Hats Off to Love is a new Hallmark Channel movie that looks to spice up your Kentucky Derby with a horse and hat-fueled romance. Ginna Claire Mason plays a struggling milliner named Stella who hopes that taking first place at the Louisville Derby’s competition for the best headwear will help to make her hat design business a success. When she meets a fashion-forward socialite (Holly Robinson Peete) Stella just might find her heart racing towards a budding Derby Day love story with the wealthy woman’s handsome son (John Clarence Stewart). Is this a winning combination or a story heading for heartbreak? Keep reading to find out!
The Gist: Stella Stone (Ginna Claire Mason) breaks into a room at the Bellview Inn with the help of her best friend and roommate, the hotel’s assistant manager Annie (Holly Ward), posing as room service so she can leave a fancy hat there for the guest, socialite Rosalind Fairchild (Holly Robinson Peete) to see. Stella designs hats and fascinators for a living, and she hopes that when Rosalind spots her creation, she’ll want Stella to make her hats for the Louisville Derby. But Stella’s plan is seemingly thwarted by Rosalind’s son, horse trainer Christian (John Clarence Stewart), who catches her in the act. When she explains herself to him, he lets her get away with it, and Rosalind ends up loving the hat. She then gets her stylist, Odette (Darla Delgado) of The House of Odette Fashions, to collaborate with Stella to design all of Rosalind’s Derby hats.
Odette is extremely reluctant to work with Stella and tells her that she’s an upstart who will likely to last two days at most, completely shaking Stella’s confidence. Stella just moved to Louisville a year ago and is struggling to get her hat business off the ground. More than anything, she wants to win the Bradbury Prize for best Derby hat so she can finally make a name for herself. But even after Annie built Stella’s confidence back up with a pep talk and saucy suggestion to “get a feel for” Christian, Stella’s next hat is poorly received by Rosalind, Odette, and Rosalind’s assistant, Hannah (Rena Strober), which Odette uses as an excuses to fire the young designer.
Luckily, before this can come to fruition, Stella suggests a theme change to accommodate Rosalind’s last-minute need for a change after learning that her bird motif is being copied by longtime rival Mimi Sterling. Stella pitches using Rosalind’s illustrious family history to inspire the looks, which gets an immediate green light, much to Odette and Hannah’s chagrin. Even so, Stella knows that she’s out of her depth and needs all the help she can get, so she strikes a deal with Christian: he’ll help give her the inside scoop on Kentucky high society so she can create the perfect hats for Rosalind, and she will use her experience from growing up on a farm to help prepare Christian’s skittish filly Wildflower “Willow” Wish to race in the Louisville Derby.
But with Odette and Hannah’s various attempts to get Stella fired, as well as intervention from Christian’s childhood friend-turned-racing rival Davidson (Alex Trumble), will Stella and Christian be able to achieve their goals? And is there room for them to find some romance with each other along the way?
What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Hats Off to Love might remind you of other horse-related Hallmark romances like Love In Paradise and Taking the Reins.
Performance Worth Watching: Holly Robinson Peete is quite natural, believable, and likable as Rosalind Fairchild. She plays the role with a depth and charm that goes beyond the script and feels very honest and lived-in, culminating in a consistent and solid performance that sticks out every time she’s onscreen.
Memorable Dialogue: “Sometimes I think women are more interested in hats than horses at the Derby.” Christian, so insightful. No one understands the inner workings of the female mind quite like this guy.
Honorable mention for Annie’s, “Coming from Connecticut, I’m still a foreigner.” That got a chuckle out of me.
Sex and Skin: No sex, no skin. Just lots and lots of hats.
Our Take: Hats Off to Love is off to the races from the start, throwing you right into the action without some of the unnecessary extra set-up you sometimes see in a Hallmark movie. As you get into it, there are definitely slight moments of cringe or cheesy lines, but even these parts feel mostly self-aware and entertaining enough that I ended up feeling more charmed than put off. There were multiple parts where I couldn’t help but laugh, and I think Stella sets a pleasantly unserious tone up top by diving (truly some great physical comedy) to hide behind a hotel chair within the first five minutes of the movie.
I also like that Hats Off to Love actually takes the time to develop its supporting characters and make them more than just two-dimensional props for our main couple’s romance. Rosalind is so much more than just a wealthy socialite, managing to be both self-possessed and vulnerable in a way that makes her feel very human. Odette starts out as difficult and rude towards Stella, but turns out to be quite kind-hearted and funny under her no-nonsense exterior. Even Rosalind’s assistant Hannah gets her own arc. While the male characters might not be quite as developed as the women of this movie, Christian and Davidson still get some nice resolution, and Christian is likable enough that you do root for him and Stella to get together in the end. All in all, it’s winning work from all involved.
Our Call: Hats Off to Love delivers some classic Hallmark campiness that is uplifted by solid performances, a unique story idea, and some genuine heartfelt moments that culminate in a pleasant and easy overall viewing experience. STREAM IT.
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