'Love Ever After' movie review: 'Mix Up in the Mediterranean'
Jeremy Jordan plays twin brothers swapping places to win a prestigious cooking competition in the fun and irresistible romance 'Mix Up in the Mediterranean' (premiering Feb. 20 as part of The Hallmark Channel's Love Ever After event).
In short: Small-town cook Josh (Jordan) impersonates his big city chef twin Julian (also played by Jordan) to compete in an elite culinary competition - but Josh unexpectedly falls for contest planner Meg (Jessica Lowndes), who believes Josh is his married brother Julian.
Jeremy Jordan playing Josh as the laid-back Alaska short order cook Josh is great. Jordan playing the erudite Manhattan restaurant owner Julian is a fun twist. But watching Jordan play Josh pretending to be Julian is an absolute kick. Josh simply cannot help but let his natural kindness shine through as he tries to fill his brother's curt and slightly condescending expensive shoes. Jordan's duel performance is so good that it's perfectly clear which brother he is playing at any given moment. His physicality for Josh is completely different from the way Julian carries himself. He doesn't have to even utter a single word and it's absolutely obvious which character Jordan is playing in any given scene.
For as many crazy moving parts 'Mix Up' has to juggle, the script deftly manages its ambitious number of conflicts: a strained relationship between Josh and Julien, the fact that Julian needs to win the competition to save his restaurant and Josh's irresistible pull toward Meg. All of this is layered on top of the "identity swap" craziness. The fact that 'Mix Up' sets up the entire convoluted plot without tripping over itself in the movie's first 15 minutes is no small miracle. Cleanly firing out of the starting blocks frees up the movie to focus on identity swap fun and the sweet connection between Josh and Meg. The fun of 'Mix Up' is knowing Josh and Meg will end up together - even as it looks so completely impossible.
'Mix Up' has two parallel story threads: Josh trying to pull off impersonating Julian to win the cooking competition, and Josh unexpectedly falling in love with Meg. Jessica Lowndes has effortless chemistry with Jordan - even as Meg is utterly perplexed by her hot-and-cold relationship with "Julian." She's a great catalyst for Josh as she warmly inspires him to take a chance on himself. It's fun to watch Josh and Meg slowly fall in love - but it's more fulfilling to see her influence as on Josh as he confronts his lack of risks taken in his life and career. Meg's subplot, wherein she's trying to prove to her entrepreneur father that she will succeed on her own, does feel tacked on to the story. The fact that Meg and Josh are trying to find success on their own terms works - the parts where Meg seeks validation from her father fall a bit flat.
Co-star Callum Blue deserves a shout out for playing Julian's exasperated husband Henri. For most of the film, Henri is the only character in on the charade, so it's a ton of fun watching Blue struggling to keep Josh and Julien focused on keeping up the ruse. He gets a front-row seat to Josh awkwardly trying to impersonate Julian - but its Henri's firm but genuine guiding hand that adds real warmth to 'Mix Up.'
Final verdict: 'Mix Up' is pure high-concept delight - a perfectly crazy plot with a heart on taking risks and believing in one's self. Here's to hoping Jordan and Blue will pop up in many more Hallmark Channel down the line.
Score: 4.5 chocolate hearts (out of 5)
'Mix Up in the Mediterranean' premieres on The Hallmark Channel on Feb. 20 as part of the Love Ever After event. The movie is rated TV-G and has a running time of 90 minutes.
