The Dog Lover's Guide to Dating

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.

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.

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!

Movies that focus on dogs kind of cheat. Everybody loves dogs (or at least they should) and so viewers are already inclined to enjoy themselves when watching dog centric movies. But I've seen a lot of average dog movies including many on Hallmark (most recently, A Very Corgi Christmas). The mere presence of dogs can't hide a movie's flaws. But I was pleasantly surprised by this one.

I'm not Corey Sevier's biggest fan, but he was quite good in Noel Next Door, and he was good again here as Simon the Ad Man. I just didn't like his clothes which featured goofy suits, silky polka dot shirts (with an unflattering Saturday Night Fever vibe), turtle necks, etc. Ugh. He definitely did NOT go for the Don Draper look at all (even though that Mad Men name got dropped in the movie).

Rebecca Dalton, on the other hand, who'd look great in a burlap sack, was usually walking around in very flattering yoga pants and attractive but subdued tops. She played Alex, a beautiful, warm, and engaging dog trainer with no idea how to feed dogs, at least based on the opening scenes (Jacob the vet needs to educate her on dog diets). She was very very watchable. Hallmark needs to lock her down into an exclusive movie deal.

I also enjoyed the filming location in St. John's, a city on Newfoundland island, the easternmost part of Canada. If they ever mentioned the movie being set in an American town, as they normally are despite most Hallmark movies being filmed in Canada, I missed it. The area looked beautiful and the colorful buildings looked quite charming.

The movie was very well written. It was based upon an actual guidebook called "The Dog Lover's Guide to Dating: Using Cold Noses to Find Warm Hearts" that was written 20 years ago by a dog trainer named Deborah Wood. The premise?: "Studies show you're three times more likely to meet someone if you have a dog with you." That guidebook was turned into a romantic movie by new writers Catherine Reay and Kate Somerville. And when Simon and Alex meet, they both have dogs with them. Alex's sister Sarah was a well written character with some great lines delivered by a compelling Emily Stranges. Although younger than Alex, Sarah is much more at peace with their POS father ("You're just letting Dad's mistakes make the most important decisions for you"). I also liked that the competition (Chloe and Jacob) were quite likable. Jacob, played by Justin Nurse, is a handsome veterinarian who volunteers and will do literally anything to help Alex. Chloe, played by Eliza King, is a model turned successful fashion designer. She's a kind dog loving woman who knows what she wants (and what she doesn't):

Simon: "That drink order was really something" Chloe: "Well, why would I compromise when I know what I like"

There's also a fun scene where Alex and Simon realize they're really attracted to each other:

Simon: "This next part should come really naturally to you. You have to remain rigid." Alex: "Very funny. Never mock a woman with an axe in her hand."

Simon is described as "thoughtful, funny and reliable". I sure hope my daughter finds somebody like that one day.

But, once again, in the world of Hallmark, the depiction of money and business issues simply ignores reality. The only solution to the Shelter suddenly losing their lease is for them to buy the property? I don't know what the real estate values are in Newfoundland, but having a nonprofit Shelter buy the building seems like it might be a bit of a stretch and would require more than a last minute lightly attended silent auction.

I pointedly didn't watch this movie when it first came out. Instead, I began watching it a week later with every intention of turning it off. But I was drawn in by Rebecca Dalton and found the movie much more entertaining than I had anticipated. I grade Hallmark on a curve, so that's why this gets an 8.

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.