Review: "Fall Into Winter" from Great American Family PLUS Fans React to Lori Loughlin's Return

Let's get the elephant out of the room.

Great American Family viewers are divided when it comes to their willingness to watch a movie starring Lori Loughlin after her college admissions scandal.

Stay tuned until the end of this post to hear what people are saying.  I will weigh in, and you'll have a chance to share YOUR position by voting in an opinion poll.

Let's first talk about Fall Into Winter--another original premiere that closed out 2023's Great American Winter.

What Is Fall Into Winter About?

Kerry doesn't like change.  When her brother sells his share of the family's candy store business to her former nemesis, Brooks, she doesn't react well to all the changes Brooks proposes to boost their business.  The biggest development of all--she doesn't expect to fall in love.

Starring:  Lori Loughlin and James Tupper

My Movie Grade:  B+

Image:  Great American Media

Where Was Fall Into Winter Filmed?

According to IMDb, Fall Into Winter was filmed in North Bay, Ontario, Canada, but the story setting is Bedford, Ohio--my home state!  

Rom-coms have massive appeal to America's heartland--the portion of the country that is characterized by traditional values centering on faith, family, and country.  Since those principles govern Great American Family's programming, it makes good business sense to choose a state from the Midwest for the backdrop.

Often, the small, hometown featured in rom-coms is Anywhere, USA--some fictional town that doesn't exist but represents anyone who loves the idea of enjoying a quiet and quaint life far from the concrete jungle.

Kerry's candy store is located in Bedford, Ohio--a place you can actually find on a map.  It's a southeast suburb of Cleveland, but the scriptwriters got one thing wrong.  When Jake, Kerry's brother, drops the bomb that he's moving to London, she mistakenly thinks he means London, Ohio--not London, England.  Kerry comments that London is only a 30-minute drive.  The travel time between the two cities is actually 2 1/2 to 3 hours, but only Ohio natives would probably notice this small faux pas.  At least when Brooks mentions it will take him three hours to travel to Cincinnati to sign a job contract, it's a little closer to the mark.

It's fun to watch a movie and take pride in knowing the setting is your town or your state.  It would be smart for GAF to continue selecting settings that represent their largest viewing demographics since it sends the message--We see you! --to flyover country.

Image:  Great American Media

Reviewing Fall Into Winter--Is It Worth Watching?

Lori Loughlin is a big name anchor for Great American Winter.  This means fans love new movies, but they prefer to see familiar, beloved faces in each season's line-up to keep them hooked on the network.  During Great American Christmas, for example, fans were introduced to fresh talent, but they were also treated to favorite household names, like Jen Lilley, Danica McKellar, Merritt Patterson, Jill Wagner, Daniel Lissing, and others. Still, Candace Cameron Bure was clearly the solid anchor for the season.

Loughlin's performance is outstanding in Fall Into Winter.  She is so natural and authentic in the role, and her facial expressions and body language adapt perfectly to the mood of each scene.  Rom-coms typically feature younger couples, but Loughlin has aged so gracefully that viewers don't mind watching a 58-year-old falling in love.

Tupper also is a well-established actor--you may remember him from Hallmark's My Christmas Family Tree--but he's a little too monotone to command attention as a leading man, especially since he's not exactly a Casanova.

The two actors create great on-screen tension as they spar over business decisions and confront past hurts, but they simply do not generate adequate chemistry.

Alexandra is Kerry's co-worker who also finds love with the best chef in town, but her acting is embarrassingly subpar.

Image:  Great American Media

Fall Into Winter is well-written.  Kerry is divorced with a daughter in college, and Brooks has never been married.  Both struggle to move forward as they deal with old wounds.  

Brooks was an army brat who had to come on strong to people to survive when he started at a new school, which skewed Kerry's perception of him.  Kerry never forgot how much he tormented her.  He nicknamed her "Bean" after she tried to create a jalapeno hot sauce flavored jellybean, which lead to other kids calling her several unpleasant variations of the moniker. Worst of all, Kerry thought Brooks invited her to the high school Winter Snowball Dance but ended up taking the cheerleading captain.

Kerry is nostalgic, operates her business with heart, and resists change.  Brooks only sees the bottom line because his business mind focuses on the transactional rather than the relational aspect of Murphy's Candy.

Eventually, both of them learn from each other and meet in the middle.

Image:  Great American Media

The movie includes a pretty candy shop, whites and blues for Winter, and delectable treats that will make you crave chocolate.  One nice touch is when Kerry pages through her high school yearbook and finds pictures of herself, Jake, and Brooks--viewers get a real glimpse of the actors' younger selves.  The staging, background music, and production, however, look a scoche chintzy.

Fall Into Winter progresses a little slowly and falls just short of its hyped expectations, but it is still very enjoyable to watch and definitely worth your time. 

