Hallmark's Missing the Boat

All aboard the final Winter Escape movie, Hallmark's Missing the Boat! On this episode of Pour The Wine, It’s Rom-Com Time, Garry and Amy dive into the Italian setting, sharp script, and effortless chemistry that makes this a standout of Winter Escape 2026. When Parker’s (Kristoffer Polaha) carefully controlled life collides with Kelly’s (Emilie Ullerup) unshakable optimism, sparks fly on a journey that’s as much about catching a boat as it is about finding each other. From donkeys to dad jokes, they unpack the film’s kinetic pace, cinematic score, and location choices that feel like a third lead. With thoughtful themes, a great supporting cast, and plenty of charm, this one’s not to be missed. Pour yourself a glass and click play!

Send us an email to pourthewineitsromcomtime@gmail.com! We'd love to hear your thoughts!

Music from #Uppbeat

https://uppbeat.io/t/abbynoise/mood-of-summer

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:07

Welcome to Poor the Wine. It's rom cum time where we'll sip some wine and review all things rom cum on the Homework channel. I'm Amy.

SPEAKER_01 0:14

And I'm Gary. And we would love it if you would follow us on your favorite podcast platform like Apple or Spotify. Leave us a review and some stars. And then hop on over to the social media platforms like Instagram, which currently we have a goal of reaching 300 followers by the end of the year. What do you think?

SPEAKER_02 0:36

We do. We do. I think we can do it. I think we can do it. Share with your friends. Make sure you're following us over there on Instagram. We'd love to reach that goal by the end of 2026.

SPEAKER_01 0:46

Yes, we would.

SPEAKER_02 0:46

And we're at like what 190 something, I think. So we're on the right. So we're looking to break 200 pretty soon. We're looking to break it. We can do it. We can do it.

SPEAKER_01 0:56

And you can also watch us on YouTube at Pour the Wine, it's rom com time. And please subscribe so you don't miss an episode when we drop one.

SPEAKER_02 1:05

That's right. You can also send us an email to pour the wine, it's romcomtime at gmail.com. Let us know your thoughts about the winter escape movies that just wrapped up.

SPEAKER_01 1:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:17

Or count on to Christmas, which also just wrapped up like a month ago. Feels like forever ago, but it wasn't really that long ago. We're always all about talking about anything Christmas related or anything. Let us know your thoughts about anything going on in the Hallmark world at all. We would love to hear from you.

SPEAKER_01 1:34

Yes. Drop us that email.

SPEAKER_02 1:36

Should we get right into it today?

SPEAKER_01 1:38

Let's go for it.

SPEAKER_02 1:40

Today we're going to be reviewing the final winter escape movie of 2026, Missing the Boat. It originally aired on the Hallmark Channel on Saturday, January 31st, 2026. And it stars Amelia Ullerup and Christopher Pala. And how much do we love both of them? I mean, come on.

SPEAKER_01 2:02

This much.

SPEAKER_02 2:03

This much. If you can't see us, we're holding our arms really, really wide. You know, we last saw Amelia, of course, in Catch of the Day in 2025. I think that aired in the summer of 2025. Sure did. Right. And she was fabulous as Bree O'Brien on Chesapeake Shores, which is a series that we adored, right? And if you haven't seen it, go watch it. It's binge worthy. It's great. So check that one out. And we are currently getting back to we've been reviewing the Sign Seal Delivered movies. Um we we stepped away from it for a little bit and then we had the holidays, and now we're back in. And she plays an FBI agent Dale in several of the movies. I'm not sure how many more she's gonna be in, but we've seen her in a few so far. So really good. And then of course, Christopher, hello, Built More Christmas.

SPEAKER_00 2:56

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 2:57

A fan favorite, and of course, one of our top Hallmark Christmas movies. Oh, right.

SPEAKER_00 3:03

Easily, yes, hands down.

SPEAKER_02 3:04

And he was just in a grand old operation Christmas in 2025, which we absolutely loved. Loved that one. We didn't review that one, did we?

SPEAKER_01 3:13

No, no, no, no. That was one of the ones we didn't pick.

SPEAKER_02 3:16

Right. We did a random drawing, and that was not one, but we still are going to be reviewing it sometime this year for our tinsel Tuesday drop.

SPEAKER_01 3:24

Yes, we are.

SPEAKER_02 3:25

Right?

SPEAKER_01 3:26

Yep. So stay tuned.

SPEAKER_02 3:28

And I have to mention that after we watched Missing the Boat, we loved the chemistry so much, spoiler alert, so much between the two of them that we watched their very first movie together, which was Hearts of Christmas. We had never seen it.

SPEAKER_00 3:46

Right.

SPEAKER_02 3:47

So we watched Missing the Boat, and then we immediately were like, we have to watch the other movie they were in. And it was 10 years ago they were in it together in 2016. And it is so good. I know. So good.

