“Very, Very, Valentine” Recap & Review

I absolutely love Hallmark movies. Everything I say is out of this undying, appreciative, in awe type of love. Yes, I make fun of them, but my husband and I make fun of each other all of the time, and we are annoyingly in love.

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Helen (Danica McKellar) is a mad scientist florist, and the owner of All in Bloom in Brooklyn, New York. She

• loves her job
• recently created a new species of rose
• is blessed with a very good lookin’ best friend.

Henry (Cameron Mathison), Helen’s perviously mentioned hottie bestie, is an A+ guy who I refuse to believe would be put in the miserable limbo known as the friend zone (but, if Jim Halpert was friend zoned, I guess I can believe anything). He is a botanist who works at the New York Botanical Gardens.

Henry urges Helen to enter her Frankenstein’s monster, ~the mystery rose~, into The International Flower Selection Competition,  which is “The Super Bowl of Flower Breeding.” The only problems: the rose doesn’t have a real name, and she simply doesn’t want to enter the competition. Well, now she has another problem, because Henry has already started the application process for her.

Helen and Henry

• met in the Botany program in college
• went their separate ways after graduation
• were brought back together by 🌹The Great Floral Wreath Mixup🌹

A few years back, Henry moved to Brooklyn, and ever since the wrong congrats! wreath was delivered to him from Helen’s shop, they have been thick as (platonic) thieves. But, he’s obviously in love with Helen. Just check out the pictures below ⬇️

But, back to the present! Henry surprises Helen with tickets to the Brooklyn Metropolitan Art Gallery’s Annual Black and White Gala. It is a masquerade ball that is being held at the New York Botanical Gardens. He hands her a mask and a ticket, does a double finger point, clicks his tongue to his teeth and says “see ya there ole buddy ole pal!” and she is left to

• find a ball gown
• buy matching shoes
• get her hair done
• decide whether to wear silver or gold jewelry (the most difficult of decisions)

in about 4 hours.

But, she does it because Danica McKellar knows how to get stuff done!

I want to quickly talk about how beautiful this event is. I am usually extremely critical of these Hallmark movie events that are hyped up for 90 minutes then end up only being crepe paper and mylar balloons taped to a table. But–this one is very good! I am going to need this much production value for every other Hallmark movie party, please.

But onto…

Mr. Carlisle (Stefan Brogren), Henry’s boss at the Botanicals Gardens, was Archie Simpson in Degrassi. The moment I realized this, I was transported into such a fit of hysteria that I missed at least 5 minutes of the movie. #DegrassiFan4Life

P.S. HE KNOWS DRAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. While I was geeking out over Mr. Simpson, I had to ask my husband what I had missed. This is what he thought was important: “They were using Zebra pens at this fancy art auction. The worst pens that you can buy is what they had.” ?????????????? OK. Thanks, honey, for that very helpful information.

……….?

But, yeah, I re-watched to find out that the gardens are in financial trouble and they are meeting with an investor to try to save them!

When Helen arrives at the gala, she sees a man in the mask Henry showed her that he’d be wearing. And after talking to him for a few minutes, she realizes she is talking to somebody else entirely. Not Henry (Damon Runyan) is not annoyed by his conversation with Helen in the least bit. But, who would be annoyed talking to Helen?

Mystery Guy is mysteriously wearing a Mystery Rose boutonniere. He and Helen decide to hang out for the rest of the gala, but decide to keep their true identities a secret, because what’s the fun in a masquerade ball if you take off your mask!

For the rest of the gala, Helen is

• digging Mystery Guy
• not realizing that she hasn’t seen Henry is 2 hours
• playing Silent Auction Wars (coming this summer to A&E!).

Unfortunately, she doesn’t win the painting that reminds her of one that her mother had, and leaves the botanical gardens without finding out Mystery Guy’s name.

After the gala, Helen decides that she probably should’ve found out Mystery Guy’s name. So she decides to go for it! She does this by searching through All in Bloom’s order history of Mystery Rose boutineers. They get his name from his credit card: Charles Bradfield.

Quick personal anecdote: a waiter at a restaurant friend-requested me on Facebook after getting my name from my credit card, and it freaked me out. Sooooo, maybe don’t try this at home, Hallmark viewers!

Helen enlists Henry’s help, but they’re not able to find Charles, and she gives up pretty easily. And even though she is still crushing on Mystery Guy, Helen’s Aunt Carol flat out tells her that she is probably in love with Henry. Just as Helen decides she is going to share her maybe-feelings with him, Henry finds Charles at a coffee truck.

Boo coffee trucks! I’ve never had a problem with them before, but now I do, because, I am forever #TeamHenry!

