I'm actually surprised by the high number of reviews completely pummeling this movie considering it's no worse or better than Hallmark's usual fare. While I do agree that Love Under the Olive Tree is blatant plagiarism off of some of Hallmark's previous movies (although I'm amazed that no one mentioned Pumpkin Pie Wars, as the feuding families trope and Romeo-and-Juliet romance is very reminiscent of it), I actually think this movie is above some of the ones it's copied off of, which earns it a decent score in my book. The actors are believable, the setting is beautiful, the olive oil storyline is different and unique, and the scene in which the grandfathers reunite after years of bad blood is very heartwarming. Also, there are sprinkles of an LGBTQ romance in the periphereals of this movie, and although I would've preferred for Hallmark to drop the hints near the end and confirm it outright, that sort of forward movement -- no matter how slow and/or miniscule -- cannot be undervalued!
On the negative side, outside of the deja vu feeling longtime Hallmark watchers were all no doubt affected with while watching this copy of a copy, this movie seriously downgraded one of its major talents by sticking Shawn Roberts in a side role. He's very charming as the leading man, and definitely much more so than Benjamin Hollingsworth, who was a bit stiff in comparison. The plot itself also could've been a bit stronger, specifically the fact that the entire movie is based around such a tiny land dispute that, by not resolving it civilly, all the characters are made to seem extremely juvenile. The piece of land in question is such an insignificant sliver that both sides of the family could afford to let it go. The female protagonist claims there isn't enough money in the company budget to build the expansion anywhere but connected to the existing building, but apparently no other sides are viable options, only the specific section currently in legal contention. The movie also falls into the most tired plot device of them all: the miscommunication-by-eavesdropping plot, which manufactures trouble between the two leads at exactly the wrong moment. Lastly, leading lady Nicole spends the entire movie trying to create the perfect olive oil for the town contest, but always finds some crucial ingredient missing from the blend. She produces this elusive, magical olive oil mere seconds before the contest begins, but the audience never knows a) what the special missing ingredient is or b) how she even figured out what it is. This epiphany moment is completely (and sadly) missing from the movie.
On the negative side, outside of the deja vu feeling longtime Hallmark watchers were all no doubt affected with while watching this copy of a copy, this movie seriously downgraded one of its major talents by sticking Shawn Roberts in a side role. He's very charming as the leading man, and definitely much more so than Benjamin Hollingsworth, who was a bit stiff in comparison. The plot itself also could've been a bit stronger, specifically the fact that the entire movie is based around such a tiny land dispute that, by not resolving it civilly, all the characters are made to seem extremely juvenile. The piece of land in question is such an insignificant sliver that both sides of the family could afford to let it go. The female protagonist claims there isn't enough money in the company budget to build the expansion anywhere but connected to the existing building, but apparently no other sides are viable options, only the specific section currently in legal contention. The movie also falls into the most tired plot device of them all: the miscommunication-by-eavesdropping plot, which manufactures trouble between the two leads at exactly the wrong moment. Lastly, leading lady Nicole spends the entire movie trying to create the perfect olive oil for the town contest, but always finds some crucial ingredient missing from the blend. She produces this elusive, magical olive oil mere seconds before the contest begins, but the audience never knows a) what the special missing ingredient is or b) how she even figured out what it is. This epiphany moment is completely (and sadly) missing from the movie.