Dynamixor
The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.
Aubrey Hackett
While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.
Philippa
All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
ctomvelu1
While there is more going on in this sequel to the 2008 Hallmark TV movie -- Grey House is now a B&B, a stranger arrives claiming to be the rightful heir to Grey House, Gramps finds romance though his gardening, -- this goes to prove why sequels are often unnecessary. And that they often tend to be inferior to the originals. Catherine Bell's mysterious character from the first movie is no longer mysterious. The mayor's wife, plumper and louder than ever, is still up to no good. And Grandpa's burgeoning romance is a cliché-ridden embarrassment. The sheriff's two kids are a little older, which gives the actors playing them a bit more to do here. Still, this plays out like a weak GHOST WHISPERER episode. Catherine Bell is still a hottie, though. For Bell fans only.
Kristen
Catherine Bell struck gold again in this adorable and very sweet sequel. Her character, Cassie is like no other we see on TV today. She tries to find the good in people and doesn't give up, yet sometimes the good doesn't always want to come out. Catherine and Chris Potter's chemistry is so much to watch. The kids were sweet and I thought did a better job acting in this one. But what I loved about the whole story was its messages it sends. This movie series has the potential of running very successfully and with Catherine Bell as their lead, Hallmark cant go wrong with the series. If you have not seen it yet, see it!
TxMike
In the initial offering we learned that this mysterious, happy, calm lady is in town to fix up and live in the Grey House, which had fallen into disrepair. This movie is a continuation of that story, with a bit more focus on the "garden." But that is not the root of the mystery.Pretty Catherine Bell is back as Cassandra Nightingale. Her house is all fixed up and her garden is brimming with all kinds of different plants. She has made lots of friends in the small town, but has also decided to take in guests to help meet expenses. Run a sort of Bed and Breakfast service.Also back is Chris Potter as town Sheriff Jake Russell. In the first movie they started to develop a romantic interest in each other, and that continues in this movie.The significant event is the new stranger in town who takes a room at the Grey House then starts to get nosy. He goes into the public records to find out such things as how much taxes Cassandra pays, and we see him sneaking in the house to examine things that are locked up. Sheriff Russell is suspicious and doesn't trust him.While this one didn't hold my interest as well as the initial one did, mainly because the newness had gone, it is an entertaining movie, especially for Catherine Bell.SPOILERS: The stranger eventually gives legal papers to the Sheriff to have Cassandra evicted from Grey House because he claims to be the real descendant of the real owner, a sea captain that the Grey Lady had been tied to. But he was eventually exposed as a fraud and locked up. Cassandra and Jake get engaged.
HallmarkMovieBuff
Perhaps I'm already jaded with respect to this material, but this follow-up to last year's "The Good Witch" didn't seem quite as good as its predecessor.With essentially the same cast as before, except for the loss of some minor characters tied to the original plot, and the addition of two notable characters, one transient and one hopefully permanent (if further sequels are planned), this second in the series finds "good witch" Cassie Nightingale (Catherine Bell) now living in the house of her ancestor, "The Gray Lady," dating the sheriff (Chris Potter), and growing her garden, both to supply her herb shop and to host the town's 200th anniversary garden party.Both films play on the "stranger in town" theme. In the first, it was Cassie; in this sequel it's a man (Rob Stewart) claiming to be a distant relative of Cassie's, and making friends with everybody in town while surreptitiously intending to do her wrong.Meanwhile, Cassie continues to see the best in people, and helps them with their problems using "everyday magic," usually by giving them some object or spice which somehow helps them to find a solution or to come to some personal awareness.On the negative side, the whole proceeding here seems a bit more casual than in the first film. The plot is again trite but comfortable, but the script seems less taut, and the two leads...I don't want to say that they walk through their parts, but their play seems loose compared to the first installment.As noted earlier, Cassie and sheriff Jake are now dating, and this being a family film, there are a dozen or so chaste kisses between them, like ones you'd give your grandma. Several of these kisses come at the beginning, giving the film a seemingly slow start.Some particularly bright spots in the script are close to a half dozen word plays which can be appreciated by lovers of language. If you watch this film, I encourage you to listen for them.Best of all, Grandpa finds love (or at least companionship)! A subplot involving the hopefully permanent addition to the cast that I mentioned earlier, and one of the bits of everyday magic that Cassie performs, this time in the form of matchmaking, is to hook George (Peter MacNeill) up with the local nursery lady (Elizabeth Lennie).Although more than one plot point arose from the very intriguing title, perhaps the most disappointing part for me was that more was not made of it, more of the garden's magical properties, if you will. As I think back, however, it was probably just the right amount of magic for vegetation. Despite any shortcomings real or perceived, this movie nevertheless manages to display some fireworks for those who stick with it!