SPEAKER_01 4:00

Their chemistry together is oh my gosh. So good.

SPEAKER_02 4:04

And speaking of Science Hill Delivered, Crystal Lowe is in that one.

SPEAKER_01 4:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:08

Sharon Lawrence is in that one. It is, I can't believe we've never seen it. If you haven't seen it, it is worth a watch any time of year. Go watch it.

SPEAKER_01 4:16

It's so in it too. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:19

Oh, yes. Kimberly Sus. Yes, she was in it as well.

SPEAKER_01 4:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:23

Yes. So it was a crazy card.

SPEAKER_00 4:25

And really good.

SPEAKER_02 4:27

I have to mention a couple other cast members for Missing the Boat because we will probably be talking about them during our review. Amy Louise Pemberton plays Emily, that's Parker's sister. Oh, did I mention Christopher plays Parker? He is a lawyer, numbers guy, calculated risk guy, right? And Trey Warner plays Adam Parker's boss. And Amelia plays Kelly. And she's sort of an inspector.

SPEAKER_01 4:53

Yeah. She's like a secret shopper for a company to make sure that the other company that's purchasing it's a very important thing.

SPEAKER_02 5:00

Right, for the investors, right? She makes sure that it's on the up and up.

SPEAKER_01 5:04

Right.

SPEAKER_02 5:04

So there you go.

unknown 5:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:06

Well, Missing the Boat was directed by McLean Nelson. He has directed several Hallmark movies. Just a few of our favorites are a Keller Christmas Vacation, all three Hall Out movies, The Magic of Lemon Drops, A Heidelberg Holiday, and Small Town Christmas, which Christopher is in.

SPEAKER_02 5:26

Yeah, yeah. Didn't hear a bad one there listed. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:31

And McLean was also one of the writers of Missing the Boat. He also has written a few other Hallmark movies, including Haul Out the Halloween, Return to Office, and A Heidelberg Holiday, which oh, we loved them all.

SPEAKER_02 5:45

I mean We really did. And so it's no surprise that how our review is going to be of this movie, right?

SPEAKER_01 5:52

McLean's co-writers were Judith Berg and Sandra Berg. Judith and Sandra have co-written numerous Hallmark films, including The Wedding Cottage, All the Wedding Vale movies, A Majestic Christmas, Christmas Next Door, and Summer Love.

SPEAKER_02 6:11

Very cool.

SPEAKER_01 6:13

So there you go.

SPEAKER_02 6:15

Yeah, there you go.

SPEAKER_01 6:16

So shall we drop the synopsis?

SPEAKER_02 6:19

We or me?

SPEAKER_01 6:21

Well, you know, you.

SPEAKER_02 6:22

Shall I drop the synopsis? All right, here we go. Strangers, Kelly and Parker both end up on the same Italian cruise, but after missing the boat during a stop, hence the name missing boat, they're forced to team up and race across southern Italy to catch up.

SPEAKER_01 6:39

Yes. Southern Italy. Italy. What a beautiful country. So this is the part of the podcast where we tell you we're probably gonna drop some uh spoilers. So if you haven't watched it already, please stop the podcast and go watch it and then come back and let us know.

SPEAKER_02 6:56

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 6:57

Or you can listen to us and then go watch the movie and let us know what you think.

SPEAKER_02 7:03

Either way works.

SPEAKER_01 7:04

Yes. All right. So let's dive into it.

SPEAKER_02 7:08

Let's dive in.

SPEAKER_01 7:09

All right. So you want to go first on what did you think?

SPEAKER_02 7:13

What did you think? What did I think about this one? I think that we have great bookends for Winter Escape. I think we started off really strong and we are ending really strong with the Winter Escape.

SPEAKER_00 7:28

100%.

SPEAKER_02 7:29

And it doesn't always happen, right? Sometimes they end and we're like, oh, you know, that should have been in the middle, and you know, would have been a star. It was so delightfully charming and fun and adventurous. And the chemistry was so good between the two of them. And the chemistry was also good between um the supporting cast members, between you know, his boss Adam and Emily, Parker's sister. So you had, you know, kind of multiple storylines going on, and just I would just say fun, charming, you know, chemistry, funny at times, great one-liners. I just thoroughly enjoyed this from the opening scene until the end. I thought it fired on all cylinders. That's what I thought. What about you? What do you think?

SPEAKER_01 8:23

Um, I really enjoyed this one. And you know it started off in the port of Rome, Italy, right? Yeah, I love that it started there. That was kind of that was kind of different.

SPEAKER_00 8:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:36

Um the adventures that they both have, and it kind of gave me that planes, trains, and automobiles vibe.

