The Hallmark Channel is here to help you take a journey to a warmer, more romantic reality from the comforts of home with My Argentine Heart. This latest addition to their “Winter Escape” lineup of original titles is a second-chance romance set in Argentina, starring Julie Gonzalo and Juan Pablo Di Pace as exes who reconnect over a ranch that has meant so much to them both. Get ready to ditch the January chill for a warm romp of a film that celebrates Argentinian gauchos, family, and everlasting love.
MY ARGENTINE HEART: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
The Gist: Abril Torres (Julie Gonzalo) is a workaholic business consultant living in Boston, struggling to find work after one past mistake ruined her once-thriving career. Now stuck and unsure what to do next, she returns to her family’s ranch in Argentina after years away after her ranch co-owner, best friend, and cousin, Belinda (Valentina Frione), expresses her desire to sell it off. Belinda is tired of running the ranch alone and wants to pursue her dream of opening a restaurant, but Abril begs her to reconsider selling.
To both make the ranch more profitable and revitalize her own stalled career, Abril decides to head back to the beloved ranch where she spent so many wonderful summers with Belinda, their friend Antonio (Eliseo Barrionuevo), and Abril’s childhood sweetheart Diego (Juan Pablo Di Pace). But upon returning to the ranch, Abril is shocked to find Diego now working as a caretaker there, following in his family’s footsteps. She’s then even more surprised to hear that Diego wants to buy the ranch from her and Belinda so he can use the land as an authentic gaucho experience honoring the culture and heritage, not just as a generic experience pandering to tourists. While they continue to butt heads, it’s clear that there’s still something between the exes, although lingering heartaches and their different wishes for the ranch’s future continue to cause friction.
The only thing that just might bring these former flames back together is an outside force threatening to take the ranch away from both of them due to an outstanding loan that had been brushed under the rug. Abril, Diego, and Belinda must work with their old friend Antonio, who is now a successful Buenos Aires lawyer, in order to save the ranch once and for all. Will their efforts not only help each person take a step closer to their dream lives but also to true love?
What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: My Argentine Heart is kind of like an Argentina-based Hallmark version of Sweet Home Alabama with its similar “childhood sweethearts getting back together after leading very different lives apart but still always pining for each other” storylines. Just consider it “Sweet Home Argentina!”
Performance Worth Watching: Juan Pablo Di Pace is pretty effortlessly charming as Diego. I mean, in this film alone he proves that he can act, sing, and ride horses. Now that’s what I call a triple threat!
Memorable Dialogue: It’s pretty memorable when Abril and Diego have a chat about Diego’s horse that features some quippy cultural references:
“So what do we have here?”
“Megan.”
“This is a stallion? So he’s Megan the stallion?”
“Yeah.”
“Your doing, I suppose?”
“I will introduce you to Ross and Rachel later.”
Sex and Skin: None. I mean come on, this is Hallmark!
Our Take: My Argentine Heart is a Hallmark movie, so you know that you’re getting a somewhat predictable plot with slightly cheesy dialogue and banter. I mean, the amount of times that toaster pastries and gauchos are mentioned is enough to make a very effective (if not lethal) drinking game. But even so, there are a few things about this movie that still make it feel ultimately worth your while.
First and foremost, the actors across the board do a solid job, with Julie Gonzalo and Juan Pablo Di Pace leading the way as romantic leads with great natural chemistry. Their connection makes it easy to root for the central couple to get together, and they have several scenes that are sincerely sweet, entertaining, or enjoyable to watch. Belinda and Antonio have their own little romance plot that you also root for as it develops on the side.
But beyond romance, a relationship that I especially enjoyed was the deep friendship and familial bond between Abril and Belinda. Other rom-coms might have opted to make Belinda a background character whose main role is to cheer on Abril and help push the main characters’ plot along, but My Argentine Heart makes Belinda feel fleshed-out and like so much more than just a prop in Abril’s story. Abril and Belinda’s dynamic is truly heart-warming and adds some depth to the film as a whole. All of this, coupled with the fact that the movie was actually shot in Argentina and uses Argentinian actors provides a sense of reality and richness that makes My Argentine Heart stand out from the crowd as more than just your generic Hallmark fare.
Our Call: While it may not be a particularly groundbreaking or award-winning film, My Argentine Heart is still imbued with enough genuine warmth, community, and heart to provide a pleasant viewing experience and a nice little escape from the chilly January weather. STREAM IT!
The post Stream It Or Skip It: ‘My Argentine Heart’ on the Hallmark Channel, Where Exes Reconnect Over A Special Ranch In Argentina appeared first on Decider.
