The One Kavan Smith Hallmark Movie That Didn't Land With Fans

Kavan Smith has been the star of several Hallmark movies, but there's one in particular that didn't sit right with avid fans. "You Had Me At Aloha" was released in 2021 and starred Smith and Pascale Hutton as co-hosts for a travel show set in Hawaii. The two bump heads at first but eventually learn to love each other's company. This isn't the first time Smith and Hutton have been paired up for a Hallmark film, starring together in "The Perfect Bride" and "Nelly Knows Mysteries: A Fatal Engagement," to name a few. It's safe to say that these two are worth watching and are some of the buzziest Hallmark stars.

Despite their clear Hallmark chemistry, some elements of "You Had Me At Aloha" didn't quite land with fans. One Reddit user broke down the film in a review, citing Ben (Smith's character) as a problem. Early on in the film, it's obvious that Ben has some character development to do. He starts as an incredibly selfish person ("unbearably so," according to the Reddit user), then slowly bends as his relationship with Paige (Hutton's character) grows. Overall, it seems that Ben's character is far too mean to stomach and "is just annoying and uncaring about anyone else." In another post, one Reddit user noted, "I watched the movie hoping it would make me feel good but it didn't. I was disappointed."

The criticisms don't stop there. Honolulu Magazine provided 55 thoughts its editorial team had while watching "You Had Me At Aloha," and not every thought was positive. The outlet covered some thoughts we might all have while watching Hallmark movies, including the female lead looking outrageously gorgeous in preparation for a very physical event. In this particular film, Pascale Hutton's character, Paige, makes the nonsensical decision to get all glammed up before going snorkeling. There must be some sort of secret Hallmark rule that every actor has to look stunning in every frame, no matter what — even if it means wasting time on makeup that's about to be lost to the waves.

It appears that the chemistry between the two leads didn't land this time around, which is a shame considering their history acting together and Kavan Smith's status as Hallmark's premier leading man. On Reddit, another user noted that "The chemistry between the leads was more brother/sister like and the kiss was the worst kiss I have ever seen in a Hallmark movie." Usually, the final kiss is the cherry on top of most Hallmark rom-coms (even though it can prove to be awkward for Hallmark actors at times). 

Other viewers were happy with the casting but found the screenplay lacking, with one Facebook user writing, "Massively hyped in advance. Love the actors but the plot and dialogue did not meet my expectations." Then there were others who simply found the whole thing a snoozefest. It seems that the film needed a new set of leads, a less aggressive male lead (sorry, Kavan), and some riveting writing that felt worthy of the beautiful landscape. Perhaps Smith and Hutton's next film will steal people's hearts.