While it very nearly tries to drown itself in nostalgia (and almost gets away with pulling the audience alongside), the third movie of this trilogy, much like the second, just doesn't compare to the humor and romance of the first.
Many reviewers have gone to town discussing the legalities of the plot and just how plausible it truly is -- all that aside, I personally found the third inheritor angle to be an unfortunate writing choice. Not only did it feel like something out of a soap opera, but it took over the storyline so much that this movie could've easily been called "All of My Heart: The Cousin." It took a movie that was supposed to be about the happy occasion of a wedding and made it stressful and dreary to watch. Seeing Jenny and Brian fight to keep their house was tiring, especially when one had to start considering: why was Meg in such a hurry to be paid out immediately, or else? She gives no indiciation that she is in desperate need of this money; why was she not open to being paid in installments sooner? Why did she spend so much time around the inn after frequently besmirching it (and its plumbing, and its nature, and its friendly goat companions)? I find this movie would've been much stronger had it not wallowed in its own depression over this plotline, and rather focused on the wedding, as well as some of the other plotlines that were half-heartedly introduced in the movie. For instance: Brian's father, a character and a storyline that barely scratched the surface.
As a matter of fact, many plotpoints in this movie felt unnecessary if not poorly executed if only because they weren't given the proper effort or time to be fleshed out. Brian's father was just the start of this, but continued with the storyline of Brian helping Jenny franchise her baking. After their failed delivery attempt (which -- why did the movie go through the trouble of introducing a new character for this scene? Why not just have Brian break down on the road with his truck?), this part of the story is all but swept under the rug. We instead spend most of our time with Meg, who fails to see herself (until the end) as the very obvious antagonist of this story, failing to notice that she is all but turning two people out of their homes so she can quickly cash in her third of the inheritance (and again, if she had been introduced as someone who desperately needed financial assistance, rather than a well-off accountant in pristine pantsuits, this might've made her more sympathetic). Perhaps the only thing more annoying than Meg herself is the way Jenny acts around her, so eager to accomodate and befriend someone who has shown her no warmth or compassion all because she's the closest thing she has to family, never mind that, for all intents and purposes, the dozens of people in town willing to donate to her cause treat her more like family than Meg does.
The film banks very much on people's love of the characters and the familiarity of the storyline (although, frankly, I still am not over the switch from one house to another between the first and second movie) to make it successful, and I must admit, all these characters are so likeable, and Lacey Chabert and Brennan Elliot have such astounding chemistry, that the movie gets away with it. That being said, I would've enjoyed this movie so much more had it been more like its predecessor. The first movie played very much on the humor of their relationship and renovating a house together, and even with its own drama, remained light-hearted in nature. This movie was heavy to a fault, which the sad piano refrains in every other scene makes sure to emphasize. A movie about juggling the wedding, Jenny's franchising, and Brian's dad would've been wonderful without the additional drama the Meg plotline introduced. I couldn't help but compare it to the Perfect Bride series: its sequel retains the energy and chemistry of the first film, and its plot revolves simply around two people trying to figure out how to balance their adult lives and tasks alongside their relationship and wedding, without overcomplicating or dramatizing the whole ordeal. I truly wish All of My Heart: The Wedding would've followed suit.
(And lastly, although it wasn't a problem in the movie, I was thoroughly expecting Brian's father to help finance the remainder of the money owed to Meg after witnessing the charitable donation given to Brian and Jenny by the town. It was something of a surprise that he offered no help at all!)
Many reviewers have gone to town discussing the legalities of the plot and just how plausible it truly is -- all that aside, I personally found the third inheritor angle to be an unfortunate writing choice. Not only did it feel like something out of a soap opera, but it took over the storyline so much that this movie could've easily been called "All of My Heart: The Cousin." It took a movie that was supposed to be about the happy occasion of a wedding and made it stressful and dreary to watch. Seeing Jenny and Brian fight to keep their house was tiring, especially when one had to start considering: why was Meg in such a hurry to be paid out immediately, or else? She gives no indiciation that she is in desperate need of this money; why was she not open to being paid in installments sooner? Why did she spend so much time around the inn after frequently besmirching it (and its plumbing, and its nature, and its friendly goat companions)? I find this movie would've been much stronger had it not wallowed in its own depression over this plotline, and rather focused on the wedding, as well as some of the other plotlines that were half-heartedly introduced in the movie. For instance: Brian's father, a character and a storyline that barely scratched the surface.
As a matter of fact, many plotpoints in this movie felt unnecessary if not poorly executed if only because they weren't given the proper effort or time to be fleshed out. Brian's father was just the start of this, but continued with the storyline of Brian helping Jenny franchise her baking. After their failed delivery attempt (which -- why did the movie go through the trouble of introducing a new character for this scene? Why not just have Brian break down on the road with his truck?), this part of the story is all but swept under the rug. We instead spend most of our time with Meg, who fails to see herself (until the end) as the very obvious antagonist of this story, failing to notice that she is all but turning two people out of their homes so she can quickly cash in her third of the inheritance (and again, if she had been introduced as someone who desperately needed financial assistance, rather than a well-off accountant in pristine pantsuits, this might've made her more sympathetic). Perhaps the only thing more annoying than Meg herself is the way Jenny acts around her, so eager to accomodate and befriend someone who has shown her no warmth or compassion all because she's the closest thing she has to family, never mind that, for all intents and purposes, the dozens of people in town willing to donate to her cause treat her more like family than Meg does.
The film banks very much on people's love of the characters and the familiarity of the storyline (although, frankly, I still am not over the switch from one house to another between the first and second movie) to make it successful, and I must admit, all these characters are so likeable, and Lacey Chabert and Brennan Elliot have such astounding chemistry, that the movie gets away with it. That being said, I would've enjoyed this movie so much more had it been more like its predecessor. The first movie played very much on the humor of their relationship and renovating a house together, and even with its own drama, remained light-hearted in nature. This movie was heavy to a fault, which the sad piano refrains in every other scene makes sure to emphasize. A movie about juggling the wedding, Jenny's franchising, and Brian's dad would've been wonderful without the additional drama the Meg plotline introduced. I couldn't help but compare it to the Perfect Bride series: its sequel retains the energy and chemistry of the first film, and its plot revolves simply around two people trying to figure out how to balance their adult lives and tasks alongside their relationship and wedding, without overcomplicating or dramatizing the whole ordeal. I truly wish All of My Heart: The Wedding would've followed suit.
(And lastly, although it wasn't a problem in the movie, I was thoroughly expecting Brian's father to help finance the remainder of the money owed to Meg after witnessing the charitable donation given to Brian and Jenny by the town. It was something of a surprise that he offered no help at all!)