Adventures in Love & Birding is a new Hallmark Channel romantic-comedy that hopes to make hearts flutter this Fall season. Former A Christmas in Tennessee costars Rachel Boston and Andrew Walker reunite to make sparks fly once more, playing strangers who pretend to date one another throughout a multi-week birding competition. As the two characters get to know each other more, the line between fake and real romance increasingly blurs, leading to some cheesy, trope-filled, Hallmarky goodness that you just can’t help but enjoy.
The Gist: One year after divorcing her cheating husband, Celeste (Rachel Boston) is a high school English teacher and single mother who is ready to begin a new phase of her life. Driven by the machinations, actions, and encouragement from her coworkers, artistically talented teen daughter Morgan (Talisa Mae Stewart), and best friend Eva (Mapuana Makia), Celeste decides to get back out there in her own way, by filling in for Eva to compete alongside Eva’s pickleball pal, John (Andrew Walker), in a long-running local birding competition, the Norcal Ornithology Annual Bird-A-Thon.
Going into the birding competition, Celeste knows nothing about birding, and very little about John, except for what Eva has told her: that he also has recently been cheated on, and needs a partner to help him compete against his ambitious ex, Breena (Carmel Amit), and her scholarly new man, Lazlo (Jason Tremblay). Due to a misunderstanding, Celeste believes that John needs a birding partner who will also pretend to date him so he can save face with Breena, leading them to a slightly confusing first meeting on Day 1 of the competition. But after laughing it off and bonding over both having cheating exes and a wish to change their lives for the better in the aftermath, John and Celeste become fast friends.
As John helps Celeste get into birding, they start to get close quickly over the course of the three-week competition. John shares that this year’s five-figure cash prize could change his life and give him the push to start the birding and nature guide business he’d always dreamed of running. Even with John’s well-meaning coworker, Chris (Kurt Long), offering him promotion opportunities, John sees this year’s bird-a-thon as his final ticket out of a boring desk job and into the career he always wanted. For Celeste, this competition means a way to find herself and her way as she sits on the precipice of becoming an empty nester with Morgan about to head to college. Plus, the fake dating is a helpful bonus for getting Celeste’s nosy coworkers off her back. But the more that John and Celeste fake date, the more real everything starts to feel as they blur lines with increasing moments of physical affection and genuine connection. Will their unconventional love story take flight, or are they doomed to crash land in the end?
What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Adventures in Love & Birding mixes the birdwatching competition aspect of the 2011 comedy film The Big Year with other “single mom finding love again” focused Hallmark movies like The Perfect Catch (which also features Andrew Walker as the male lead), The Christmas Secret, and All Yours.
Performance Worth Watching: Rachel Boston is warm, charming, and likable as our leading lady, Celeste. She imbues the character with the vulnerability and personality needed to make Celeste feel more multi-dimensional than your typical Hallmark hero, culminating in an engaging performance you can’t help but enjoy.
Memorable Dialogue: This was one of a few fun little bird-adjacent exchanges between John and his affable coworker, Chris:
“Google confirmed your proclamation that the real James Bond was indeed a birder.”
“Thank you very much! Leave it to Ian Fleming to make birding cool.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.”
Honorable mention for Celeste’s on the nose (beak?), “Who knew birds could be so romantic?”
Sex and Skin: None.
Our Take: Led by the winning performances and strong chemistry of Rachel Boston and Andrew Walker as protagonists Celeste and John, Adventures in Love & Birding is a shocking amount of entertainment value, charm, and originality for a movie that features birding, bowling, and trivia.
Truly, this isn’t your parents’ Hallmark movie, I mean, our love interests kiss before we even reach the halfway point, and even if it’s supposedly fake for the benefit of Celeste’s coworkers, their public display of affection is electric enough to make a bowling alley feel a bit romantic. And beyond romance, there’s also the timeless tale of family and how emotional it can be to see loved ones fly the nest, yet how gratifying it is to see them soar. All in all, it makes for a story that feels, at its core, quite human and relatable.
It’s still a Hallmark movie, so there are definitely moments of schmaltz, cheesiness, and predictability, but between the classic fake dating trope and the unique backdrop of birding (which also grants us glimpses of a few adorable birds), this film brings enough to the table to ultimately feel fresh. It’s a fun, easy, and breezy watch that serves as a good palate cleanser to savor autumn streaming before holiday content completely dominates Hallmark over the next few months.
Our Call: We give Adventures in Love & Birding two wings up for its engaging acting, unique birding plot, and sweet story. Embrace a pleasant, simple viewing experience and STREAM IT!