SPEAKER_02 8:43

A little bit, a little bit. Because they're trying to get, you know, of course. Once they miss the boat, they're trying to get back to the cruise ship. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:52

Um, I like the dad jokes throughout the movie. I thought those were funny. Um, the conversations that they had both on and off the boat, the chemistry on and off the boat, the secondary love romance between Emily and Adam, I thought was well played out. Um, so yeah, I mean, I loved it.

SPEAKER_02 9:14

Yeah. And I really liked, I enjoyed too, and this is part of one of my cheers, which we'll get to at the end, but I have to say it here um because I can't wait. Um, is that I really liked that they were in, you know, so Parker and Kelly, you know, they miss, they miss the boat, the boat sails off or whatever, and they're trying to get their way back. But I like that they're in communication with the people on the boat. They're not in some remote area.

SPEAKER_00 9:39

Right.

SPEAKER_02 9:40

There's this scene where they also end up, you know, staying in like a luxury hotel that Adam owns, right? So I like that they sort of gave them like a reality. They weren't in the middle of nowhere. There wasn't, it wasn't like they were somewhere where there was no cell reception, you know. So I just like that was a little more realistic. They were in towns, they had food, you know. I just I thought that that I really enjoyed that aspect of it also.

SPEAKER_01 10:06

Yeah, I kind of I was kind of like, wow, you know, even though they missed the boat, they're kind of living it up. It wasn't too bad.

SPEAKER_02 10:14

I mean, there were some parts.

SPEAKER_01 10:15

I mean, do you really want to get back on the boat?

SPEAKER_02 10:18

Yeah. So all right, let's talk favorite scenes. Shall we get into cute?

SPEAKER_01 10:22

You want to do the me cute?

SPEAKER_02 10:23

Oh, yeah, let's talk about the me cute. All right, you go.

SPEAKER_01 10:26

Um, I didn't like this one as much as some of the other ones. I thought it was kind of cute, although he almost kicked her in the face as he was going up the ladder and she was walking by. Right. But I I did kind of like how this is when he starts telling his dad dad jokes.

SPEAKER_02 10:44

Dad jokes. Well, that's him, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:46

Right. He's just up there inspecting because you know they're getting ready to buy into into the um the boat and everything. And I just thought it was it was okay for me. Um, I enjoyed their conversation when he came down off the ladder.

SPEAKER_02 11:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:03

But it was just for me, it was a okay meet cue. What about you? What'd you think?

SPEAKER_02 11:08

I thought I thought it worked totally for the movie just because so he's going to inspect the lifeboats, right? He's like, I gotta go count them or whatever he says. And immediately, immediately, I thought of Titanic, where she's like, Mother, the water is freezing and there aren't enough boats, you know. That phrase always comes in my head. So he's going to count, you know, and and I don't know, is he doing that for the inspection part of it, or is he doing that because he just wants to make sure? Because he's a guy who, you know, like I said, takes calculated risks earlier and he wants to make sure. So I wasn't sure if that was for his job or not.

SPEAKER_01 11:45

You know, it was probably for both.

SPEAKER_02 11:47

And he kind of says he's preparing for the inevitable, yes. And then, yeah, and then the dad jokes start where he's like, you know, what's your favorite ocean? And he said, Please be pacific, you know, which is I I thought it was kind of cute. So she kind of gets an idea of how he is. Like right away, you learn that, you know, he's not a vacation guy, he doesn't take much vacation, you know, mini vacations, and you know, so he he and then he's like, I have I have what waterfalls to tend to, the spreadsheet kind, you know. Yeah, so I mean, I thought it was cute. It was it my favorite, probably of winter escape. No, but I I enjoyed it.

SPEAKER_01 12:26

Yeah, it worked.

SPEAKER_02 12:27

I mean, it was it was cute for that moment, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:29

Yeah, yeah. So what about favorite scenes?

SPEAKER_02 12:32

Okay, now we can get into favorite scenes. Um I just enjoyed so many. I know there was a lot of but I'll I'll try to I'll try to limit. I mean, okay, so we have to talk about when they're in Palermo and they're having lunch, and it's it's Kelly, Parker, and his sister Emily, right? And then Emily goes away because she's gonna go lay on the beach or something and catch the boat. And they're talking about like, um, isn't that where um Kelly makes the I'll make him an offer he can't refuse? Like she gives the quote from The Godfather, and the running joke throughout the movie is that Parker doesn't know he's never seen the godfather.

SPEAKER_01 13:12

He's never seen it, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:14

And his sister gives him a hard time. His boss loves the godfather, does a godfather tour, yeah, you know, while they're in Italy. And you know, and so and so it's so cute because Kelly's like, it's from The Godfather, like you haven't seen it. And then he says he hasn't seen it, and she's like, Okay, well, I haven't seen Star Wars. And his reaction, you and I both laughed out loud.

SPEAKER_01 13:36

Oh, so hard, man.

