Shoot to Marry

In the documentary Shoot to Marry, the filmmaker chronicles his journey to move past a failed marriage proposal, figure out what went wrong, and find the woman of his dreams. This is an introspective doc... sometimes uncomfortable, always entertaining. I found myself laughing, cringing, and cheering as the filmmaker stumbles through film shoots with a wide range of genuinely fascinating women. Ultimately this is a story about a guy who takes a punch to the heart, picks himself up, and moves on.

Funny and moving, Shoot To Marry is an indie doc that delivers.

Filmmaker Steve Markle trains his camera on unique and interesting women with hopes of finding enlightenment and maybe even love. In New York, Steve films with Heidi, a brilliant hat-maker. In Toronto where Steve lives, he films with a dominatrix, a rabbi, a massage therapist turned pilot and other fascinating women.

Steve longs for the relationship he sees in his parents. They met on a blind date fifty years ago and have been blissfuly married ever since. Steve's attempts to find love with online dating and a personal matchmaker lead to dead ends. The best way to meet interesting women, Steve decides, is to make a documentary about them.

Shoot To Marry debuted at the 2020 Slamdance Film Festival where it created buzz and won a major award. It's no surprise that Markle won over audiences in Park City. He has a unique voice and with Shoot To Marry he delivers an indie doc that is raw, deeply personal and highly entertaining.

Funny, self-reflective and occasionally absurd dating doc. The filmmaker hops from city to city looking for women to be in his documentary, and longing for that one special woman to share his life with. Markle's confidence has been shattered after a bad breakup, and he reveals his insecurities in hilarious stream of consciousness narration that runs through the film. Solid film and highly entertaining.

A forty-ish guy named Steve exchanges Christmas gifts with his long-time girlfriend, sings her a song and proposes. She says yes, followed by what Steve describes to his therapist as a total meltdown. Christmas is over. So is their relationship. In the years that follow, Steve documents his relentless quest to find new love, getting relationship advice from his parents, therapist, and incredible women he meets along the way. Steve is genuine and likeable and brutally honest. My husband and I watched this doc together. We cringed a few times watching Steve stumble on his quest for everlasting love - but never stopped rooting for the guy.

Shoot To Marry is a wonderful doc that will resonate with anyone who knows the pain of loneliness. My husband and I were taken by Steve's humor and vulnerability, and by the end we found ourselves moved to tears.

I lived a version of this movie.... complete with the engagement that got called off (though my engagement lasted longer than 24 hours). "Shoot to Marry" really captures how hard it is to find love again (and to love yourself again) after getting your heart broken. In a sense this film was hard to watch... brought back memories... but I loved every minute of it and got me thinking about my own choices during that time of my life. I recommend this indie doc to pretty much anyone who's ever had their heart broken. "Shoot To Marry" gets it right... super relatable and very funny and full of heart.