Hallmark Channel’s To Barcelona, With Love is a movie for people who love romantic comedies—because it’s clearly made by people who love romantic comedies. From the casting to the story beats, the film delivers what viewers want, and just as importantly doesn’t pander down to romance movie tropes.

The film stars Hallmark veterans Alison Sweeney (who led the Chronicle Mysteries and Hannah Swensen Mysteries series) and Ashley Williams (the Christmas in Evergreen movies). Williams and Sweeney are also credited as executive producers on the movie, and their presence is felt both on and off-screen. The fact that they’ve played other well-known roles for Hallmark works in their favor, because the audience immediately roots for their characters, aloof author Anna Kelly and lovelorn literary translator Erica.

But it also enhances the quality of the film overall since they know the tone and pacing of Hallmark movies so well. They don’t overact the “only in the movies” cute moments that any great romantic comedy relies on, and they both have the charming energy that propels the film forward. The best romantic comedies allow the viewer to see themselves in the protagonist, and that’s very easy to do in To Barcelona, With Love because both Sweeney and Williams are so charismatic.

One of the film’s rare speed bumps is that Anna is occasionally frustrating early on, because she has moments of being self-centered. Yet this is an example of what writer Julie Sherman Wolf—working from an idea by Williams—does that separates To Barcelona, With Love from even other Hallmark movies. Audiences will not be shocked by how the romance develops and how it unfolds. But that almost ends up being secondary, because both Anna and Erica have their own individual character arcs, in which each of them grow separate from the love story.

That makes a quietly meaningful statement. Love stories are something Hallmark has perfected, yet that’s not all there is to offer in this movie. Neither Erica nor Anna are solely defined by their feelings for bookstore owner Nico (played by Alejandro Tous). They feel like three-dimensional characters. It’s wonderful to see a happy ending—especially in the current world climate, happy endings are that much more heartwarming—but this one is significantly more well-developed.

From a production standpoint, To Barcelona, With Love also makes proper use of the film’s international backdrop. Hallmark has been able to create some underrated destination romances (see: A Pinch of Portugal in 2023), but those only work if the audience gets a sense of whatever culture, and it’s not just a couple of basic references or establishing shots. A key part of the plot in To Barcelona, With Love revolves around the Spanish holiday of Saint George’s Day. Viewers will leave the movie a little bit more knowledgeable about Spain. At the same time, director Ron Oliver makes sure to capture shots that look pretty, but not so photogenic that it feels cheesy. Everyone on the creative team is clearly on the same page about wanting to make a good movie that is also true to the country it’s set in.

At one point, Anna makes a comment about how “everything feels like we’re in a movie,” and on another project that would be cause for the fans to roll their eyes, because it would seem painfully on the nose. It’s to the credit of To Barcelona, With Love that the line just elicits a gentle chuckle. The audience gets that it’s part of Anna’s wide-eyed naivete—and at that point, they’re as drawn into exploring Spain as she is. She might indeed be getting the idealized version, yet that’s what romantic comedies are for. They’re meant to be feel-good stories, and this one delivers that in style. But underneath all that style is substance that most movies in this genre don’t have.

And with a follow-up movie just around the corner, it’s clear that with this project, Hallmark is going the extra mile to tell this specific story. It doesn’t need to be a new series; it’s just being given the room to take a deeper dive into these characters and trusting the talents of its actors. Perhaps the company should look into pairing up some of its superstars more often, because this collaboration is a winner.

To Barcelona, With Love premieres June 7 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel and will stream starting June 8 on Hallmark+. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Hallmark Media.

Article content is (c)2020-2025 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.