Fans React to Lori Loughlin's Return to TV in Fall Into Winter

Fans have taken to social media to share strong reactions to Lori Loughlin's return to TV following the college admission scandal where she and her husband paid $500,00 in bribes to secure spots for their daughters as fake athletic recruits at the University of Southern California.

After pleading guilty, Loughlin was sentenced to two months in jail, a $150,000 fine, two years of supervised release, and 100 hours of community service.

There are two courts of public opinion on Loughlin joining Great American Family to star in leading roles for the network:

Court One:

  Yay!  I love Lori!  She's a great actress.  I can't wait to have her back!

Court Two:  

Burn her at the stake!  

Here's a sampling of social media posts that represent both viewpoints:

What a pleasure it is to see Lori making movies again.

Love Lori Loughlin, good to see her back!

So glad to see Lori using her talent again.  Thank you for giving her a new home!

Lori has paid her dues to society.  She should be welcomed back.  It's called forgiveness.

VERSUS

Can't watch her movies anymore.  She has to learn her children are no better than ours.  Her money did not talk this time.  She got caught.

Why Lori Loughlin?  We keep putting crooks on a pedestal!

Can't bring myself to watch Lori Loughlin.  What an entitled woman she thinks she is.  Not judging, just reality.

I don't think Lori should be in any more movies.  Especially on Great American Family.

What does Great American Family President and CEO, Bill Abbott, say about Loughlin?

In an interview with Variety back in September, Abbot shared, "She's America's sweetheart, regardless of whatever happened."

Abbott continued, "At the end of the day, she represents all that is positive about entertainment."

Despite being embroiled in controversy, Abbott defends Loughlin by saying she's a person "who has a track record of doing the right thing in the world at large, aside from whatever happened. She's beloved and for good reason.  We're very proud of our association with her and want to make her part of the fabric."

Image:  Great American Media

Should Great American Family Fans Welcome or Shun Lori Loughlin?

Lori Loughlin has been publicly disgraced, and her career has suffered a huge hit.  Her reputation will be forever tarnished.

Amidst the scandal, Hallmark dropped her from When Calls the Heart, and her Garage Sale Mysteries series was cancelled (though they are airing them again).  She was also written out of Netflix's Fuller House.

What skeletons are in your closet?  We all have them.  Would you like the whole world to know about your past mistakes, judge you for them, and then scorn you for the rest of your life? What would it feel like if all your friends abandoned you because of one serious lapse of good judgement? 

Disgruntled viewers not happy about Loughlin's relationship with Great American Family say she's elitist and only sorry because she got caught.  Maybe they are right, but are we supposed to force Loughlin to embroider a large scarlet "C" on her clothes to make sure all of society knows she cheated?  Where's the chance for redemption?

WWJD?

The answer is in John 8:1, and it's a story you know well--the woman caught in the act of adultery.  The religious hypocrites wanted to stone her, so Jesus asked whoever was without sin to cast the first one.  Only one person remained who was without sin, and He didn't condemn her.  However, that's not the end of the story.  People often neglect to mention Jesus's parting words to the woman:  Go and sin no more.  We don't know if the woman followed His command, but we do know she was given a second chance.

Still grappling with whether or not to accept or reject Loughlin?

Consider your own children.  At some point, kids always break the rules and suffer consequences for their actions, but you don't write them off or hold it against them forever, do you?  You hope the situation teaches them a valuable lesson so they won't repeat the same mistake, but you still love them, show them mercy, and go to great lengths to make sure your relationship with them is restored.

How do we know if Loughlin is genuinely sorry for what she did?

We don't know, but we don't have to know.  It's God's job to discern her heart and deal with her accordingly.

It's very likely that you shop at stores or eat at restaurants that donate money to causes that would horrify you.  You probably follow sports icons or listen to famous singers who behave in ways in private that would completely reshape how you view them. 

In some circumstances, we do need to use discretion when it comes to withdrawing our support behind someone who is perpetually reprehensible, but Loughlin doesn't appear to be one of those people.

It wasn't lost on fans the references Fall Into Winter made to Loughlin's situation.

When Kerry expresses her doubts about Brooks, Alexandra tells her, "Everyone deserves a second chance."

Brooks apologizes for his past mistakes with Kerry, and the two repeatedly refer to their "fresh start."

I'm thankful for second chances and fresh starts after making mistakes.  Aren't you?

Unless you know Loughlin personally to know whether or not she's sincere, the right thing to do is err on the side of mercy.

What Do You Think?

You can share your thoughts by voting in the opinion poll below.  Be sure to check back to discover what stance the majority of participants take.

online polls

Before You Go...

People are still just finding out about Great American Family, and they often have a lot of questions.

Click on the picture below to visit a post about GAF FAQS to learn more!