Wanted to like it

bigsis_je

I wanted to like it, and I wanted the dog's presence to be more prominent in the story. The dog idea seemed more like a plot tool - and a forced one at that. The premise of sharing custody of a shelter dog is very unrealistic. Hallmark has had multitudes of characters fight over dogs and Christmas trees, and somehow they're always able to choose - except this one time?!

I don't enjoy watching Nikki DeLoach. She doesn't come across as natural or Hallmark-cute to me. Also, as others have commented, she always appears older than the male leads. But I went ahead with watching the movie because I wanted to see how the dog story would go.

I liked the male lead. He's handsome, and his character was believable.

I felt like there were too many times when the script had to explicitly describe the characters' personalities to the audience. I think their personalities could have been developed more onscreen/visually. Or maybe if the actors had been more suited to their roles, it would have been more obvious to the audience.

And, as a word enthusiast, there was one line (one missed opportunity for a good line) that completely gave away how poorly this script was written. At the end, the male lead said, "Do you mean that dinner (or a first date) wouldn't be the end of the world?" And she says, "In fact, it would be...nice." *face palm* Why didn't she say, "it would be a beginning"?! What a missed opportunity! Especially considering the final scene that shows they did get married, so that moment after the awards show WAS the beginning of the rest of their lives!

score 3/10

bigsis_je 25 September 2020

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw6122033/