Branching Out

I really enjoyed this movie from start to finish.

What a great story line n wonderful characters who really looked like they were family.

It was a believable story n relationship problems felt so real.

Ruby is so cute n adorable, very talented for her age.

She was so natural n very funny too.

Loved the male character n he could really sing!

Loved the songs in this movie so many of them.

The farm setting was beautiful as well as the entire loving Cruz family.

The friend was very caring n loved her advice.

Loved how no one forced anyone to do anything but gave space to come together.

The ending was perfect 👌

It would be really hard not to be great with a story like this. But it doesn't stop there. The acting is good, but the dialogue is fantastic and the timing of line delivery is great. There are a ton of funny moments. Really funny. Reviews like this usually talk about chemistry between the romantic leads, and I often throw in great chemistry between an adult and a cute kid, but there is amazing chemistry almost all around. It's like all the main characters really are family and have known each other forever.

Cora Bella as Ruby is a force of nature. Such a powerful performance. Meanwhile Sarah Drew goes deep. The woman who plays Amelia's partner is real, not just a foil as a BFF.

If the movie wasn't good enough already, the climax tops it all off perfectly. And I laughed really hard at Ruby's last line.

Added after watching again: With a really good movie, you can get so much more after watching it again. One of the things I picked up this time was how Sarah Drew does such a good job of developing her character throughout the movie. A complaint I often make about Hallmark-like movies is that a lead's personality will change on a dime. A complete change within minutes of screen time. That doesn't happen here. You can see Amelia clinging to her walls even though she is yielding them up layer by layer. There is a big jump at one point, but with a woman like Amelia that last wall is going to be a big one.

The movie also does a good job of use lyrics in the songs that play through the movie.

8.2 stars.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I could go on about the plot in great detail, but I figure there isn't much point to it. I'll describe in a nutshell. A woman gets pregnant through a sperm bank and has a little girl. Daughter (about 9 years old) overhears some conversation between mom and best friend, now she wants to meet her dad. The rest of the story is about mom and daughter meeting dad and his wonderful extended family. Mommy and baby daddy fall in love, little girl falls in love with the rest of the family - the end.

There are a dozen qualities of this film that really stand that require no further mentioning. I will leave you with a bit of advice: focus on the little girl and her colorful personality and the rest will fall into place.

The script isn't perfect, but the general plot is good, not normal for Hallmark but a refreshing change, it's real life. Artificial insemination is a reality, kids want to know about their parents and family, if they don't get answers when they're young they'll search for them as an adult. DNA isn't just a law enforcement tool, it's available in limited ways to the public.

Well casted with Juan Pablo Di Pace, Sarah Drew and Cora Bella. The supporting cast was good, I especially enjoyed T. J.'s (Di Pace) extended family and all the different personalities. Ruby loves it (Bella) and Amelia (Drew) warms to them slowly. Beautiful filming location in Utah.

We watch a lot of Hallmark movies and enjoy them. But they are formualmatic. And if something works let it go and keep doing it. We know it will be family friendly and entertaining. Good enough.

Branching Out is typical Hallmark. But this time we find a family tree that is hidden. As the protagonist finds the Cruz family so do we. Despite Mama Cru, over acting the main characters are excellent. They are actually believable. The writing feeds Ruby's abilities which appears to be many.

The love interest actually makes sense and the problems of them being together are real.

If only the last scene wasn't so typical.