Romance to the Rescue

'Romance to the Rescue' (2022)

Opening thoughts: Hallmark have done a lot of above average and more films and that has been obvious in their 2022 output. There have been quite a lot of misfires as well, again obvious in the 2022 output, but have never been one of those people who immediately judges something negatively. Have always seen a Hallmark film knowing what to expect while not expecting too much, but many have met and even exceeded expectations. Apart from those that didn't sound that appealing or interesting from the outset, like 'Romance to the Rescue'.

While not a complete waste of time, 'Romance to the Rescue' is not good on the whole. There are a few good things, but also a lot of major issues. Marcus Rosner is worth watching in enough of his films, but Andrea Brooks is rather take and leave, while a good representation of him it is a very bad one of her. When it comes to ranking Hallmark's 2022 output, 'Romance to the Rescue' is towards the bottom if not quite as bad as 'Cut, Color, Murder', 'Butlers in Love' and 'Road Trip Romance'.

Good things: There are a few things done well. Sam is absolutely adorable and has such an expressive nuanced face and eyes. Rosner is also very easy going, charming and likeable.

Also thought that the scenery is nice and well photographed.

Bad things: Brooks however overacts horribly and comes over as really annoying, with so many overdone and overused mannerisms. The supporting cast also try too hard to a cartoonish degree and only Sam and Rosner's character are interesting or likeable, too many dumb, vague and senseless behaviours for the other characters to be remotely endearing and development is next to nil. Rosner and Brooks are very lacking in their chemistry too, they don't look comfortable together and seem too distant.

Moreover, the script is horrendously stilted and one is cringing from all the cheese. That the story has no surprises and is very predictable was not too much of a problem, was expecting that. Was however not expecting it to be so dull and ridiculous and for sense to go out of the window completely. Especially at the truly cringe-worthy and laughable ending that didn't feel deserved, it wouldn't even pass for unintentional humour.

Concluding thoughts: Overall, very weak.

3/10.

Honestly the dog named Sam was the best part of this film...and that is no slight to the actors, the dog is just that charming.

Kyra has a pretty simple check list... get job at natural grocer, get employee of the month, become a buyer, promote her own product, find the perfect guy. Oh! And she has a list for the requirements of the perfect guy...including gluten-free, stable, etc. When she meets someone she thinks checks all the boxes, she discovers he is a dog person and between her and her friend they over sell that not only does kyra have a dog (which she doesn't) but that her dog is an agility trained "super pup".

This is how Kyra meets both Sam and Kevin, who is the owner of a shelter and becomes Kyra and Sam's private trainer.

If you are both a romantic and a dog lover...this is the movie for you. Both funny and fun loving, our heroine was not only goal driven, but able to make fun of herself.

If you're looking for a mediocre use of your time then Romance to the Rescue is the way to go. Heartfelt and kind of cute, but it was as if the characters, the setting, and the puppies in the film were thrown into a mixing bowl to create a store bought cake for the audience to "enjoy". Not my favorite film to appear on this network, that's for sure. I wouldn't recommend it but it's fine to have on in the background while you're doing other things that require half of your attention. Forgettable film if you ask me. The actors were good enough but again, the film over all was not very memorable.

We love dogs, have two rescue dogs and would have been delighted at a half-decent Hallmark film on this subject. We were so open to this movie being good. But it wasn't even close.

Andrea Brooks giggles constantly as the lead romantic female, substituting "giggle giggle giggle" for more nuanced acting. Neither my wife nor I could develop any affection or empathy for her empty=headed character as she cluelessly encounters the world of dogs and competitive agility training.

Everything is so wrong about this movie. The rescue center manager (the male romantic interest) shows up to inspect her house for suitability for a rescue dog AFTER the dog has been placed in her home -not before, as it is done in real life. He walks into her living room, which has been torn up by the newly adopted dog, and after giving her some basic coaching about owning a dog he announces that her place looks fine. What, no inspection to see whether her backyard has a fence ?-which is the primary thing that real-life rescue organizations look for when they inspect a home. Nope, he seemingly just wanted to see her pretty face.

The couple takes the dog to a veterinarian and has an out-of world experience. The vet comes outside the building to meet them, then takes the dog inside for examination. The couple remain outside on a park bench. The vet then walks outside the building to the park bench to discuss the results of the exam. The vet walks back inside the building, and then brings their dog out on a leash. Isn't that the way every vet visit is handled, LOL? Apparently, Hallmark needed to save money by not setting up any inside areas to look like a reception area or an examination room.

Anyone who does canine agility training in real life would be incensed at the way it is portrayed in the movie. A new owner, who doesn't know how to hold a leash when she walks the dog on a sidewalk is immediately walking the dog around a makeshift agility course -like once or twice -as training. Her boyfriend-to-be encourages the dog to go through a tunnel by crawling through it himself! Apparently that's all it takes -because they leave the dog with a friend and spend the next 10-12 hours walking around town eating ice cream, playing on the swings in the park and go to his house to watch a movie. Then suddenly it is time for the agility competition - and there, in front of an audience, is our giggly owner crawling through the plastic tunnel on the course to once-again encourage her dog! I mean, really?

The plot is filled with this kind of stupid nonsense in so many scenes. The rescue center doesn't keep their large dogs in crates or cages. They are kept behind 2-foot-high white picket fences that the dogs could jump over in a microsecond.

What is the point of having a dog-centric Hallmark movie if the script writers and director know less about owning dogs than 99% of their audience?

I rated this movie 4. That's 2 for Marcus Rosner and 2 for the dog.

I have seen Marcus in many movies and he always delivers, good actor, good leading man.

As for Andrea Brooks, to my knowledge I have not seen her in anything. I found her character to be very annoying. Too perky and juvenile for words, giggle giggle. But she fits in with the rest of the cast, they act like they are in junior highschool, giggle giggle.

Lame script, lame acting, lame ending. Marcus was great, Nova the dog was great. But they could not carry the film alone. I look forward to seeing them in other movies.

I watched the whole painful minute of this film reluctantly.

But Hallmark is going to have to drastically improve their scripts to make up for the mass exodus, and this film is not going to help.

My advice: suitable family film, but don't insult your children's intelligence by making them watch this.

Give it a miss.