“Butlers in Love,” starring Stacey Farber, Corey Cott and Maxwell Caulfield, originally aired on January 29, 2022 on Hallmark Channel. David Weaver (Playing Cupid, Open By Christmas) directed while Anna White (Sister of the Bride, Check Inn to Christmas) provided the script. It was filmed in Burnaby and Vancouver, Canada.
In a nutshell
I was so disappointed in this one. I liked the idea of a butler romance, and it looked promising in the previews. Alas, I disliked more things than I liked.
The Plot of “Butlers in Love”
In a prestigious butler academy, passionate Emma and rebellious Henry train to become royal butlers where the competition is fierce and sparks fly.
Actors & Chemistry
I’m sure both these actors are just fine at their craft. However, when the two lead characters are made more than a little unlikeable in the first half of the movie, it’s tough to root for them in the second half. And I think the fault lies a little with the actors, a little with the director, and a little with the script. Neither of those three things helped the others when it came to creating a likeable movie.
As a result, I sadly felt no real chemistry between the two leads, mainly because it wasn’t until an hour in that they formed an uneasy truce to work together. That’s a little too late for me to have buy in that these two will become romantic.
Tropes
This movie has almost no tropes. Other than the two lead characters not liking each other at first, I didn’t spot any until the almost kiss over halfway through.
Did I Hear/See That Right?
My main quibble with this movie is that the first scene establishes that she wants to be a butler. And then the 2nd scene establishes that even as she does her waitress job she is always practicing. But what is she actually practicing? Once she arrives at butler school, she’s terrible at almost everything from day one. Any waitress worth her salt can carry multiple dishes at one time without a tray. I should think that she would be practicing the other stuff, like how to set various formal tables, the art of pouring wine, etc. But ironing? I iron sometimes – does that mean I can butle? I’ve been known to make a great grilled cheese sandwich – am I butler now? Those are daily activities in life that anyone can do – and yes she even fails THOSE. She should have been kicked out long before poor Jared got kicked out.
Feelgoods
The scene where they watched the fake “Downton Abbey” was awesome and made me laugh. It’s really the only scene in the movie that I liked. And in the same scene, Henry finally got to see why Emma has this obsession with being a butler, and he was quick to tell her that real life is not like the movies.
Re-watchability of “Butlers in Love”
Not a chance. If it had more actual butling in it, and two characters I liked, then maybe. But this movie? I won’t be rewatching it.
The Ranking
“Butlers in Love” is not the worst of the year but is definitely not worth watching if you haven’t seen it yet.
- Just One Kiss (air date: Apr 2) – 660 pts – weighted score: 111.2 (78.0%)
- Love, Classified (air date: Apr 16) – 624 pts – weighted score: 106.1 (74.4%)
- A Royal Runaway Romance (air date: Apr 9) – 617 pts – weighted score: 105.9% (74.3%)
- The Perfect Pairing (air date: Jan 15) – 563 pts – weighted score: 92.7 (65.0%)
- Butlers in Love (air date: Jan 29) – 527 pts – weighted score: 91.3 (64.0%)
- Don’t Forget I Love You (air date: Jan 22) – 508 pts – weighted score: 85.8 (60.2%)
- The Wedding Veil (air date: Jan 8) – 508 pts – weighted score: 83.3 (58.4%)
- Where the Heart Belongs (air date: Jan 1) – 435 pts – weighted score: 74.5 (52.3%)
To see where this movie lands in my overall rankings of Hallmark movies, visit my Hallmark Movie Rankings page!
What did you think of “Butlers in Love”? Comment below and let me know!
