Le refuge de l'amour

A Tail of Love was an adorable film with many touching moments, acted wonderfully by the show's leads, Brittany Bristow and Chris McNally. In it, Bella owns a dog rescue that is in danger due to the land it sits on supposedly being a part of other land that is being sold. McNally, as JR Stockard tries to help Bella, the shelter's owner, keep this from happening and romance blossoms. The chemistry between McNally & Bristow was great and their performances both tender and nuanced. At one point, they had me crying. The supporting cast was great as well. Jane Eastwood as Nana was everything you'd want a wise older woman to be and. Humberly González filled her role well as Bella's friend. And Stephanie Moore did a terrific job as the show's villainous, repeatedly making me wish one of the dogs in the program would go bite her in the rear!

Yes, the story has some of the trademark Hallmark characteristics we have come to love, but it's different as well. The story isn't just the same old story recycled and it has a specialness to it that makes it endearing. You can count on a happy ending, but the understated and authentic performances make it stand out from the pack. In short, this movie delivers.

If you love dogs, if you are fan of Chris McNally and/or Brittany Bristow, you will not want to miss this sweet story.

Oh - and in case you're like me and want to make sure no animals are injured in a dog movie before you watch it, you should be fine with this one as well. I really enjoyed it and live Tweeting as it went on.

I love Bristow and McNally. Both are upbeat and make appealing characters. As to be expected, they have chemistry here but it wasn't enough to overcome the annoying factors.

Rachel was annoying rather than villainous. Her character was so one dimensional and unexplainable. Her meanness overrode any common business sense. Seriously, the CEO of a pet food company closing a rescue center and doing everything she could to cause it even more harm??? If the writers are going to go with that ridiculous plot thread, then they need to supply a load of backstory. Either way, it gets in the way of the romance which is what these movies are supposed to be about.

The issue of the missing "Severance" was too repetitive especially since most viewers know that it is going to be discovered in some unlikely place at the last minute. When the leads where handling photographs, I was thinking "oh no, you are not going to steal that plot device from several movies and have their grail be on the back of one". Where they found it was just as derivative.

I picked this movie out of several with high expectations given the lead actors and the obvious promise of a dog story, but was sadly disappointed.

Chris Mcnally and Brittany Bristow knocked it out the park. It was an awesome movie. I loved all the actors. The show was awesome. The dogs were all so cute and did a great job. Makes me want to adopt a dog. Indie played his part well.

Although broadcast by Hallmark, this was not made by them. It's an indy Canadian film.

Pretty good flick, taking advantage of all the dogs. I didn't particularly care for Bella, but JR and rest of cast were excellent.

I'm realy surprised so many reviewers thought this was a Hallmark film. Didn't the big "W" watermark clue you in? Plus the closing credits?

7.7 stars.

Although this movie feels heart-wrenching from time to time, and most of the story is sad, much happiness shines through. There is no lack of heartwarming, happy, tender, and cute moments. There are many angles to "A Tail of Love", and one thing for sure is the leads provide a keen sense of suffering, but not the usual sort of pain. JR and Bella share a love that cannot be fully realized because he is scheduled to be shipped off to Iraq, and she is losing her doggy rescue centre. They share a mutual love for a German shepherd named Indie who also needs a new home.

We can anticipate how this will end, but the profound emotional bond that these actors manifest toward each other is one of a kind. The strong desire they express, the basic need each has for the other's heart... I was touched with the portrayal of a mutual yearning each has for the other, more of a compassionate desire rather than a carnal one. This is a film to be enjoyed by a gentle soul.