I didn’t sit down to watch Lost in Paradise. I collapsed into it after a long day, expecting background noise, and instead got two attractive adults emotionally detoxing on a Fijian island like it was a tropical group therapy session sponsored by sunscreen.
And yet it works far better than it ought to.
One of the biggest surprises is how un-Hallmark it feels — in the best way. This isn’t another interchangeable small town with a gazebo and one bakery. The Fiji location is practically a third lead, all jungly greens, blinding water, and “we definitely didn’t shoot this in Vancouver” energy. It gives the movie actual texture, like Hallmark accidentally wandered into a prestige travel commercial and decided to keep the footage.
Lacey Chabert, Hallmark’s eternal comfort queen, finally gets to do something a little feral here. She’s not just the nice girl with a latte — she’s a tightly wound fashion exec unraveling in real time, and it’s honestly refreshing. Ian Harding, as the broody chef, looks like he wandered in from a serious drama and then realized he was contractually obligated to build a raft and fall in love. Their chemistry doesn’t feel manufactured, which is a small miracle in this genre.
And sure, the island logic is completely bananas. Pirates? Snakes? Emotional breakthroughs timed perfectly to the sunset? Absolutely. It’s Fiji filtered through a snow globe of Hallmark optimism, where danger is just scary enough to justify lingering eye contact but never scary enough to mess up anyone’s hair. You don’t question it — you just let it wash over you like ocean therapy.
What really seals the deal is how sincerely the movie commits. It doesn’t wink, it doesn’t apologize, and it doesn’t pretend to be edgy. It just gives you warmth, banter, competence-porn survival skills, and the kind of romance that feels tailor-made for people who remember rewinding tapes and hoping the VCR didn’t eat the ending.
So yes, it’s ridiculous. Yes, it’s a delight. And yes, it’s exactly what it should be. Lost in Paradise is part of Hallmark’s Winter Escape event and is streaming now on Hallmark+ and airing on the Hallmark Channel — which is precisely where a movie this easygoing, atypical, and quietly charming belongs.
MPAA Rating: TV-G.
Runtime: 84 mins
Director: Dustin Rikert
Writer: Stephanie Jackson; Zach Lewis
Cast: Lacey Chabert; Ian Harding; James Trevena
Genre: Drama | Romance
Tagline:
Memorable Movie Quote:
Distributor: Hallmark +
Official Site:
Release Date: January 3, 2026
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: When the founder of a high-end fashion company gets marooned on an "deserted" island with a chef, romance blossoms as they work together to survive.
