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    Summer Love

    6.4/10 · 2,323 ratings·2016·1h 23m·Weirdness 3/10
    Summer Love poster

    At a glance

    3/10

    Mostly standard issue

    Season
    Summer
    Setting
    Big City
    Time period
    Contemporary
    Leads start as
    Colleagues/Coworkers
    Runtime
    1h 23m
    IMDbLetterboxdTMDBHallmarkJustWatch

    Where to watch

    🇺🇸United States19 ways

    Stream

    • fuboTV
    • YouTube TV
    • Philo
    • Hallmark+ Amazon Channel
    • Hallmark+ Apple TV Channel
    • Hallmark TV Amazon Channel

    Free

    • Hoopla
    • Pluto TV
    • VIX

    Rent

    • Amazon Video
    • Apple TV Store
    • Google Play Movies
    • YouTube
    • Fandango At Home

    Buy

    • Amazon Video
    • Apple TV Store
    • Google Play Movies
    • YouTube
    • Fandango At Home

    Via JustWatch · can change anytime.

    The premise

    A widowed mom gets a summer internship at a tech company and draws the attention of two very different executives while learning about about accounting, app designs and finding love.

    Themes:Integrity vs. AmbitionSecond chances in career and loveThe value of experience over youthProtecting one's creative vision

    How unusual is it?

    Honestly? Not very — and that's the charm. It plays the hits, which is exactly the point for a cozy night in.

    Who’s in it

    Rachael Leigh Cook headshot

    Our Girl

    Rachael Leigh Cook

    as Maya Sulliway

    Lucas Bryant headshot

    Our Guy

    Lucas Bryant

    as Colin Fitzgerald

    Alongside them

    • Travis Milne headshot
      Travis MilneWill Martin
    • Aidan Kahn headshot
      Aidan KahnJosh Moss
    • Crystal Balint headshot
      Crystal BalintChantal
    • Madison Desjarlais headshot
      Madison DesjarlaisKayla Nelson
    Show all 10 castShow fewer
    • Matt Afonso headshot
      Matt AfonsoRicky
    • Christine Willes headshot
      Christine WillesEleanor
    • Hannah Cheramy headshot
      Hannah CheramyAddison Sulliway
    • Hannah Pederson headshot
      Hannah PedersonPolly

    Behind the camera

    ShowHide

    Directed by

    • Lynne Stopkewich headshot
      Lynne Stopkewich

    Written by

    • Dawn DeKeyser headshot
      Dawn DeKeyser
    • Sandra Berg headshot
      Sandra Berg
    • Judith Berg headshot
      Judith Berg

    Wait, what?

    The quirks and curveballs that make this one a little weirder than your average Hallmark. No spoilers, promise.

    • The use of the slang word 'tope' (totally dope) by young tech interns
    • A CEO serving 'Black Ivory Coffee' which is refined by Thai elephants (elephant dung coffee)
    • The protagonist attempting to use a standard card reader as a retinal scanner
    • A helicopter ride to 'second base camp' for a casual rock climbing date

    Every trope, all in one place

    Here’s everything this one has going on, from the setting to the way it wraps up. Tap any of the 27 to find more movies that do the same thing.

    Setting2

    🌆Big City💼Office

    Time & season2

    ☀️Summer🗓️Contemporary

    Premise3

    ✨Other Secret🔒Hidden secret🏆Contest

    Characters6

    🎒Lead: Student💼Love interest: Executive/Corporate👥null👶Cute kid👨‍👧Single parent🖤Widow / widower

    Conflict4

    💼Business vs Love⚡Developer/Land Buyer💼Career stakes📉Business in peril

    Romance5

    💕Start as colleagues/coworkers💕First kiss: late (final third)🔥Slow burn💗Love confession🎁Grand gesture

    Tone & quirks2

    🎬Light/Heartwarming🎵Musical element

    How it ends3

    💋Ends with a kiss🔄Career change🏪Saves the business

    Why we’d put this one on

    A warm career-comeback romance with a great lead. Rachael Leigh Cook plays Maya, a 35-year-old widowed mom and returning student who lands a competitive summer internship at a tech giant and finds herself between two very different executives, played by Lucas Bryant and Travis Milne. The heart of it is a woman betting on herself and her own app idea among interns half her age. It is sunny, low-weirdness comfort with a self-worth message. The tech-bro world gets some funny color, including a CEO who serves "Black Ivory Coffee" refined by Thai elephants and a casual helicopter ride to "second base camp" for a date. Easy, encouraging summer watch.

    How it all plays out

    Already seen it, or just can’t wait? Open this up for the whole story, ending included.

