Stream It or Skip It: ‘Notes of Autumn’ on Hallmark, Where Luke Macfarlane and Ashley Williams Separately Star in Their Own Gay and Straight Romances

Hallmark leaps into a metaphorical pile of freshly raked leaves with Notes of Autumn, quite possibly the quintessential fall romance of 2023. Hallmark MVPs Ashley Williams and Luke Macfarlane head up this double-header of a romance — but how much romance is too much? And is there such a thing as too many fall feels for one movie? We have some notes for Notes of Autumn…

NOTES OF AUTUMN: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Ashley Williams (Five More Minutes: Moments Like These) and Luke Macfarlane (Platonic, Bros) star as best friends Ellie and Leo. Ellie is a former concert pianist who’s begrudgingly working in hospitality and event planning. Leo is a successful romance novelist with writer’s block. After Ellie gets canned after being too easily distracted at work (usually by the sight of a piano), these two long-distance BFFs come up with a plan: Ellie will go to Leo’s house in the country to clear her head, and Leo will go to Ellie’s apartment in the city to find new inspiration for his novel.

Instead, Leo’s neighbor Sam (Ride’s Marcus Rosner) ropes Ellie into helping a string quartet get ready for a performance. And in the city, Ellie’s chef friend Matt (Dashing in December’s Peter Porte) drops by, catches Leo’s attention, and maybe inspires and encourages him to write something new. Both Ellie and Leo find themselves suddenly following their passions, ones they’ve long denied, and they might also have passion for something else…

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: This is The Holiday, point-blank period.

Performance Worth Watching: In a nice little nod to regular Hallmark viewers, When Calls the Heart’s Pascale Hutton and Kavan Smith pop up throughout Notes of Autumn playing Isabelle and Jack, the melodramatic 19th century lovers from Leo’s series of novels who are constantly chasing one another down stairs. It’s over-the-top and incredibly silly — and… I’d watch a 22-minute special of Isabelle and Jack trying to work their feelings out.

Memorable Dialogue: Totally flustered when Sam introduces her to the quartet as their new instructor, Ellie stammers, “I’m not in charge of music. I’m doing chairs.”

Our Take: Now this is a fall movie. We’re talking leaves, we’re talking warm tones, sweaters, blazers, puffy vests, and steaming cups of coffee. This isn’t just notes of autumn — it’s a whole symphony of autumn! Notes of Autumn uses the trimmings of the fall season to decorate every scene, kinda like how the holiday romances pack every set with evergreens and snow. It will make you feel like it’s fall even if the actual weather outside doesn’t.

The movie itself is also a delight — one that I could see working at any time of the year. The Holiday has such a fun premise — people switch houses and fall in love with a local — that it’s a wonder we don’t see riffs on it more. Notes of Autumn makes a nice little tweak to the premise by having the house swappers be old friends. That gives Macfarlane and Williams a little more to play when they are physically in a scene together, which isn’t often considering the premise of the movie.

It’s not like Luke Macfarlane and Ashley Williams need much help, though, because they are two of Hallmark’s brightest stars — and Notes of Autumn is a perfect example of that. Ashley Williams plays Ellie with such… I’m going to say deflated giddiness. Ellie comes across as an eternal optimist and a try-hard, but not even her brightest smile can hide the fact that she’s miserable as an event planner. She has a passion for music, one that Williams plays with a certainty that Ellie kinda lacks in other scenes. There are some layers to the performance, underneath the stammering, excitable, hot mess of a character that she is.

It’s also wonderful seeing Luke Macfarlane in this role, especially after the year he’s had. After starring in Bros with Billy Eichner and Apple TV+’s Platonic alongside Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen, I was low-key worried that Macfarlane’s Hallmark days were over. Those are big gigs! But Macfarlane has returned to his roots — and I can clearly see why. After years of playing straight male leads, Hallmark’s shift towards inclusivity over recent years means that Macfarlane can finally play the romantic lead in gay romances. It’s like he’s caught his second wind at Hallmark, and the chemistry that he has with Peter Porte is undeniable.

There’s also something to be said about the dual narrative structure of Notes of Autumn. It takes the plots of what could be two standalone Hallmark movies and it weaves them together, never clumsily or confusingly. While they do unfold separately, they feel connected by theme — finding and following your artistic passion — and, of course, season. They’re two halves that feel complete on their own and even better when put together — like… pumpkin spice lattes and a pile of leaves? Okay, I will leave the autumnal vibing to the professionals at Hallmark.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Ashley Williams and Luke Macfarlane are so much fun to watch in this seasonal treat.