SPEAKER_02 13:37

Both times we watched it, because we watched we watch the movies twice. We watch them once to just enjoy it, and then we go back and watch it and take notes and stuff. Um we laughed really hard both times at that.

SPEAKER_00 13:48

Yes, we did.

SPEAKER_02 13:49

Because the way he jumps, he kind of is like, what? And he jumps out of his seat. And it is, I would love to know if that was planned or if he just reacted.

SPEAKER_01 13:58

You know, it was kind of like it looked like Parker Reacts reactions, like, really, yeah, it was so funny. Yeah, like he is some kind of Star Wars, you know, uh one of those geeks. Um when she said, Okay, to be fair, I've never seen Star Wars, and he about lifted up out of his seat. He did lift out of his seat.

SPEAKER_02 14:23

It was he was so good in it. He was so good in it.

SPEAKER_01 14:27

And you know, so that was so the in that scene, too, um, when they got up to leave, because that's you're right, that's when Emily goes to sit on the beach to get a tan. Um as they're walking down the stairs, you see Christopher Chris, Christopher or Patrick or Parker. Parker Parker um high-five the guy that was standing there. Yeah. I wonder, was that in the movie?

SPEAKER_02 14:52

Or did he just or did he just Well, did he do the knuckle or did he high-five? I can't.

SPEAKER_01 14:57

I think he high-five.

SPEAKER_02 15:00

We saw him do that a couple times.

SPEAKER_01 15:01

Yeah. Yeah. The train guy, he did it too. He high-fived him. Yeah. Yeah. Um one of my, and that was one of my favorite scenes. Another one of mine was the singles table when they first were on the boat. And uh Kelly, she walks, she's kind of walking around, not really paying attention. And Emily goes, Hey, you can sit here. It's a singles table. And then they turn around, and everybody at the table, you know, they're women, right? There's no guys.

SPEAKER_02 15:28

Right.

SPEAKER_01 15:30

Everyone's like, What is it? What kind of cruise is this where they don't have any single guys? But Kelly then starts to talk about you know, Parker that and she doesn't realize that that's her brother, Emily's brother, right? She doesn't know yet. And she's talking about him and and how odd he is. And that's when he walks up, and um, prior to that, uh, Emily goes, she she's like, Yeah, he's kind of cute. And she and Emily's like, No, I don't see it. And she's like, What? She goes, Yeah, he's my brother. And it was that so that was kind of a funny scene.

SPEAKER_02 16:05

That was a cute, fun scene, and and I like that you know, Emily didn't get mad or wasn't like you know what I mean? Like it was, it just worked, it just flowed really well. It did work, it did, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:16

So, what was another one of yours?

SPEAKER_02 16:19

Um, another one of mine, uh I'll skip ahead. I mean, like I said, they're just so, you know, when they they so they they miss the boat because they have gone on some donkeys to see a waterfall. They're supposed to be on horses, but all the horses were gone from other tourists or whatever. And so when they realize, and and of course the donkeys disappear and they have to run, and he strains his back, and it's not funny, but we laughed a lot at the back jokes because, and this kind of goes through the rest of the movie, right? He's kind of puts his back out, but he can still walk. Right. And there's just so funny to me because you have had an issue with your back, and I'm not laughing at the issue, but like the stretches he does throughout him. I have seen those stretches in my house. And just you and I both were just dying because we're like, yep, that's what that's what happens. I have to say I'm sure Christopher doesn't act hopefully he doesn't actually have that problem, but we just both kind of laughed because it was so relatable to us and kind of our current state of things, right? Like you're gonna, you know, you're actually going through physical therapy now for it, and it just just it was funny, and you were cracking up when they were showing the differences. I was there were so many scenes where he's doing the stretches, but that's an aside, sorry.

SPEAKER_01 17:40

What was funny is when he um when they got back to the pier where the dog where the boat had already left, he gets on the ground and he does that stretch where you cross your one leg over the other and kind of pull your knee in. He must do like yoga or something because I cannot do that.

SPEAKER_02 17:59

Yeah, she said I don't know how he puts his leg like that. Yeah, you just you need to loosen up more. He's in he's in shape, but like Chris Purple has.

SPEAKER_01 18:08

You know, going back to the donkey scene, I just thought it was funny that they had a stick with a carrot on it.

SPEAKER_02 18:14

Yes, they were. I wonder if they really do that. I guess they do.

SPEAKER_01 18:19

I don't know, but it was so hilarious.