    Full story (spoilers)
    The film opens with Maya Sulliway dropping her daughter, Addison, off at a tech-free summer camp. Maya is a widow who has returned to school to study accounting and has secured a crucial internship at Kizzmit, the parent company of the social media app 'Talker.' On her first day, she struggles with the high-tech office culture, including an embarrassing attempt to use a card reader as a retinal scanner. She meets the charismatic CEO, Will Martin, who gives her a personal tour, and the CFO, Colin Fitzgerald, who is her direct supervisor and known for being a 'control freak.' While the younger interns like Josh and Ricky initially view her as 'mature' and out of touch, Maya proves her worth by being observant and hardworking. A romantic triangle develops as Will takes Maya on extravagant 'non-dates' like rock climbing via helicopter, while Colin shares a more grounded connection with her, showing her the sailboat he is restoring and encouraging her professional growth. Maya conceives an idea for an app called 'Steps for Good,' which converts physical activity into charitable donations. Colin advises her to develop it independently to maintain ownership rather than submitting it to the company's 'Pitch-Fest.' However, Will discovers the prototype on Maya's phone and publicly announces it as a Kizzmit project during the festival, claiming it was developed in the company's 'internal incubator.' Heartbroken and believing Colin betrayed her secret, Maya quits the internship. Her fellow interns, Josh and Ricky, eventually prove that Will stole the app by hacking into his phone. The truth comes to light: Colin had actually defended Maya and eventually quits Kizzmit himself due to Will's lack of integrity. In the end, Colin visits Maya, signs off on her internship credits so she can graduate, and offers to be the first investor in her independent startup. The two share a romantic moment, realizing they are the perfect partners in both business and life.

    Beat by beat

    1. 1

      Opening

      Maya drops her daughter at summer camp and begins her accounting internship at the trendy tech firm Kizzmit.

    2. 2

      Inciting Incident

      Maya meets the two leads: the flashy CEO Will, who takes an immediate interest in her, and the stern CFO Colin, who is her boss.

    3. 3

      Midpoint

      Maya develops the 'Steps for Good' app idea and Colin encourages her to keep it private to protect her intellectual property.

    4. 4

      Rising Action

      Will takes Maya on a helicopter rock-climbing date while Colin and Maya bond over his sailboat restoration.

    5. 5

      Climax

      Will steals Maya's app prototype from her phone and pitches it at Pitch-Fest; Maya quits, believing Colin betrayed her.

    6. 6

      Resolution

      The other interns prove Will's theft; Colin quits Kizzmit in protest and offers to invest in Maya's independent company.

    27 tropes in one movie

    We counted 27 distinct Hallmark tropes packed into this one — a genuine greatest-hits reel.

    How it stacks up

    Where this one’s rating lands against every other rated Hallmark movie.

    Rating 6.4 vs every rated Hallmark moviemedian 6.4This movie · 6.445678

    Higher-rated than 46% of every rated Hallmark movie. The median is 6.4.

    Where this one fits

    The corners of the catalog Summer Love belongs to — handy if you’re after more of the same.

    • ☀️Hallmark Summer MoviesA sunny summer setting.
    • 🧁Hallmark Baking & Cooking MoviesPlenty of time in the kitchen.
    • 👨‍👧Hallmark Single Parent MoviesA single parent finds love again.
    • 🏙️Hallmark Big City MoviesA big-city backdrop.

    Lines worth quoting

    The lines that stuck with us — the ones you’ll be repeating after the credits roll.

    • “You never know when you're making a memory.”
      — Maya SulliwayQuoting Ricki Lee Jones at the start of the film.
    • “I'm 35, not 95. And I'm very physically fit.”
      — Maya SulliwayDefending her age to the younger interns.
    • “A good leader is supposed to know which idea is worth fighting for and which person is worth fighting for.”
      — Colin FitzgeraldExplaining his management philosophy to Maya.

    Meet the characters

    Who’s who before you press play. Nothing here gives the ending away.

    • Maya Sulliway

      Lead

      Accounting Intern / Student

      DeterminedObservantPrincipledOutdoorsy
    • Colin Fitzgerald

      Love interest

      CFO of Kizzmit

      Supervisor and eventually romantic partner

      ReservedIntegrity-drivenDetail-orientedSailing enthusiast
    • Will Martin

      Antagonist

      CEO of Kizzmit

      Boss and rival suitor

      CharismaticManipulativeCompetitiveFlashy
    • Addison Sulliway

      Supporting

      Student / Camper

      Daughter

      DramaticTech-dependentLoving
    • Josh

      Supporting

      Tech Intern

      Colleague

      AmbitiousTech-savvyInitially opportunistic

    Questions people ask about Summer Love

    Where can I watch Summer Love?

    Summer Love is available via fuboTV, YouTube TV, and Philo. Streaming options change often, so check current availability before settling in.

    How long is Summer Love?

    Summer Love runs about 1 hour and 23 minutes, and was released in 2016.

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    Our review

    We watched Summer Love so you don’t have to

    Alanna sat through every minute of this one and recapped the whole thing — the plot holes, the chemistry, the parts that made no sense — over on the Talking Hallmark channel.

    Reviewed by Alanna30-min recap
    This entire movie is an HR lawsuit | reacting to bad movies

    “This entire movie is an HR lawsuit | reacting to bad movies”

    WATCHED IN FULL · REVIEWED BY ALANNA ·

    Data and sources

    Curated by the Talking Hallmark team.

    Sources:IMDb·TMDB·JustWatch

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