On August 31, 2024, Hallmark Channel premiered 'Head Over Heels', which has received a mixed reception from critics. In the film, "Addison lands a life-changing internship at a studio leading up to the New York Fashion Week. Addison is determined to hold onto her integrity and her family values while struggling to balance it all and forge a path to success and romance." The ensemble cast includes Rebecca Dalton, Olivier Renaud, Alexandra Castillo, and Michael Dickson. Read the full review round-up below.
Caroline Kaiser of Comfy Cozy TV writes, "Dalton and Renaud sparkled in Head over Heels. Rarely have I seen such a dynamic pairing of actors in a Hallmark movie. Their lively characters, Addi and Austin, were bright, ambitious, and dedicated, and both overflowed with creativity—she in creating artistic designs, he in devising unique ways of promoting shoes, such as his display of hanging shoes above a busy laneway. These two were true equals in every way. They had romantic sparks from the get-go, culminating in a sweet kiss on the runway. Austin won me over when he appointed himself Addi’s champion after she gave his shoes a makeover, and I loved how he advised her on how to handle Delaney; he knew the boss well because she’d been his mother’s best friend. And I likely wasn’t the only one who found Austin adorable for putting Addi’s little niece to bed and singing to her. As for Addi, due to her naïveté about the fashion world, she made a few blunders, such as giving Andrea (Holly Jade Balmer), a spy from the firm that wanted to buy Delaney out, too much information about a day-to-night pump design. But Addi’s talent and drive, as well as her immense loyalty to Delaney, shone through."
Rebekah Rox of Rebekah's Readings and Watchings says, "This one was the Hallmark version of The Devil Wears Prada but with footwear. The plot was very basic and stayed in its lane with all the predictable plot points coming up as expected and where expected." Adding, "The Delaney Diaz character was all over the place, going back and forth between being a mean tough taskmaster to being easily manipulated with a heart of mush. She was supposed to be an icon and leading light of the shoe design world but had suffered some setbacks and failures which has destroyed her confidence. She basically has sold out putting her name on inferior very basic shoes that she doesn’t personally design in order to save her company. But she still acts like a diva and is worshipped as such by all and sundry. Her character and the way she acted did not make sense and she did some really dumb things. As did everyone. The actress, Alexandra Castillo, did a good job with a character that was probably difficult to play. Unfortunately, the actors who played the two leads were too old for the parts as written. Addie’s father treated her like she was 10 and Austin was completely under the thumb of his father, and complacently so, until the end. That’s ok for characters in their early twenties, just finding their feet, but is not a good look if you’re well into mature adulthood. Especially for the Austin character who otherwise looked and acted like a grown-ass man pushing 40. Not even an attempt to explain the stunted state of his personal and professional life. Again, like he was 22."
Chuck Duncan of
Hotchka notes, "The Hallmark Channel rolled out a new Saturday night movie this week, Head Over Heels, and it has elements of A Very Vermont Christmas with a little Ugly Betty thrown into the mix for a story set in the apparently cutthroat world of shoe designing. Of course if you’ve ever watched an episode of Project Runway, you know in the fashion world ‘one day you’re in and the next you’re out’, and that really does form the foundation for Head Over Heels." Continuing, "Alex Castillo does her best Anna Wintour as Delaney. Right from the start she flings around her (w)itchy attitude and it’s no wonder she goes through assistants. As much as this movie is about Addi finding herself and some confidence in her talents, this is also about Delaney regaining her confidence in the face of adversity. The attitude she has comes from being a powerful woman in what is still essentially a man’s world, a woman on the verge of losing everything to a predatory businessman, a woman who lost her confidence after the scandal of the design theft even if it wasn’t true. But Castillo shows the icy exterior of Delaney beginning to crack under the influence of Addi and begins to become a warmer, more personable individual, someone who actually appreciates what her staff does for her. Castillo could have kept Delaney in villain mode for the entire movie, but she brings a nuance to her performance that allows not only the other characters but the audience to see that she’s not as bad as she first seems."
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| Photo Courtesy of Hallmark Media and Johnson Production Group |
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