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The Hallmark Channel’s new Easter movie An Easter Bloom is a romance, but more than that, it’s about a woman’s journey to happiness. Friday Night Lights actress Aimeé Teegarden plays Amanda, a woman whose family farm is about to go bankrupt, until a new pastor comes into her life at just the right time, and through the relationship she develops with him and his mother, she realizes a new passion and starts a new chapter in her life. A rebirth, if you will, just in time for Easter.

AN EASTER BLOOM: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: A ladybug glides over the colorful expanse of a huge flower farm, landing on a fence. The fence is at the home of a young girl named Amanda whose parents are showing her the raised garden bed they have gifted to her, telling her she can plant anything she wants in her very own personal plot of land. She also receives a golden trowel for digging. “My very own trowel!?” she asks incredulously. She is truly over the moon.

The Gist: Fifteen years later, Amanda (Aimeé Teegarden) and her mother still live on the farm, though her father has recently passed away. It’s spring, but a late frost has delayed the arrival of the flowers they usually grow and sell at Easter, and the women are concerned that they’re running out of money. Amanda’s been working part time at a local coffee shop to pay the bills, but when a local retired florist named Lori (Frances Flanagan) tells her she can enter the state-wide flower arranging competition for a chance to win $20,000, Amanda jumps at the chance to enter, despite never arranging flowers before. Lori takes Amanda under her wing, teacher her the core principles of flower arranging: harmony, contrast, purpose, balance, and love. Like Mr. Miyagi, Lori gives Amanda chores and assignments to help her master each principle.

As Amanda gets to know Lori, she also gets to know Lori’s son Derrick (Benjamin Hollingsworth), the new pastor at the local church. Derrick is a man of God, but he wasn’t always – he spent a long time as an outdoor adventurer, until a rock-climbing accident left him near-paralyzed. As he recovered, he found God, but he’s hesitant for anyone in his congregation to know about his outdoorsy past, for fear that they’ll judge their pastor and dismiss him as reckless. He and Amanda grow close, but when she overhears what she thinks is Derrick agreeing to take a new job as the leader at a faith-based retreat in the mountains, things get complicated between them.

At the flower competition, Amanda’s biggest competitor is Constance, a woman who used to be Lori’s best friend. She’s the town curmudgeon, and we learn the two women had a falling out when they were young, and Lori moved away after getting married leaving Constance alone. Constance ends up winning the competition, and while Amanda is disappointed. that she lost, she tries to bridge the chasm between the two old friends by inviting them both to an Easter brunch. Constance initially refuses the invitation but in the end, she shows up. So does Derrick, who explains he turned down the job at the mountain retreat because he didn’t want to leave Amanda. And as they all sit around the dining table, Constance reveals that she’s giving Amanda the $20,000 prize she won at the competition so the farm won’t go under. Praise the Lord.

AN EASTER BLOOM STREAMING — Photo: Hallmark

Our Take: Amanda is a woman grappling with a crisis of faith. Her father has died, her family farm is nearing foreclosure, and she feels like she’s being tested by God. But the arrival of Lori and Derrick is a blessing, and while she does develop a romance with Derrick, it’s her relationship with Lori that I found more compelling and grounded. Amanda’s mother is still in the picture, but it’s Lori who takes on a more maternal role and really tries to help Amanda solve some of her problems. She’s more than a wise older friend, she’s Amanda’s saving grace.

Derrick’s internal conflict, that he harbors guilt over another hiker being injured while rock-climbing and that’s why he doesn’t want anyone to know he’s outdoorsy, feels a little silly. So does Lori’s logic behind her falling out with Constance. This aspect of the film feels a little thin and underdeveloped, because Derrick’s and Lori/Constance’s self-forgiveness arcs feel a little false and then rushed toward a tidy resolution, but to be fair, they’re supporting characters who are secondary to Amanda and her story is the focus. Though the flower puns and metaphors are a bit on the nose, it’s a clever way to tell her story; much like the flowers she grows, she too thrives in the warmth of the sun. (Or is it the Son?)

Parting Shot: Amanda stands in front of the raised garden bed her parents gifted her at the beginning of the film and declares that it’s the perfect place for a couple to share a kiss. Pastor Derrick can take a hint, and he and Amanda kiss.

Performance Worth Watching: Honestly, I really love movies and TV shows that show you how to make things, and even though this was not a real show about how to arrange flowers, I loved watching the scenes of Lori instructing Amanda on how to create beautiful arrangements. Frances Flanagan exudes warmth and familiarity, and as both Amanda’s teacher and Derrick’s mother, she’s the heart of the movie.

Memorable Dialogue: “The key to any garden’s success is the love you put into it,” Amanda’s father tells her.

Our Call: Is a faith-based romance movie on Hallmark going to be for everyone? Not really. There’s a lot of God talk in the movie, specifically about being tested by Him and what purpose He has given us all, not to mention a full Easter sermon delivered by Pastor Derrick. But let’s assume that’s why you’re watching this, in which case, you’re likely going to appreciate the message of the film, which is one of redemption, rebirth, and community. To a cynic it might seem a little maudlin and sappy, but if you’re no cynic, I say STREAM IT.