Starring Lyndsy Fonseca and Ian Harding
***SPOILER ALERT***
Lolly (Fonseca) feels that her life is going nowhere. Though she once had dreams of opening her own restaurant, she works in the diner her dad (John B. Lowe) owns. And she clashes with her sister, Daphne (Sydney Sabiston). Her ex-boyfriend, Rory (Harding), a hockey team physican, is also back in town, and she regrets how things ended between them. Lolly’s eccentric Aunt Gert (Mariam Bernstein) offers her a unique solution, one that will allow her to glimpse how her life could be. If Lolly takes one of her aunt’s magic lemon drops before bed, she’ll wake up to experience one day of a life she longs for. If she takes three drops over three nights, she’ll experience three different possible life scenarios. Taking a fourth lemon drop would enable her to remain in whichever life she chooses. But as Lolly discovers after taking three drops, not one of the scenarios is perfect.
PROS
The storyline. This gentle movie was based on a novel, The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie, by Rachel Linden, and the author co-wrote the screenplay with Tracy Andreen. It had an appealing premise. Who wouldn’t want the opportunity to try out three different lives, with the option of getting to stay in the most satisfying one? The story was imaginative and well written, with a coherent plot that lacked the lapses in logic so common in many of Hallmark’s recent fantasy films.
Lolly’s three possible lives intrigued me.
1) Lolly owned a high-end restaurant, and her success enabled her to sport a chic look and have a fancy condo, but she worked constantly. Daphne was annoyed with her, her dad was receiving treatment for a stroke, and Rory had a new girlfriend. Stress, disconnection, and loneliness dominated this life.
2) Lolly was the general manager of a food supply company, and her mom was still alive and urged her to appreciate Daphne more. The diner had closed and her dad had passed away. Rory, a doctor, barely acknowledged her existence. Apart from her mom’s loving presence, Lolly had little in this life. The sweet, nostalgic feel of this segment was a nice touch.
3) Lolly and Rory had a loving marriage and two daughters. Her dad was retired, and her popsicle business was thriving. However, Rory was working as a medical sales rep and had abandoned all dreams of becoming a doctor, and Lolly felt guilty because she thought she’d held him back.
In the end, Lolly chose none of these scenarios, as she’d learned an important lesson: you can’t possibly have everything you want—there will always be trade-offs, and no life is perfect. This message added a dose of realism. In learning over three days what she didn’t want out of life, Lolly discovered what she did want, and as her mom and Aunt Gert had encouraged her to do, she followed her bliss.
Surprise! This film’s most delightful and spontaneous moment came at the tail end. As Lolly and Rory kissed on the dock, I thought that would be it—the standard Hallmark conclusion. Then Rory’s dog bounded along the dock and knocked them both into the water, leaving them laughing. The joy of this moment highlighted exactly what this film was missing—genuine emotion.
CONS
A tepid romance. Fonseca, who starred in Where Are You, Christmas? (2023), was a good leading lady who brought warmth and charm to The Magic of Lemon Drops. However, I didn’t think that her co-star, Harding, measured up to her. In the real-life portion of the story, Harding’s character, Rory, was a caring soul who rescued Lolly’s dad in the nick of time after he’d suffered a stroke in the diner. Rory went on to help Lolly through her dad’s medical crisis, offering support and advice. These qualities were admirable, but I found Rory dull. Harding took the energy down a few notches in the scenes in which he appeared, making Lolly and Rory seem more like old friends than ex-lovers. When Lolly gave him a heartfelt apology for pushing him away all those years ago, Rory said blandly that he’d been hurt but got over it and forgave her. When he was about to go off to the cabin and told her he’d miss her, he exhibited a similar lack of emotion. The longing to be together all came from Lolly, and the chemistry felt weak. I kept wondering what this movie would have been like with a more dynamic leading man.
Curiously without feeling. The scenes that should have been touching somehow weren’t. I didn’t feel tension when Lolly’s dad was in danger of dying, or sadness when, during his recovery, he resigned himself to losing the diner. Similarly, Lolly’s reunion with her mom in the second scenario should have brought tears but didn’t.
My grade for The Magic of Lemon Drops: C+
Caroline Kaiser is a professional book editor who specializes in fiction and memoirs, and she’s been guiding writers toward publication since 2007. Caroline is also the author of two ghostly mystery novels, Virginia’s Ghost and The Spirits of South Drive. Before she embarked on an editing and writing career, she spent many years working in a Toronto auction house as an antiques appraiser. Apart from curling up on the couch and drinking tea as she watches Hallmark movies, Caroline enjoys baking and exploring London, Ontario, the picturesque city she now calls home. Her website is www.carolinekaisereditor.com.
