'South Beach Love' Review: Will Sarah and Tony get past their friendly rivalry?
'South Beach Love' is a lovely family, feel-good Hallmark movie that follows a story about rival chefs, traditional Cuban cooking, friendship, family, and romance. Most of the cast is predominantly of Latin origin, and probably what makes the film all the more authentic. The film portrays Tony Rodriguez and Sara Kelly, two chefs who are catering the birthday parties of their respective nieces and the events that follow suit.
This Hallmark romance movie is directed by Damian Romay. The teleplay, on the other hand, is written by Andrea Canning, based on Caridad Pineiro’s Hallmark Publishing novel with the same name. 'South Beach Love' stars William Levy as Tony Rodriguez, Taylor Cole as Sarah Kelly, Roberto Escobar as Mateo Rodriguez, Jessica Pacheco as Maria Sanchez, and Marina Catalan as Benita, among others.
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Tony Sanchez, the established executive chef of a high-end New York restaurant, is on a long-overdue visit to his home in Miami. He’s committed to making the celebration the best it can be, for the sake of his niece, the rest of his family, and his reputation. Although he has made a name for himself, Tony misses his hometown in Miami and wants his party to be featured for his family and for recognition to open his own place.
On the other hand, Sara Kelly, who isn't Cuban, hadn’t known much about quinceaneras before she agreed to cater one for her niece. It’s a chance to both help her family and to promote her brand-new restaurant in Miami, called 'Munch', while supporting women in need. From her Cuban sister-in-law, Sara learns about quince traditions, appreciating the meaning behind them. She takes the effort to both learn and implement, at the same time. As the contest heats up, so do the rekindled feelings between Tony and Sara.
The main plot of the movie involves Sara catering for her niece’s quinceanera, a Cuban celebration of coming of age for girls. However, the birthday celebration becomes highly complicated when Sara's ex-boyfriend, Tony, returns to Miami to cater for his own niece’s quinceanera, which coincidentally is scheduled to take place the very same weekend.
The situation gets quite salty when both Sara and Tony are pitted against each other to win the cover for a local magazine. Unfortunately, only one of the celebrations will be chosen to be featured in the local paper. And both chefs have more than just something to prove. The two families who were once close and as thick as real blood relatives are now at odds over the conflicting quinceaneras, leaving fences to mend if their friendship will be restored. As Sara and Tony continuously try to outdo each other and put on the perfect party, their reunion sparks a fire to rekindle their romance.
'South Beach Love' is a classic blend of family, relationships, food, and romance. A heartwarming and quick watch, the movie comes to an end the more invested you get in the storyline! It's safe to say that both Tony and Sara are dynamic and realistic characters; they are both family and career-oriented, visibly ambitious as well. Their fondness for each other and their relationship grew throughout the film. One of the best plots was the added element of surprise; the competition aspect that, over time, turned into a coming together of relationships.
The descriptions of the food were absolutely amazing; lots of authentic Cuban recipes with some gourmet twists. It's highly recommended to watch this movie on a full stomach since the visuals in themselves are quite mouth-watering!
All in all, you will absolutely dive headfirst into Tony and Sara as a couple. This movie is sure to get all the votes for a thoroughly enjoyable foodie romance! It is full of wonderful characters, a great community, some roadblocks, and good deeds. It's wonderful to see how the young girls become friends and work together; to make not only the parties a success, but also to have their mothers get past their tiff and to help bring their aunt and uncle come together. Easily one of the top romance movies that will make you smile!
'South Beach Love' is now available to stream on Hallmark.