There is absolutely no bias against Hallmark. They have made plenty of above average and more films, and that is including this year. They have also done quite a number of below average and less ones. 'The Baker's Son' did sound quite cute, despite being a scenario that felt done to death with Hallmark long before this was dreamt up and that the setting is one re-visited a lot. Have liked both leads in other things, although the filmographies for both are hit and miss.

For me, 'The Baker's Son' is one of the misses for both of them. Not the performances, but the film. There were some surprisingly good Hallmark films this year, which is remarkable considering the circumstances, but 'The Baker's Son' somehow doesn't hit the spot. It is not a terrible film as such and it does have good things. But it also has major shortcomings that sadly outweigh the good things in quality and quantity. Worth a one time watch for Hallmark's completest sake, but not much more than that.

Eloise Mumford and Brant Daugherty do their best with what they're given and inject some charm. They do have some nice chemistry together, when their characters aren't so frustrating. Brenda Crichlow steals every scene she's in.

Production values are also beautiful, especially the scenery. Some of the tongue in cheek humour is amusing.

Not much else works on the other hand. Most of the 2021 Hallmark films thus far have delivered on competent supporting casts, with a few exceptions. 'The Baker's Son' is one of the exceptions, other than Crichlow they are all irritating caricatures. Didn't find myself caring for the characters all that much, the supporting characters irritate, Annie could have had more personality and shouldn't have behaved so childishly that much and Matt's decision making and motivations are indecisively all over the place. The music is forgettable at best and the direction is routine.

Moments of amusing tongue in cheek humour aside, the script felt forced a lot of the time as well as excessively cheesy, the sentimental moments occasionally over-sweet. The story is very predictable, things mapping out pretty much exactly what one expects, and there are times where not an awful lot happens which makes too much of it bland. Most of the time, the film's events and the film itself move way too fast. With the final third being total contrived chaos, even the too pat resolution.

Concluding, pretty lacklustre. 4/10.

This is a classic "realizing you are in love with your best friend" hallmark romance. Our main characters are played by Eloise Mumford and Brant Daugherty, both of Fifty Shades of Grey franchise fame. They play Annie and Matt childhood friends living in a small fictional island town in Washington (which can I say as someone who grew up in a small island Washington town, there are so many cute island towns to choose from...why not film an actual Washington town and use it?) Matt is the town baker, a job he has taken over from his French father and Annie runs a local small restaurant that she took over from her parents. The underlying theme is to find and pursue your passion...including putting passion in to what you do. Annie gives Matt some tough love telling him that his bread could be better and that he needs to put his passion in to his baking, which Matt does but then mistakenly thinks his inspiration is a ballerina that has been practicing on the island. The amazing bread that is created saves the struggling town as it brings in tourists thanks to a local seattle news broadcast. And the rest is history!

One inaccuracy that I would like to correct...all small island towns here in Washington have swimming and water safety as a mandatory course for kids in school, so for Matt to be an adult who grew up on the island...he would have had to leave during those grade school years, in order to not know how to swim. I didn't know anyone who didn't know how to swim until I moved to the city of Seattle!

(On another note I must be watching the wrong kind of French films because none of the ones I have seen end that way...Irreversible and Umbrellas of Cherbourg, to name two.)

Overall sweet enjoyable hallmark film, light and breezy with a fun supporting cast.

Favorite scene with

Annie McBride (Eloise Mumford) - Very furious with Matt for making her leaving about him and for not moving on from his problems - esp. Nicole. BTW #1, I Love the Characters and Settings! I want to move to that (Fictional) Island! BTW #2, Rudy The Dog AKA Crackers is So Dang Adorable! BTW #3, Please film a Sequel!