SPEAKER_02 18:21

Yeah, it was funny. But I just had to bring that up because that was really funny. So another favorite scene, um, they end up making it to a train at one point. And I just like this scene where he offers her something to eat and she's like, I already brushed my teeth. And then he's like, How'd you brush your teeth? You know, because she's like, Well, I have a toothbrush here. Do you want one? Because she's, of course, she's got another another one, you know, in her bag. And then she has made this. Now they're on a train, it stops because the train workers go on strike in the middle of while they're traveling somewhere. So the train stops at one of the stations and they all get off. She makes this grand speech, which is great too. That's another great scene. But so this is after that, and the train is going because she has given this wonderful, you know, speech. And he's basically like, you know, you like she did a combination between um Remember the Titans and Glenn Gary, Glenn Ross. And I'm like, oh my, I just love that they reference. I always love it when movies are referenced, you know. And he does it a lot, and he's got our heart with It's a Wonderful Life, right? Like he's mentioned that in a few movies, and we just love it. But but yeah, she, you know, I I just I just enjoyed that scene, and that's sort of when she ends up laying her head on his shoulder, and it's just kind of a sweet but funny scene. Yeah. So that was one of them.

SPEAKER_01 19:39

That was a cute one.

SPEAKER_02 19:41

What about you? Another one?

SPEAKER_01 19:42

Um, another one of mine was when they first missed the boat. So they were trying to get a rent a car, and the guy in the booth, he he kind of goes, you know, we told you, you know, the man the boat waits for no man and no woman, right? And they're they're trying to, okay, we understand we missed the boat, but we need to get another ride so we can meet it at the next port. And is there a train? And he's like, No, there's no train, but his twin brother has uh rent a car, right? So they're like, Oh my god. So I just thought it was so funny because they they get to his brother, the the guy's brother's uh little booth where their cars are rented, and they're having this conversation, and he's like, I don't have any more cars, and they're like, Well, your brother said that you you had cars. He's like, I rent.

SPEAKER_00 20:32

Same actor, by the way, right? Did we decide anything? Same actor.

SPEAKER_01 20:35

But I was I thought that was such a fun scene because he says, Oh, somebody just canceled, so I have one car left, but I need your driver's license. So as she's digging through her Mary Poppins bag, right? Jumps out on the ground, and she finally gets the her driver's license and she puts it on the counter, like boom. And he goes, Oh, it's already booked. Too late. Sorry, you took too long. And they were like, What? And then he tells them there's a train that they can catch.

SPEAKER_02 21:05

Well, that's when that's when Parker goes, Come on.

SPEAKER_01 21:08

I know it was so good, it was such a good scene, man. I love it.

SPEAKER_02 21:12

It really was. The the sequence of the scenes worked really well too. The flow of the entire movie from scene to scene was so good. And the music, and we talked about this a couple times. It was almost like cinematic through it.

SPEAKER_00 21:26

Right.

SPEAKER_02 21:26

The songs were really good, and the music was really good. It's like you're watching a movie, and I think at one point, what I say, like Downton Abbey, when we I know that was a series, but there were also movies, but it was very, I don't know, it was it was it was really, really well done.

SPEAKER_01 21:40

Yeah. So you got you have any more favorite scenes?

SPEAKER_02 21:43

Um I really enjoyed um it was a more serious scene when they're um Parker and Emily are having lunch. Now they have stayed at this hotel, right, that Adam owns, and it's a fancy hotel, and they're kind of having lunch and Wine and they're overlooking the water. And that's when they really get into sort of their deep conversations. Right. He says he's really enjoyed getting to know her because I think the next morning is when they're going to actually meet up with the boat.

SPEAKER_00 22:12

Right.

SPEAKER_02 22:12

Right. And um they have been to like a healer for his back, you know, and that's when he sort of admits, you know, the because the healer's like, you know, I don't need to see your back. I can feel it.

SPEAKER_01 22:25

You know, I can feel the pain.

SPEAKER_02 22:26

The pain tells me the pain that you're in. Yeah. And and then he sort of talks about um, what does the healer tell her? Like he's worried about losing financial support and that he was in a relationship that hurt him really badly. So in this conversation where they're having lunch and slash wine, focus on the wine. Um, he's like, he talks about his marriage and the way it ended and how focused he was on work, you know, and he thought he was working hard for them, but all he was doing was causing a divide because he was gone so much. Right. And I was like, you know, so many people do that as well. It's, I mean, it's hard. I mean, I I'm not someone who thinks marriage is a lot of work, but I think if you get obsessed with your work, it can interfere with your marriage.

SPEAKER_00 23:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:12

You know, and and it was just, I I just I really enjoyed that. You know, he he and then he says he's not afraid of commitment, he's afraid of more pain. And I thought that was just really profound, just such a great moment for the movie because you're kind of getting beneath the dad jokes, right? You're getting beneath the sarcasm that he's always, you know, putting out there. So and then Kelly kind of encourages him and she tells him how brave it was for him to go to that to the particular hotel they're at because that's where he was going to take his wife for a anniversary trip, right?

SPEAKER_01 23:44

Ten days, ten nights.

