Taking the Reins

I really like Nikki DeLoach (she was great in Two Turtle Doves and The Perfect Catch). And I get that Hallmark sells relationship fantasies. I'm a happy consumer of those fantasies. But it's one thing to reunite old sweethearts from high school or college who went their different ways; it's quite another to reunite divorced couples. It's hard enough for divorced couples just to be civil to each other, let alone fall back in love. Heck, I thought Crashing Through The Snow (which featured a divorced mom spending Christmas with her ex's fiancé's family) was wildly unrealistic.

These 2 spent six (6!) years together, couldn't make it work, got divorced (the reasons were fuzzy), and it was apparently so bad, her family was afraid to tell her that her ex would be at the ranch (that was weird by the way). But then Poof! They're hanging out, riding horses and falling back in love. Sorry. I didn't buy it. Divorce is more than just a break up. A lot more.

I also thought the focus on the big horse riding event was a bit off. I loved taking my daughter to her horse riding lessons. She loved horses, and I loved seeing her happy. But, as others have noted (in impressive detail), Hallmark really screwed up in making that event and the riders seem believable. And it came at the expense of an unrealistic love story that needed more time to seem plausible. If Hallmark wants to target some demographic clamoring for stories about divorced couples getting back together, those stories should be told, if at all, over time in a series like Chesapeake Shores.

And as someone who applauds Hallmark's efforts to make their movies more diverse and inclusive (the intolerant pearl clutching "PC alert" crowd should be ashamed of themselves), I thought the same sex couple was thrown in to win quota credits in lieu of treating them as fleshed out characters. In contrast, I loved the realistic and interesting lesbian sisters in Unexpected Christmas and Every Time a Bell Rings. Still, I suppose even a token effort should be acknowledged as progress that, just 5 years ago, seemed unlikely.

Second chance at love is a trope I enjoy very much if it's well done. And I like Nikki DeLoach. She is one of my faves so my expectations were high. However they were not fulfilled.

Sam is going home to write an article. We have seen this trope literally a hundred times. I still wonder how they convince the bosses to give them so many days or even weeks. They must be the best bosses ever. Anyway her ex husband Luke is there working and helping her father, who is going to compete in this championship Samantha's family is hosting.

Wow, surprise surprise her father can't compete and she is going to take his place. We saw this coming the minute the title appeared. So, she has to spend time with her ex. The problem wasn't the chemistry, because it was there, but there weren't enough scenes to see it develop. I mean, these two were divorced and I found their relation too good to be true. In my opinion, it didn't "re-develop" very naturally. I understand they only have a limited time but it could have been done better.

I actually enjoyed more scenes between Sam and her father and them mending their broken relationship. It was cute to see them reconnect.

At the beginning I was SO sure that they were going to pair up Alex and Mathew (saw that a hundred times a well) but the closure of that little story surprised me. So kudos for that.

Anyway, I still enjoyed it due to the fact that Nikki was there but I didn't care much about the romance or the horses.

I love Nikki DeLoach and Scott Porter together. They are such superb actors who are even better together. Scott Porter is giving Andrew Walker a run for his money and I hope to see him in many more Hallmark movies.

They actually found a couple with chemistry and showed a deft touch with the family relationships, thanks to Corbin Bernsen. If this were just a romance/family movie, it would have been fine.

Unfortunately, the riding is an important part of the story and this movie just doesn't make the equestrian scenes interesting or realistic. This might be a Hallmark film that would have been better made in Canada. Maybe then they could have gotten some of the experts from the CBC series Heartland, who know how to shoot realistic versions of all styles of horsemanship.

First of all, it's worth, noting how good and actress Nikki DeLoach is. Watch how she listens and responds. She is wonderful. The photography is wonderful. It was shot in Connecticut Corbin Bernsen turns in a solid performance and Janine Turner is really a pro. She's still got it. Yes. It's a Hallmark movie. But isn't that what you want? I get tired of the criticism. The moments that Corbin ad Nikki spend addressing their problems is really touching. And a shout out to the the actress who play the younger sister. She is wonderful as well. Her name is Eliza Hayes Maher. All in all a satisfiying movie.