Two for the Win (TV Movie 2021) Poster

(2021 TV Movie)

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7/10
Not a complete winner, but not a loser
TheLittleSongbird3 February 2022
The idea for the story sounded quite charming, despite the very familiar setting and that it's quite formulaic. Have had mixed views on Trevor Donovan in the past and it is dependent on how his roles are written and whether he fits the type of character he's meant to be playing (there have been times where he hasn't, such as 'Snowcoming'). The title though is very inspiring and is not too corny, corny titles at times with Hallmark can be a turn off.

2021 has been pretty mixed for Hallmark thus far. 'Two for the Win' is neither one of the best or worst films, and do think the previous two New Year New Movies films 'Take a Shot at Love' and especially 'A New Year's Resolution' were superior. It is though quite good, if not my definition of great, and fits in the high middle category as far as the 2021 Hallmark films go. People may scoff at me for giving high rating to a fair share of Hallmark films, but if given a chance a good deal of them are a lot better than they sound.

Is 'Two for the Win' perfect? No, none of the 2021 Hallmark films have been and that is including the best ones. It is a bit of a slow starter and ends on the too tidy side.

Charlotte Sullivan did seem a bit ill at ease at first when her character was not easy to warm to. While the chemistry was believable in my view, the relationship could have had more growth.

A lot is good however. It's nicely made, with the scenery even being stunning. Hardly a surprise as the scenery has more often than not been one of the best things about Hallmark's films. The music fits well and doesn't come over as too constant or melodramatic. The script doesn't descend into too much cheese, sugar and awkwardness. When it's light-hearted it's not too corny, when there is any conflict it's not forced and when it is more dramatic it has emotion but not of the overly sentimental kind.

Furthermore, the story is charming and heart-warming on the most part despite being formulaic. Did appreciate that the final third is not as contrived as it can be with Hallmark. The skiing is lovely to watch, though would have liked to have seen more of it. Once her character became easier to warm to and started to grow, the more relaxed Sullivan became and her chemistry with Donovan is sweet. Personally thought that Donovan was very well cast this time and has a nice subtle charisma without being lightweight. The supporting cast are solid.

Overall, not great but pretty good. 7/10.
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6/10
Okay
MIssM1920 January 2021
Justin is going home for a championship, it's his "comeback" after an injury which kept him out of the slopes for a year. Kayla, his childhood best friend, is there. She finds herself agreeing to be his coach for this race.

I don't know. It was hard at first to get into it, which maybe had to do with Charlotte Sullivan, I kept thinking where I knew her from and then her face: is it make up? is it her face? If so, she could use a little bit of tan. It was so distracting. I haven't seen Trevor Donovan in much movies but I apparently like him. I enjoyed his performance and apparently he can skii? Anyway, these two had a good dynamic, they told us they were childhood friends and I believe it.

I was pleasantly surprised at minute 43. I did not see that coming so soon. We always expect the big revelation in the final minutes, not half an hour before the ending, I was caught off guard, so points for that.

Fun fact: Around minute 53 we can see a man with a mask standing in the middle of the snow. If you ask me, he was part of the crew. I jut found it funny.

To sum up: we have friends-to-lovers combined with sports. It's a good combination, it worked. It didn't make me smile like other movies had, and I kept being distracted but it's not a bad movie. I'm also satisfied with the ending. I thought they might go in the same direction as always (you know which one) but they managed to avoid it. So, good.
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7/10
Typical story
Jackbv12317 January 2021
Hometown superstar needs a comeback. He teams up with his ex. If you've watched many of these, you can write the story. I will say that when we first see Nancy I wondered where she would come in and I guessed wrong. That was about the biggest twist. Otherwise, there weren't any great highs or lows. The tension was all about people's futures so nothing earthshaking.

Trevor Donovan seems to be doing the celebrity-type character for Hallmark and doing it pretty well. We don't see Charlotte Sullivan often in this type movie and she does OK as well. These two connect pretty well. Supporting actors do their jobs without distracting.

I liked this movie only because of the leads and they got enough screen time. With less familiar leads this is 5 or 6 stars.
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7/10
Where was the make-up Artist?
charlotte-1122327 January 2021
It was a nice winter movie, but girl, what was that a bad make up of Charlotte Sullivan. Even her hair, it had even orange bits and pieces in it. I think Hallmark you can do better than that.
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7/10
Trevor Donovan did a lot of the skiing scenes in the movie
smithduke17 March 2022
The movie was nice enough to watch but I felt it was a little slow. I enjoyed the ending but early on, I was bored. The two main characters didn't seem to have a lot of chemistry and I could have gone for a little more romance. Trevor Donavan actually grew up skiing and snowboarding and was a member of the U. S. teen ski team. I know he did a lot of skiing in this movie from reading articles on it. Kudos to him! Shame on those who automatically he was using a stunt double. He was fun to watch.
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9/10
Really good!
joey425918 January 2021
It was a movie that was very well done. I loved the story and the editing and the music. The characters and their relationships were quite deep, and as a guy, I loved that the storytelling of this leaned more on the guy's side. The roles were a bit reversed from the typical Hallmark formula and I loved it.
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4/10
Worst costume design.
valerieapowell-9570120 February 2021
Clearly the costume designer has no clue what real skiers or anyone on or near a ski resort wears. I could barely stand to watch this film with characters who are supposed to be world class skiers wearing cheap outdoor (not ski) clothing with cheesy, low quality details. People in the lodge are all wearing cheap acrylic sweaters and Walmart necktubes. Then there is the disconnect between the ski scenes filmed on the little hill in Ottawa, cut to the character looking off in the distance and suddenly it's freaking Switzerland. Major Helly Hansen product placement. Hilarious.
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8/10
Nicely done.
rebekahrox18 January 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Excellent acting, good script and perfect casting. I loved the girl. She had the beauty queen look, which I usually don't like, but her personality and acting rose above it. Trevor Donovan is not usually a fave but as a jock he is perfectly cast. Hallmark went out of their box with the big smooch a little over half way through instead of the last minute. They declared their love for each other with 45 minutes to go. There was no misunderstanding to be cleared up in the 4th act. The girl was up front about pursuing her dream and leaving him and he was supportive. It all worked out, of course with her doing that and a happy love-ending. Well done Hallmark. Please keep listening to your loyal viewers by continuing to break out of the tired formula. Also great ski scenes and scenery.
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4/10
I agree with "I expected something better"
kac-3253624 January 2021
Trevor Donovan's character seemed to be made the weak one. The chemistry with Kayla was lacking and stressed. Same with her unattractive sister and the unconfident "doctor". I am a skier and was really looking forward to a competitive, romantic banter with this Hallmark movie. Beautiful scenery though!!!
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8/10
Very Enjoyable
atlasmb19 January 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Film viewers who are perturbed by scenes of actors unskillfully pretending to play musical instruments or undertaking athletic activities should feel differently about this film. Justin, the main character, is a world-class skier portrayed by Trevor Donovan who is, in fact, an accomplished skier.