SPEAKER_02 23:44

And then she's like, you know, you can't see a wound is healed until the bandages come off.

SPEAKER_00 23:49

And that's kind of what he's talking about.

SPEAKER_02 23:51

And it sees they go through these hours and they drink more wine, and it's hours and they drink more wine. And um, I just thought that was such a lovely scene. I just I really, really enjoyed that. And I I wonder how they were when they shot that. You know what I mean? Like it was just it was really, really cool.

SPEAKER_01 24:06

Uh, because it was overlooking the water and the sunset and everything.

SPEAKER_02 24:10

It was really beautiful, yeah. Beautiful shots.

SPEAKER_01 24:12

Yeah, because at that moment he was like, Oh, I guess she really did help out my back. And then um Kelly was like, No, I think it's the wine. He's like, Yeah, you're probably right.

SPEAKER_00 24:22

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:23

Um and I also had that, and I also had the therapy session because I thought the decor in the music that was playing in the background was it was so good, yeah. You know how you're you're skeptical or something like that. And he was kind of being that until she said, Your pain is telling me, you know, you're afraid because you you, you know, of love and so on and so forth. So I thought that was a really good scene. But my last favorite scene was when they finally got um, so in the train station where she gave her speech, she had met this lady to translate for her. Well, this lady had cousins throughout Italy. I mean, come on, she knew everybody, right?

SPEAKER_02 25:05

Yep, yeah, or was related to everybody in the right spots, the right people in the right places.

SPEAKER_01 25:10

She was related to a guy who had a boat that can get them across the water to where the the cruise liner was gonna dock. And during that whole scene where they're on the water and he he lets uh Kelly drive the boat, which she's never done before. And yeah, and you could see Parker was holding on because he was he was kind of getting sick and everything.

SPEAKER_02 25:34

Getting a little seasick, getting a little seasick.

SPEAKER_01 25:36

Well, I just love that the end when they finally made it, the captain of the boat, I I don't remember his name, he goes, Oh, I forgot about the money. And and they're both like, Oh, oh, here you go, we'll we'll pay. He goes, No. And he hands them two coins to throw over their shoulders to thank the sea for seeing them safely to port. I thought that was that was a really good scene.

SPEAKER_02 25:59

Yeah, yeah. It was I I really liked the we haven't really talked about Adam and Emily. So Adam is Parker's boss and Emily is Parker's sister. And so throughout the movie, too, their relationship is sort of building and they're flirting, and Adam is kind of funny and making jokes, and then he kind of, you know, there's a there's something he wants Parker to do that isn't so nice, you know, to um Kelly. And when Emily, Parker's sister, finds out, she basically lets him have it. Like, you know, that was rude. And I love that this movie takes the billionaire boss or millionaire boss, whatever he is. He was a billionaire, a billionaire, his his billionaire boss, and he's like, you know what, you're right, that was wrong of me to do. And and I put, you know, something before honor. Like I put money before honor, or whatever, I forget the exact line, but yeah, I just love that they made and he was really funny.

SPEAKER_01 26:52

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_02 26:53

Adam boss was really funny. He was so good. He was so good. And the actress who played um Parker's sister, she was such a good, she played such a good counter to Adam, right? So Emily and Adam, and I just I loved that side storyline also.

SPEAKER_01 27:11

Yeah, I thought it really, really worked. It was like it'll just be its own little short story.

SPEAKER_02 27:17

Yeah, yeah. And I just, I mean, I just I I loved that. And I love that they made him kind of a cool guy, you know, and he's kind of like, you know, you know, he he wanted something to work out for him, and so he kind of was gonna do something shady and then or he tried to get Parker to do something shady, and then he kind of owns it and he's like, you know, I don't wanna, I don't want to work like that. That's not who I want to be. And I just like that they didn't make him some, you know, big a-hole or anything, you know, because sometimes a lot of times they do, and it's just a stereotypical thing. And he was actually nice and found possibly a relationship and someone to work for him too, right? Because people are, but he found two people. Oh yeah, yeah, and Kelly. So yeah, I thought that. So, you know, the final favorite scene that I was gonna talk about was when Adam and Emily are in the bar again, and you know, he approaches her and and he's basically like, You were right, you're right about the Kelly situation, you know, and that's that's just kind of what you know, and and she's like, mm-hmm, you know.

SPEAKER_01 28:15

She was like, he's like, Can I have this seat? And she's like, What's the password? Yeah, that's when he apologized.

SPEAKER_02 28:22

That's when he, you're right, you're right. He's like, That's I'm sorry, you were right. I let opportunity get in the way of honor and I regret it. And she's like, Okay, that's a good password, and you can sit down. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:32

And I loved her. He said, you know, I it's it's a breath of fresh air to have somebody, you know, tell me that I'm doing wrong. Cause usually I have people that agree with me, and she goes, Well, then you shouldn't have people like that around you.

