Thompson) who seems to know everything before anyone else does. There's even a conveniently timed career opportunity that threatens to pull our heroine away just as sparks start flying.

The film doesn't exactly reinvent the rom-com wheel, but let’s be honest—no one watches Hallmark movies for plot twists. You watch them for cozy vibes, impossibly clean small towns, and the guarantee that everyone will end up with the right person by the time the credits roll. And on that front, Season for Love delivers.

Final Verdict: If you like your romance with a side of competitive cooking, small-town charm, and more longing gazes than a Nicholas Sparks novel, this one’s for you. If not, well… there’s always another Hallmark holiday movie right around the corner.

⭐⭐⭐🌶️ (3 out of 5 chili peppers)