The Dog Lover's Guide to Dating

After being underwhelmed by Hallmark Christmas movies this year, I wasn't expecting much out of their first post-Christmas movie. I was wrong. Very wrong. This movie was well written, acted, and directed. It was thoughtful and never over the top and kept my attention for two hours. I thought the lead actress, Rebecca Dalton, did an especially good job in this very likable movie. Come to find out, she is the wife of one of my favorite Indy Car drivers, James Hinchcliffe. I think it was a very watchable movie that any dog lover will find enjoyment. Hallmark really did a nice job on this movie and I look forward to other new movies in 2023.

I like almost all decent Hallmark movies and I am almost always grading on the "Hallmark curve" not expecting perfection but a nice watch. But, I do expect the movie to not insult the audience with childish slapstick and stupid lines. I only watched half because I just couldn't take it anymore so take that confession for what it's worth. It is exceedingly rare for me not to finish a Hallmark flick.

As usual I blame the writing and not the actors who are just doing their job with that they are given. The leads were fine, I have no issues with their performances, but by trying to be way too cute, obvious and bland the writers ruined the story.

8.1 stars.

This is simply a good romantic comedy on the Hallmark channel. The lead female is fun, beautiful, a good actress, and charismatic on the screen. The male lead I've seen several times in various other Hallmark movies this year (I've watched nearly 200 of them). He will get the ladies watching this movie, and the female lead caught my attention for sure. There isn't much to say but that it entertains where it needs, provides good romantic chemistry, and the acting is good all around. There isn't one person that can't act, although I can detect a few amateurs. The lead female's younger sister is an old soul, way beyond her years with wisdom and advice, which seemed a bit unbalanced. The male lead's girlfriend was the most realistic character of them all, being that she was nice, but potentially a snob, and yet wasn't snobbish at all. She knows they were using each other for the glam aspect of dating, and she truly cares for him, and he for her, even though they aren't meant to be. Good writing, even though the whole script is more along a YA level. I still enjoyed it for being a cute romance. There is a lot of witty banter, good sarcasm, a nice detour from the usual drab conversations on Hallmark. The dogs were a nice addition, and they were also very cute and cuddly, and they always add an irresistible dimension to any film. If in doubt, throw in some puppies.

It wrapped up neatly, all is happily ever after. This is a good summertime watch in the beach house after taking a long dip in the bay. Nothing makes you more famished than a swim, and this film seems to "feed" off the appetite of people, there is a side focus on food, and I bet this movie might make you hungry. Just a hunch. Grab the doggies, order a pizza, or some sandwiches, and cue up 'The Dog Lover's Guide to Dating'. You won't be disappointed.

Listen, I'll be honest and say the previews for this movie did not excite me; however, both my husband and I ended up loving it! It premiered on January 1st, and was fun, playful, lighthearted, had great banter and chemistry between the leads, was energetic and entertaining, and was the perfect movie to jump start the new year. I don't typically enjoy dog training movies, but this one worked for me.

At one point, it looked like it was about to go deep into some family drama, but they only used that information to explain a reaction to something else, and kept it moving. It did not bring down the mood of the movie, which often times can happen.

I would say this movie is best to watch when you are needing a break from the heaviness of life.

It was such a wonderful pick-me-up!

We've liked both leads in other movies, and we've been dog owners for close to 40 years, so The Dog Lover's Guide to Dating had a double draw for us.

Early on was a line that knocked off a star for me. "I don't train people. I train dogs". That's actually not the focus of dog training. While you DO train dogs, you also train people how to control and interact with their dogs. If you just train a dog and hand it back to a clueless owner, all the training is wasted.

So it would be nice if writers knew something about dog training before writing about dogs and dog training. They did get one thing right. Reward a dog for good behavior.

The romance itself started out as antithetical but they moved past that VERY quickly, to two people attracted to each other and unable to admit it. It made for a compelling story, and one we enjoyed.