SPEAKER_02 28:46

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 28:47

I thought that was lots of life lessons in this one too, right? Yes. Yeah. So do you have any more?

SPEAKER_02 28:52

No. That that'll be. All right.

SPEAKER_01 28:54

Well, let's move on to cheer or cheers. Or cheers. Listen to cheers. What was one of your favorite cheers?

SPEAKER_02 28:58

Um, I kind of have talked about them all. I think I'll lump them all together. It was just a really fun, enjoyable ride from the beginning to the end. I mean, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I like the theme of, you know, work-life balance.

SPEAKER_00 29:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 29:13

You know, you do need time off. We talk about this a lot. You and I do, especially. Um, you know, sometimes people save their time off at their jobs for what? You know, I mean, I understand, I understand saving some in case of an emergency, but what are you what do you need 300 hours of of you know, what whatever you call it at your job, PTO or leave or whatever.

SPEAKER_00 29:35

Right.

SPEAKER_02 29:36

You know, or say, like, what are you doing? Take some time off. I mean, we like to. I like to keep some in the bank and I like to take my time. I like we like long weekends, even if we don't go anywhere. Yeah, you know, I think and I think that's that's just so important to do that. You know, we work too much in this country, I think, you know, and work to death and work until you're 80. You know, for what? Enjoy life. Look, if I could retire right now, I would retire. You know, we got a few more working years than us, but you know, I mean, I just so I enjoyed that sort of, you know, look at life. I love that they made the boss a nice guy and a funny guy, a little bit quirky, but funny. I like that, you know, they made this well, both the support him and Emily, the supporting cast, really a core part of the story. You know, I I like that. I love the music. There were tons of one-liners that I thought worked. The dad jokes were funny, you know.

SPEAKER_01 30:35

They, you know, they're not sure.

SPEAKER_02 30:37

So I just I the cheer for me would just be the whole thing, really. I mean, I just enjoyed it. What about you? Biggest cheers for you.

SPEAKER_01 30:43

I was just gonna say from beginning to end, I did not feel like there was a bad part in that movie.

SPEAKER_02 30:51

Right.

SPEAKER_01 30:52

Like, you know, sometimes you get there's some scenes you're like, okay, I'm gonna I'm gonna kind of zone out for a second because it's not really grabbing my attention. But I felt like on and off the boat, between them, Emily, Adam, Parker, Kelly, you know, no matter what scene it was on, I was I was captivated, right? I was just into the into what they were saying and doing. And Adam, I don't think I've ever seen him in anything.

SPEAKER_02 31:21

No, I don't yeah, I'm not familiar with the actors.

SPEAKER_01 31:23

Kudos to you, man, because you did a really good job. Because I I, you know, I don't know if he's a comedian or if he's one of those serious type actors, but just the way he would deliver his lines was like, oh my God, I wanted to laugh. I wanted to like, oh, this guy's serious. I just really enjoyed it.

SPEAKER_02 31:44

And right away, I gotta look in my notes because right away, doesn't he say, because the one of the very first scenes, Adam goes up to Jack and goes, you know, I'll never let you go, Jack. And I'm like, Titanic, you know, and it's just and he puts because he puts like a life, he puts a life vest on Jack and he wraps his arms around him, and it's just so funny. So you get right out of the gate what he's gonna be like, I think, throughout the movie. And you know what?

SPEAKER_01 32:10

Yeah, I just now thought of it. There was that meat cute between Emily and Adam. That was the first time they met. And she kind of was flirting with him.

SPEAKER_02 32:22

You're right. That's right. I didn't even think about that.

SPEAKER_01 32:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 32:25

So yeah, we have to remember that. Meet cute of the supporting cast, right? When they get together. Yeah, that's a good point.

SPEAKER_01 32:31

Yeah, I I my cheer was and I also liked it when Emily said don't take Parker's goodness or kindness for weakness.

SPEAKER_02 32:40

Right.

SPEAKER_01 32:41

You know, don't take advantage of him because he's a good person.

SPEAKER_02 32:45

Right.

SPEAKER_01 32:45

So she was always keeping Adam in his place.

SPEAKER_02 32:48

And putting him in his place. And I thought, you know, and the scenery was beautiful. I love the location shoots. Oh man. You know, we get such beautiful, you know, between the cities and the water and the wine, you know. I mean, we just we got so many beautiful shots in this one. It's almost one of the characters, yeah. You know, Italy. So I'd love to go to Italy sometime. I think that would be fun.

SPEAKER_01 33:12

I went one time, but that was way back in the 80s.

SPEAKER_02 33:15

Way, way back in the day. Back in the day.

SPEAKER_01 33:18

Ottonal Italy is where I went. So um, what about gears? Did you have any gears?

