Lost in Paradise (2026)
There's a moment in Lost in Paradise when actual pirates show up, and honestly, that tells you everything you need to know about this film. You're settled in, you've got your tea, you've accepted the cosy, predictable rhythm of a stranded-on-a-desert-island romance, and then the script just lobs in a crew of buccaneers like it's the most natural thing in the world. I laughed out loud. Not at the film, exactly, but with it, at the sheer brass neck of the whole endeavour.
Directed by Dustin Rikert, this 2026 television romance is about as Hallmark as Hallmark gets. A high-powered fashion company founder finds herself marooned on a supposedly deserted island alongside a handsome chef, and, well, you can write the rest yourself. Strangers to lovers, beautiful tropical scenery, a fluffy dog padding around the beach for good measure. It's pure, unapologetic escapism, the kind of film that exists not to challenge you but to wrap itself around you like a blanket on a grey afternoon.
Lacey Chabert leads the thing, and whatever you think of the material, it's impossible not to feel a certain warmth towards her. She's forever lodged in my memory as Gretchen Wieners in Mean Girls, that brilliantly snarky creation, and while this is about as far from that sharp-tongued comedy as you can get, she slots into the Hallmark formula like she was born to it. And at this point in her career, she practically was. The acting can feel a touch wooden, I won't pretend otherwise, and the script is about as basic as they come. But here's the thing: that's sort of the point, isn't it?
The Hallmark formula works because it doesn't ask anything of you. No moral ambiguity, no dark third acts, no unsettling questions about the human condition. You know where you're going from the first five minutes, and the journey there is the entire pleasure. Lost in Paradise understands this completely. The tropical backdrop looks lovely, the dog is adorable, and the central romance ticks every box on the checklist with cheerful efficiency.
Where the film earns a bit of genuine credit is in its supporting cast, who bring some welcome comic energy and cheeky banter to the proceedings. They're clearly having fun, and that fun is contagious. The film is at its most alive when it leans into its own silliness rather than playing the romance entirely straight. Which brings me back to those pirates. It's a tonal lurch that should derail everything, and in a better-crafted film it probably would. Here, it just sort of fits, in the most gloriously chaotic way. Fair play, honestly.
I couldn't in good conscience call this a particularly good film. The script is thin, the beats are relentlessly predictable, and there's nothing here that will stay with you once the credits roll. Dustin Rikert has made something perfectly serviceable and entirely forgettable, a slice of romantic fluff that does its job and clocks out. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy stretching out with it on a Sunday afternoon. Sometimes a film being exactly what it says on the tin is enough.
Two stars. It's the cinematic equivalent of a warm biscuit, predictable, a little plain, but sometimes that's precisely what you're after.
Rating: ★★ | Year: 2026 | Watched: 2026-07-06
Where to watch
Watch in the UK
Stream: Sky Go · Now TV Cinema
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi
Watch in the US
Stream: fuboTV · Philo · Hallmark+ Amazon Channel · Hallmark+ Apple TV channel
Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon US
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