Justin is recovering from a serious injury and planning a comeback. He returns to his hometown, where he picks up a new coach and trains for the Winter Classic competition. His parents are thrilled, but it is not clear how Kayla---the young woman he left behind so many years ago to train internationally--feels about it.

Kayla is played by Charlotte Sullivan, thankfully. She is able to match Trevor Donovan's charisma and more. The two of them headline a very likable cast that makes this Hallmark romance more notable than most.
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4/10
I expected something better
evagreen-10618 January 2021
I love Trevor Donovan, I watched quite a few of his movies, even his parts as Teddy Montgomery. I have to say he had the least amount of chemistry with Charlotte Sullivan. To be honest I don't know how good actor he is in reality as his characters don't really have a lot of depth, it's enough that he looks dashing, but Charlotte is just so wooden in this one This movie felt like they were not really there, just kinda "let's do another Hallmark movie". Their "romance" was not believable, no sparks, nothing. I frequently found myself checking my phone as it was boring. I'm sorry Trevor but I want to see you playing something else now. 4 stars for the scenery.
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8/10
Skying with Trevor!
ssimeonidou118 January 2021
A very nice winter movie to watch! If you love skying, snow and Trevor Donovan then you will surely love it. The story was nice, the acting was good, the scenery amazing, the editing and the music very good. I found Trevor Donovan was charming, so good for the eyes..... and his acting was sweet, realistic enough without any exaggerations and he stayed related to the character of Justin. I found their chemistry a bit weak.... i mean Trevor with Sharlotte Sullivan as Kayla, but the thing is that this woman has something so cold in her acting, blunt i would say that makes difficult to see her emotions (although i loved her in Rookie Blue) even with Trevor's efforts! Worth watching!
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5/10
Cross-country ski scene laughable!
rgiles-1692720 February 2021
Obvious stunt double for downhill skiing. Should have done the same for cross-country or at least get someone to show them how it's done.
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10/10
Kayla Green (Charlotte Sullivan)
aab87412 February 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Favorite scene with

Kayla Green (Charlotte Sullivan) - Carnival Game (Fish), Beer Vs. Club Soda, Line Dancing, Slow Dancing and a kiss.
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1/10
I am ashamed
alyssakemery-1918719 July 2021
This movie was awful. As a REAL fis alpine ski racer I can attest to the fact that this guy probably didn't race past U12. Couldn't they at the very least get a believable stunt double?? This is an insult to every ski racer ever and an insult to the sport itself. Ski racing is so much more than this and I am so disappointed that this movie is being shown to the public.
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9/10
A Very Pleasant Outdoor Love Story
mfreburg-946-13754112 March 2024
Yet again we are subjected to reviews by people who claim to be experts in various vocations or avocations shown in a movie, then go on and on telling us how badly the movie failed when it comes to realism and accuracy based on their personal experience. In other words, completely irrelevant information for a movie review. Once again, these reviewers forget entirely that this is a romance movie and that precise accuracy of the film based on the reviewer's vocation or avocation is of minor importance overall. The ROMANCE is, ultimately, the reason we watch these sorts of movies.

That said, when we park our disbelief at the door and simply enjoy the movie for what it is, we will find that the actors here did a fairly good job. Trevor Donovan has over the years improved as an actor, and Charlotte Sullivan, whom I've now seen in two VERY different types of romance films, was truly excellent, especially given that she seemed to have a somewhat limited number of lines for a leading lady. Nonetheless, I found her very worth watching, and I completely bought into her emotions.

While you'll find the story was not especially unique, it was handled somewhat differently than similar type stories have been handled. Some role reversal, etc. And this story was set at a ski resort, so the scenery made this film a bit different from the usual "home town" story. All in all I did enjoy this film, and if you enjoy romance movies, and don't watch them just to pick them apart, I suspect you may enjoy it as well.
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nice
Kirpianuscus19 March 2022
Simple story, high predictability, not surprising acting and Trevor Donovan in a role who risks defining him in Hallmark universe . Ski, competition, mediatic star and his fragility, past love and not ordinary trainings, the friend and the parents and, not surprising, after serious obstacles, the victory.
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