SPEAKER_02 33:25

The only, the only thing I would say, I have one, just one. When they are in the van and they're headed towards there, they want to go see the a waterfall, one of the waterfalls. And um, that's where they right before they get on the donkeys. But they do like this voiceover, and he's like, he says something like, you know, I don't think we're gonna have enough time. And she's like, I've worked it all out, it's fine, but it's like a voiceover. And I don't know if they they really didn't need that, right? Because the story, you know, basically tells us that they're I mean, we kind of get he's a numbers guy, he's worried, he's calculated it, but so has she. She's a planner, she's planned it all out, she knows what they're gonna do. So I mean, you just I just didn't feel like you needed that in that moment. I don't know if that was an afterthought or if that was always part of maybe they shot it inside the van and you know something happened and they couldn't use it and they still wanted to use it. So then they did like a voiceover. I just I just that would be my only that's my only jeer. What about you? Did you have any?

SPEAKER_01 34:28

Um, I had one and it's when her when Kelly's boss fired her, right? Because throughout the movie when she's talking to him, it seemed like they had known each other, I think it was 10 years, and he had called her his best friend.

SPEAKER_02 34:45

And then I think you're right.

SPEAKER_01 34:46

She does, you know, she misses the boat, and it's like you're fired.

SPEAKER_02 34:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:51

I mean, I just thought, okay, come on.

SPEAKER_02 34:53

And not just fired from the job, like like not just fired from the um project, but fired from her position. You know, yeah, that was a little harsh.

SPEAKER_01 35:04

It was very harsh.

SPEAKER_02 35:05

She rebounded, she rebounded, but it was a little hard. It might have worked out better for her, you know. Yeah, yeah. It ended up working out much better for her.

SPEAKER_01 35:11

Yeah. But um, I did write down some of the debt. I didn't write a verbatim, but some of the data jokes where he talked about mustard. Um, he talked about Pacific, Pacific Ocean. Um that was funny.

SPEAKER_02 35:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 35:26

Messina, Messina, you later.

SPEAKER_02 35:28

Um, look at you. I didn't know.

SPEAKER_01 35:30

And then the they were talking when he was on the boat, he wished he had some uh, what was it? Drama, drama, drama mean dramamine, and she called him Drama King Drama King.

SPEAKER_02 35:41

Oh, yeah. And he liked that. Yeah, he liked that.

SPEAKER_01 35:45

When they got to Monopoly, he's like, so which should we buy first? Park boardwalk or park place? Yeah, that was funny. So there were some really cute little puns, and I I I really enjoyed it.

SPEAKER_02 35:56

I agree. I agree.

SPEAKER_01 35:58

So is that alright?

SPEAKER_02 36:00

All right, that well, out of five corks, how many corks would you give it?

SPEAKER_01 36:04

They see one, two, three, four, five.

SPEAKER_02 36:07

Five. I'm the same, I'm the same. I would give it five corks. Yes. So out of um out of all of the winter escape movies, we had five.

SPEAKER_01 36:19

Yes, we did.

SPEAKER_02 36:20

Actually, this January, had five weekends. So which one would you put at the top? So we have Lost in Paradise, a Melbourne match, love on the Amazon, Caught by Love, and Missing the Boat. And I think I know yours.

SPEAKER_01 36:33

You know, at the beginning you said, you know, what Hallmark did as far as bookend these, right? Um, so you know, this one was definitely my top, the missing the boat. Yes. Hands down was my favorite. What about you?

SPEAKER_02 36:51

Mine would be a tie between Lost in Paradise and Missing the Boat. I really enjoyed, I th I thought we had a really great January. Yeah. I thought the winter escape movies for the most part were really, really good. I think Hallmark came, and we've said this before, came out of, you know, the gate, you know, swinging or whatever.

SPEAKER_00 37:10

Yeah, the sprinting.

SPEAKER_02 37:11

Or running came out of the gate running, yeah. Um sprinting. So I'm I mean, I think we've had a really strong start to 2026. Um, but my top two, and I think I gave Lost in Paradise a five too. So it would be Lost in Paradise and Missing the Boat. And those are more really adventure type, you know.

SPEAKER_01 37:27

And I and I think movies probably why, because they they it really and the same with Lost in Paradise, it kept my attention the whole time, you know.

SPEAKER_02 37:38

And it was fun and funny, and yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 37:41

I mean, yeah, it's definitely their one and two for me. So all right.

SPEAKER_02 37:47

Well, is that a wrap now? That is a wrap.

SPEAKER_01 37:50

All right. Well, thanks for listening and also watching us on YouTube.

SPEAKER_02 37:55

Follow us wherever you get your podcasts and on social media so you don't miss a thing. Till next time.

SPEAKER_01 38:01

Cheers.