[Warning: General spoilers ahead.]
Here at TV Goodness, we love a good romcom [Exhibit A: TV Movie Goodness] and we’re not alone. Their success has led Netflix to ramp up its slate, and Thursday, Love Guaranteed, starring Hallmark darling Rachel Leigh Cook and Damon Wayans, Jr., hits the streamer. This week I chatted with director Mark Steven Johnson about the film, written by Falling Inn Love and Fir Crazy scribes Elizabeth Hackett & Hilary Galanoy.

The movie, set in Seattle (and lovingly filmed in Vancouver), tells the tale of Susan Whitaker (Cook), a lawyer who often works pro bono to defend the little guys. Her partners in crime are the hilarious admin staff Roberto and Denise, played by Sean Amsung and Hallmarkie fave Lisa Durupt. With bills piling up, she begrudgingly takes the case of Nick Evans (Wayans, Jr.), a disgruntled online dater who wants to sue the titular website Love, Guaranteed (whose CEO is the delightfully daffy New Agey Tamara Taylor, played by Heather Graham) for its failure to deliver on its promise of true love. Soon, Susan and Nick fall into an easy friendship and get much more than they bargained for.

Director Johnson is mostly known for big-budget features like Daredevil, Elektra, and Ghost Rider, but he also cut his teeth on romcoms with 2010’s When In Rome and 1995’s Grumpier Old Men. When this movie came his way, he was ready to jump into something light and happy–and that was before the world started to burn this year. “My true love is comedy and romantic comedy. When Harry Met Sally is as the top of my list. I really wanted to get back to comedy. It’s what really makes me happy,” he shares.
“And then this script came across. Rachael came up with the idea and she’s the producer and the star. And I went in to meet and I just fell in love with all of them. I said to everybody in the room that day, ‘My goal for this movie [is] to put a little goodness out there. I just want people to have 90 minutes of laughter and feel good and feel better coming out of the movie than going in.'”
In the film, Johnson gets a chance to throw a wink to When Harry Met Sally with a leafy walk-and-talk scene. “That was really important to me. It’s just one of my favorite movies of all time. I liked this formula. There’s nothing wrong with a formula that works.”

“And two people that meet and, and don’t like each other and can’t stand each other and then find their way to falling in love. I love that. So, for me, it was that kind of vibe. I was thinking also about all those little intermittent scenes of people on camera talking about how they met and that’s all online now. When I was with the crew…out doing a location scout, I asked how many people here met their partner through online dating [and it was] six people.”
Johnson enjoyed filming in Vancouver, and tapping into the Canadian talent onscreen and off. Aside from Durupt, the cast includes familiar faces Kandyse McClure and Alvin Sanders. “They killed it. I think it’s just probably the best cast I’ve ever had,” he says. “I thought all the local actors were just absolutely killing it. And Sean and Lisa are both so fantastic. They’re like an old-fashioned comedy team. If one one of them did improv, the other one’s right there. They just had me in stitches the whole time.”
“I found that across the board, everybody was so good. Just hitting it out of the park. I really pushed for Vancouver. It’s got so much character to it. I wanted the fall and the leaves turning and I wanted that beautiful Gastown vibe, like Pioneer Square has in downtown Seattle and the beautiful Chinatown. It’s just got so much texture and beauty to it. My DP, José [David Montero] is so talented. I was so happy to be shooting there.”

