There is a great sense of place within this film. We join the vaudeville world to see a woman go to visit with a famous magician on the occasion of his final show. In the following discussion between the two characters we move through the backstage and out onto the front; it is a shot that would have been amazing (and probably impossible) as a single take, but even as it is, it provides an engaging sense of community and spirit. This fits with the lead character and his dialogue, and on this foundation the film is pretty well presented – with a generic but engaging look.
The challenge comes with the other key element of the film, which is the tone it is delivered in. It has this heavily sentimental tone which is enforced onto everything, making it feel overly cloying, and robbing it of any genuine emotion or feeling. From watching hallmark during the daytime, it is clear there is a market for such things, but for me it was just leaning too heavily on the music and basic elements to create this false feeling, rather than letting the characters and dialogue do all the heavy lifting. It does have good elements, but ultimately the push for sentimentality was too much for it to support.
The challenge comes with the other key element of the film, which is the tone it is delivered in. It has this heavily sentimental tone which is enforced onto everything, making it feel overly cloying, and robbing it of any genuine emotion or feeling. From watching hallmark during the daytime, it is clear there is a market for such things, but for me it was just leaning too heavily on the music and basic elements to create this false feeling, rather than letting the characters and dialogue do all the heavy lifting. It does have good elements, but ultimately the push for sentimentality was too much for it to support.