This is where things get kind of painful, because Henry decides to help Charles woo Helen. Henry just gives Charles all of his moves! He gifts him

• date ideas
• Valentine’s gift ideas
• Helen knowledge.

It’s pretty excruciating to watch, because poor Henry feels every emotion known to man in a span of 2 movie-hours. It’s so sad! I hate the expression all the feels, but I will use it this one time, because Henry actually does experience all the feels. He could be the new representative for the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale.

While waiting for Charles to show up to their date, Helen is spotted by Henry sitting alone in the restaurant. He sits with her, and they reminisce about one Spring Break in college. Don’t worry, it’s a clean memory! It’s Hallmark, after all 😉

They were at a place called ✨Crystal Quarry✨ and Helen was afraid to jump off of a cliff into the water –which is understandable. She tried again and again, but failed to muster up the courage as soon as she got to the ledge. At the end of the day, Henry took her hand and they jumped together. Because of this memory, Helen finally renames The Mystery Rose. It will forever be known as The Crystal Valentine Rose.

But, Charles shows up for the date and Henry sulks away.

Also: the investor that Henry and Mr. Carlisle spoke to at the gala fell through. They won’t be able to save the Botanical Gardens.

Also, also: they are meeting at a place called Bean Bar. BEAN BAR! You lost the investor because you were having a very important meeting at a place called Bean Bar. I can’t get over the name. I’m not sure why I think it’s hilarious, but I do.

BEAN BAR.

Some days later, Helen invites Henry to dinner. And, her invitation sounds super romantic! But, it ends up being a dinner party. With Charles. And Aunt Carol. And Beth.

Btw, Beth (Andrea Runge) works at All in Bloom, and wears really cute outfits.

Btw again, Aunt Carol (Mary Long) is Helen’s Aunt Carol.

The party is kind of a disaster.

1. Henry finds out that Helen mistook Charles for him at the gala.
2. Charles comes off as a little…rude.
3. Helen pretends to like stuff that she doesn’t to impress Charles.
4. Henry just sits there like a crushed Coke can that Helen smashed against her head.

Also, Henry says: Charles is handsome, I can see why you mistook him for me! And Beth is like “hahahahahahhahahahahahahaha, you’re so funny, Henry!! You ugly piece of crap, lolololololololololol!!!!!!!!!!”

??????????????

But, the next day, Beth asks Helen about Henry’s status??! She thinks they hit it off and is interested in him! Helen seems pretty bothered by this. Is Charles’ appeal fading?

Beth sees Henry at BEAN BAR (probably), and she joins him. Unfortunately for her, she has to experience the full Cameron Mathison Pain Chart in 30 seconds, because Henry makes it extremely obvious that he is into Helen.

Not just into Helen, but IN LOVE with Helen. He admits that he’s helping Charles because he wants Helen to be happy.

Woooooooooooooooooooooowwwwwww.

A series of NEWSFLASHES! hit Helen

• The New York Botanical Gardens is being sold
• Charles is trying to buy it to turn it into luxury condos (the sign of true evil in Hallmark)
• Henry accepted a new job in Arizona.

She is hurt, and needs a sign to know that she made the right decision in dating Charles. 15 seconds later, she gets a box. And what’s inside? The painting from the gala, which she assumes is from Charles. She must’ve made the right decision.

These things happen

• At a wedding, Helen finds the initial potential investor in the botanical gardens, and tries to convince him to reconsider.
• Charles, who is standing there, is like WTH Helen?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!
• They break up.
• Helen realizes the painting is from Henry.
• She calls hims, and tells him her feelings.
• Henry still leaves for Arizona.

Crushed, Helen gets a last minute order for a bouquet that needs to be delivered to the Botanical Gardens. She delivers it herself, and guess who is there! Henry! The bouquet is for her! He says he loves her! He proposes! She says yes! She wins the rose contest! It’s all happy! The End!

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I rate Very, Very, Valentine A bedazzled cheetah print sleep mask which is a 4.25/5 on my scale of Masks.

The Scale

1. The mask from The Mask
2. Idk, just like any Halloween mask
3. Damask fabric
4. Korean Sheet Masks
5. No mask

Very, Very, Valentine is such a feel-good movie. It is adorable, and Danica McKellar and Cameron Mathison have a sweet chemistry that I totally fell for.

Plus, I got to have a Degrassi moment.

Plus, the gala was actually beautiful, fancy, impressive, and like a party I’d actually want to attend!

Plus, #TeamHenry4Eva

All in all: a very, very, delightful Valentine’s Day movie.

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Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought about Very, Very, Valentine! ❤