That comfort level helped, too, with the finale scene, which was captured quickly. “We had one night to get…this is big emotional scene. And there’s so much going on and we really had like one take to get it,” he recalls. “And I’m pretty cool on set…usually keeping everybody else calm and I was wired. And I remember Damon and Rachel coming to me and [they said], ‘Don’t worry, we got this. It’s gonna be fine.'”
Next up. Johnson is writing an original film he describes as Under the Tuscan Sun meets War of the Roses.
Love, Guaranteed will be available on Netflix on September 3rd. Here’s a sneak peek.
Photos and Video Courtesy of Netflix.
Heather M
Related posts
Classics
Previewing SurrealEstate Season 2 Finale + Revisiting the Season with George R. Olson
[Warning; General spoilers ahead.] Strap in, SurrealEstate fam, because we’ve arrived at the Season 2 finale, and it’s a doozy. As we saw in the closing moments of last week’s episode, Susan is back. But because we have one more episode left, it’s not as simple as all that, as…
Tyler Hynes Talks Through His Eight-Film Hallmark Holiday Library
Things you realize when you have to re-record your shows on a new DVR – just how many Hallmark movies your people have done. Fan favorite – and one of ours – Tyler Hynes has done eight Christmas movies for Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries since 2018. Alongside…
Spencer Creaghan Talks About Creating SurrealEstate’s Signature Sound
SurrealEstate is winding down its second season, with two episodes left, and just as in Season 1, Spencer Creaghan’s music continues to be a character unto itself. And every week, he shares tidbits with the fans via his s social media channels, something he started to help give them an…
Andrew Walker Talks Christmas Island and the Magical Hallmark Community
[Warning: Spoilers for Christmas Island.] Now that the Screen Actors Guild strike has been resolved, we’re able to resume regularly scheduled programming and interview our favorites and yours. Up first, earlier today, I spoke with Andrew Walker about Christmas Island, which premiered last weekend and encores tonight and through the…
George Olson and Danishka Esterhazy Talk SurrealEstate “I Put a Spell on You”
[Warning: Spoilers for the episode.] Tonight’s fun new SurrealEstate found Luke caught up in an especially bewitching woman, Kay, played by Tara Yelland, Susan trapped in her house, and Zooey learning the ropes. In the next part of my conversation with showrunner George R. Olson and producing director Danishka Esterhazy,…
Danishka Esterhazy Talks SurrealEstate: “The Butler Didn’t”
[Warning: General spoilers for the episode]. Tonight’s new SurrealEstate, “The Butler Didn’t,” follows the team as they investigate the years-earlier mysterious death of a woman whose ghost now reenacts her hanging by dropping over the banister from the second floor to terrify anyone on the landing or at the bottom…
Scott McCord and Elizabeth Saunders Talk the From Season 2 finale
[Warning: Spoilers for the season finale.] How’s everyone doing after that finale? While we wait and wonder and hope for a third season announcement, soon, here’s what Scott McCord and Elizabeth Saunders had to say about their parts of the finale, and where they hope they get to go next….
Scott McCord and Elizabeth Saunders Talk From Season 2 + A Season Finale Preview
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] It all comes down this, #FROMily. As Sunday’s episode wraps up Season 2, we begin with the aftermath of the terrifying onset of seemingly simultaneous attacks on Julie, Marielle, and Randall, which accelerate the “We gotta get out of this place” of it all. Sara comes…
Alison Sweeney Talks About What’s Next for Hannah and Mike After Carrot Cake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery
[Warning: Spoilers for Carrot Cake Murder.] Everybody OK after that Hannah Swensen Mystery twist? Thankfully, our favorite crime-solving couple is still on speaking term, even if they’re on a break (hopefully not that kind of break). Most importantly, we already know this isn’t the last film in the series. No…
Counting Down to From Season 2
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] We’re just shy of two weeks away from Season 2 of last spring’s obsession, From, which premieres at 9 pm/8c, Sunday, April 23rd, on MGM+ (formerly EPIX). If you never picked it up last year, now’s your chance, and you can do it for free, catching…
What They Said: Three Revealing Conversations from Survivor’s Remorse “Closure”
WARNING: Spoilers for Survivor’s Remorse “Closure” The latest episode of Starz’s Survivor’s Remorse featured conversations that showed characters really digging deep into their thoughts, emotions and motivations.
Two Takes: The Catch “The Knock-Off”
Who can you trust? If this episode of The Catch was any indication, the answer is just about nobody. Betrayal was running rampant as Felicity (Shivani Ghai) arose from the dead to seduce-con Margot, Gretchen (Maria Thayer, Gotham, The Mindy Project) played gold-hearted Alice 2.0 before swindling Ethan, Tessa jumped…
What They Said: Top 3 Quotable Moments from Preacher “El Valero”
Both Quincannon and Jesse refuse to give up on what they each think is rightfully theirs. While Jesse is struggling to face the consequences of his actions, Quincannon has laid his past demons to rest and is hellbent on moving forward and putting Annville on the map again. Despite a…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Supergirl “Worlds Finest”
Oh, Supergirl. That ending was cold. But I can’t hate on you because the latest episode has quickly become one of my favorites.
What They Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Black Sails “XXIII”
The dialogue in “XXIII” is phenomenal. It’s always a fun ride when Black Sails carries its viewers along without giving them the chance to catch their breath. When an episode moves at this unforgiving pace, there is no chance for a breather nor is there a respite from the information…
What Lucifer Said: Favorite quotes from Supernatural “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
Supernatural episodes are almost always funny but thanks to the dialogue and a certain man speaking said dialogue, I laughed a lot during “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” You know, when I wasn’t busy fearing for Sam’s life or wondering what in the world was going on with Dean and…
What They Said: The Flash, “Legends Of Today” and Arrow, “Legends Of Yesterday”
Two nights of Arrow + The Flash = what more could we ask for?! I don’t know what it is about blending these shows, but I can’t help but feel that every time they come together, they somehow become greater than the sum of their parts. And that’s saying a lot…
What they Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Graceland “Little Bo Bleep”
Shoot outs. Fake outs. And long-awaited revelations. “Little Bo Bleep” was a jam-packed episode that wrapped up some loose ends and totally frayed others. Â It finally gave us one Sarkissian in jail and pulled back the curtain on Briggs’ master plan, but it also set up Jakes for a world…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Poldark “Part 4”
“What have I told you, I don’t require my wife to crochet and sip tea, but I do require her to remember she’s not a beast of burden.†No, I’m not talking about The Rolling Stones! I have to admit though, just for a second, the lyrics popped into my…
3 Moments of Goodness from Brooklyn Nine-Nine “Johnny and Dora”
The most satisfying part of this season’s finale has to the Jake and Amy kiss. Well, they kiss three times but the last one is the best one — and it means something. The Charles and Rosa dynamic was also great. I love how she’s convinced he doesn’t know anything…