Megan and Wendy are setting sail on a review of Love on the Danube: Love Song, now streaming exclusively on Hallmark+. They weren’t exactly charting a course for this movie or the rest of the collection, but hold onto your life vests—things have taken a turn! Find out how this flick won them over and why they’re singing a different tune. Hop aboard and join the fun as they share their favorite moments and why this river romance might just make waves in your heart!

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About Love on the Danube: Love Song – (Hallmark+, 2024)

See even more here about the Love on the Danube collection of movies!

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• Terry Ingram is the director of Love on the Danube: Love Song. He has an impressive 94 directing credits to his name and is well-known for Hallmark hits like Winter in Vail, The Wedding Cottage, four of the six The Wedding Veil movies, and the fan-favorite Three Wise Men and a Baby. Ingram is also set to direct the highly anticipated sequel, Three Wiser Men and a Boy.
  
• The story is by Agnes Bristow, and she teamed up with Andrea Canning to write the teleplay.
  
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  • Agnes Bristow is both a writer and busy producer. This is her sixth writing credit and has three movie movies in the works, including the next two Love on the Danube movies as well as upcoming The Christmas Chocolatier starring daughter Brittany Bristow and rumored co-star Will Kemp.
    
  • Andrea Canning’s resume has a healthy mix of romance and drama. For Hallmark, she wrote A Merry Scottish Christmas, A Paris Proposal, and South Beach Love. This film marks her 24th writing credit, her 25th and 26th will be the next installments in the Danube series.
    
  
  
  
• Nazneen Contractor plays Sarah. She has an impressive 59 acting credits, including roles in Children Ruin Everything, Charmed, and Freak Angels. For Hallmark, she co-starred with Brennan Elliott in The Perfect Pairing in 2022, and she is set to appear in the upcoming Holidazed. According to IMDb, Nazneen will also appear in four new The Love Club movies set to premiere in 2025.
  
• Wes Brown plays Jack and though he’s a familiar face on Hallmark – we’d love to see him in even more movies! In 2023, he was seen in a cameo role in A Biltmore Christmas as well as reprised his role as Jared in Haul Out the Holly: Lit Up. This fall, Wes will team up with Erin Cahill in Autumn at Apple Hill premiering on October 5th.
  
• Pamela Sinha plays mom Julia. This is Pamela’s first project for Hallmark though is known for television appearances on ER, The Newsroom, Y:The Last Man, as well as starred in a 2020 movie titled Happy Place which was an adaptation of a theatrical play she wrote.
  
• David Samartin plays dad Andre. Love on the Danube: Love Song marks his 10th acting credit and first Hallmark project. He has also appeared in nearly 30 commercials, from brands like BMW, Jersey Mikes, and Home Depot, just to name a few. David is also an accomplished jazz saxophone player.
  
• Catherine Discher plays fellow cruiser Betty. Catherine is an award winning actor and voice actor with 137 acting credits. Good Witch fans may recognize her as she appeared in 76 episodes, as well as movies like The Good Witch’s Mother and The Good Witch’s Destiny. She will reprise the role of Betty in the next two Danube movies and is tapped to play Maya in The Christmas Chocolatier this holiday season.
  
• Kathryn Drysdale plays Teddy. She is probably best known for her role as Genevieve Delacroix on the Netflix series Bridgerton. She also played Meghan Markle in 11 episodes of the series The Windsors. We will see Kathryn reprise her role as Teddy the Cruise Director in the next two Danube movies.
  
• Mark Holden plays the Captain. He has 104 acting credits including movies like Final Destination and World War Z. He will also return in the next two Danube movies.
  
• Love on the Danube: Love Song was filmed primarily in Budapest, Hungary back in November 2023. According to TheCinemaholic.com, for the first time in history, film crews were allowed to shoot inside the historic 14th century St. Matthias Church. They also shot during night hours at the Gellert Baths in Budapest. 
  
• Fun fact: Hallmark Jenny, also known as Hallmark’s Chief Fan Officer, had a cameo in the Vienna National Library reading room scene of this movie! She and her mom were guests of Hallmark and got to play an extra in all three movies.
  

Watch the Trailer for Love on the Danube: Love Song

Our Thoughts on Love on the Danube: Love Song

Welcome to our in-depth review of “Love on the Danube, Love Song,” as discussed in our latest podcast episode. If you haven’t already, we invite you to become a listener of Girls Gone Hallmark, where we dive deep into all things Hallmark! Here’s a roundup of everything we discussed in our latest episode:

What We Liked

Megan’s Take:

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• Strong Chemistry: Megan and Wendy both enjoyed the chemistry between Wes Brown and Nazneen Contractor, applauding their engaging on-screen presence. Wes Brown especially charmed Megan with his mannerisms, like the dust-brushing scene.
  
• European Setting: Filming on location in Budapest, Hungary, added a beautiful backdrop that enriched the movie. Megan noted that the film allowed us to see more of Hungary, a refreshing non-Royal European destination for Hallmark films.
  
• Good Ensemble Cast: Megan appreciated the character Betty, played by Katherine Disher, who brought wisdom and a personal touch to the film’s cruise environment.
  

Wendy’s Take:

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• Reverse Parent Trap: Wendy loved the clever take on the classic Parent Trap storyline, where instead of parents setting up their kids, the youngsters play matchmaker for their widowed parents.
  
• Heartfelt Mother’s Love: Wendy was touched by the emotional scene where Julia reassures Sarah that she never felt short-changed by choosing motherhood over her career.
  
• Musical Moments: Wendy adored the duet scene between Julia and Betty, praising their vocal talents and the mother-daughter piano duet.
  

What We Wished For

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• More Confidence for Julia: Megan and Wendy would have loved to see Julia exude more confidence, especially in the shopping scene where she questioned if an outfit was age-appropriate.
  
• Stronger On-Boat Presence: Wendy mentioned wanting more scenes set on the boat itself. She missed the usual cruise activities like trivia, bingo, and lounging, which could have added to the ambiance.
  
• Work-Life Balance Storyline: Megan found the “workaholic guilt” trope a bit frustrating and wished for a more nuanced take on Sarah’s balance between work and leisure.
  

Did You See That?

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• Realistic Room Sizes: Both Megan and Wendy found the spacious rooms on the boat a bit too luxurious for realism, clearly exceeding typical cruise accommodations.
  
• Emerald Cruises Kudos: Shout out to Emerald Cruises for being featured, diversifying the known lineup of cruise lines in Hallmark movies.
  
• Nods to Pop Culture: Megan caught the clever integration of the “Roman Empire” meme, showcasing contemporary pop culture in the script.
  
• Green Screen Goofs: Megan found humor in the green screen scene where no lighting change occurs as they pass under a bridge—an amusing faux pas in film production.
  
• Strudel Reference: Megan couldn’t help reminiscing about the nostalgic apple strudel references, linking it to their memorable “Winter in Veil” review.
  

Our Rating

We both agreed on a solid rating of 3.5 stars for “Love on the Danube, Love Song.” This movie offers a wonderful blend of romance, beautiful scenery, and a refreshing take on family dynamics.

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