Familiar themes of the work ethic, happiness and a trip with disasters are the major themes in this Hallmark production.
A victim of restructuring in the firm causes a dedicated professional to lose her job as the boss's son doesn't realize her importance to the firm. On her trip she keeps meeting a care-free guy who has dedicated himself to humanity. Of course, we meet the wise older woman and her hard-driven mother, the latter being like this because her husband walked out on her years before. We even see the ferocity of a hurricane hitting the land.
Of course, happiness over employment wins out in the end in this nicely done film.
Stranded in Paradise
2014
Action / Comedy / Romance
Stranded in Paradise
2014
Action / Comedy / Romance
Keywords: romance
Plot summary
In Len Connor taking over the helm of successful Denver-based online retailer Connor.com from his father, its HR director, fifteen year employee Tess Nelson, who was also Connor Sr.'s right-hand person, is tasked with letting affected staff know of their termination in Len's streamlining aka downsizing of the company. What Tess did not envision was that, instead of the promotion to VP she was expecting, she too is part of that downsizing in Len's decision to outsource the HR functions, she who is eligible to apply for that consulting position. What Tess decides to do is secretly attend an HR conference at a Puerto Rico resort to which she was scheduled to attend on Connor.com's dime before her dismissal, attending now in order to network to get a new job. Starting with the taxi ride to Denver Airport, nothing seems to go right on this trip for Tess. What may change for Tess is meeting two people in Puerto Rico, Carter McConnell, who travels the world volunteering on humanitarian projects, currently on the UN's clean water project, and ex-Hollywood actress and now Puerto Rico resident Stella Demur, in combination with Hurricane Alana seemingly on track to hit Puerto Rico's shores. In the process, Tess may evaluate her life and question if she is truly happy, a corporate job which was entrenched into her psyche by her mother, Mona Nelson, due to Tess' father abandoning the family when Tess was a toddler.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.WEB 1080p.WEBMovie Reviews
***1/2
An Okay Rom-Com Diminished by Its Made-for-Television Format
After having to fire an employee the head of Human Resources Department named "Tess Nelson" (Vanessa Marcil) walks into a meeting with her boss--and gets laid off as well. So she then takes a flight to Puerto Rico where she was previously scheduled to have a business meeting in the hope of marketing herself for a new position in another company. Unfortunately, on the flight there everything seems to go wrong and the business meeting turns out to be a disaster as well. So there she is, stranded in a tropical paradise with no idea of what to do with herself. It's then she gets to know a fellow traveler named "Carter McConnell" (James Denton) who manages to convince her to have some fun and enjoy life for a change-and then things get much worse. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was an okay rom-com which was diminished to a certain degree by its made-for-television format. That said, while Vanessa Marcil performed well enough for the most part I don't believe she was able to carry the film all by herself and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Slightly below average.
no drama romance
HR executive Tess Nelson (Vanessa Marcil) is blindsided when she gets downsized by the son of her former boss who has taken over. As her final act, she takes the company-paid trip to a business conference in Puerto Rico in order to drum up employment opportunities. She does meet fellow traveler Carter McConnell (James Denton). Both are missing their luggage and staying at the same hotel. The job search goes badly and a hurricane is bearing down on the island.
At least, this has some colors of Puerto Rico. I had feared that the movie would only take place in that dull hotel. It's always great to see waves lapping on a sunny beach. The couple is fine for this type of movies. The story isn't much. The romance is fine but there are no hurdles to overcome. There is no drama. It's a vacation from thinking.