A Valentine's Date

I downloaded this for Apple TV for what I call my 'ironing ans folding laundry' movie watching--I look for sweet, relaxing, wholesome movies that will not need a lot of my attention. This movie kind of fit the bill, except for the fact that the entire time I kept thinking, "it makes NO sense at all!"

Basic premise: a single mother with a high-powered corporate job in NYC is suddenly ordered back to her small Texas town where her husband (they're separated but not divorced) has filed a petition for joint custody. Apparently, this goal-getter career woman who left her slow ranching community for more excitement and more challenges is STILL dumb enough to believe she could whisk off her daughter without her husband's approval, ignore his divorce petitions, and even return to Texas to confront the situation without the aid od a lawyer. I mean, seriously: who does this?

Behind this family movie is really a typical Christian message of social morality, marriage as forever in God's eyes and religion as a social cornerstone. Well okay--I don't believe it but I don't mind it, either. I'm fine with that.

It's the total irrelevant lack of logic that gets me! The character of the woman simply makes no sense. We're supposed to believe that she packed up and run off to NY without a second glance, that it never crossed her mind that her actions would have consequences. What idiot would believe they have such rights? Furthermore, the most heartbreaking aspect is the brilliant acting of the little girl playing the daughter. Obviously she misses her dad, her grandpa, and Texas. Why shouldn't she? What kid wouldn't? And yet, simply for purposes of the story--never mind the lack of logic--we have to hear throughout the entire movie about how mother and daughter barely ever manage to visit Texas, about how the dad can barely ever visit his kid in NY, about how far away NY is and soooooo expensive... ! I mean, really! On the one hand, the mother is supposed to have this incredible job, and the granddad a large TX spread, and the dad a successful ranch and yet NO ONE can scrap together 400 dollars top for a ticket doe the kid to be there during the summer, as any kid of divorce? Who believes this crap?

Whoever wrote this is not only an idiot but also clearly doesn't get women. Either this woman is narcissistic, selfish and blind or we are never meant to like her at all. What mover loves her daughter so little that she'd deprive her of her father?

Decent storyline. I'm a fan of Elisa Donovan, beautiful horses, country music, the Christian song "Your Love Never Fails"... (and the pig was cute). But for the love of all that is Texas, don't show aerial footage of downtown Austin and then try to pass off what's obviously SoCal as Texas Hill country! And the characters' horribly fake Texan accents! Super distracting from what could have been a more enjoyable movie. As a Texas transplant living in California, I'm guessing Santa Monica mountains, Santa Clarita, maybe Ventura county locations were used for this film? Texas doesn't have mountains like these in the movie. It would have been better to set the story anywhere else than insult Texans with this hogwash.

Elisa Donovan and her on screen daughter live in New York where she is a high-powered executive with an important deal on. However, when her husband, from whom she is separated, sues for shared custody, she has to fly back to Texas to deal with the legal technicalities.

This perfectly ordinary and by-the-numbers romantic comedy, is considerably enlivened by a fine cast of long-time professionals, who manage to keep things bubbling along nicely. Cinematographer Kobi Zaig-Mendez consistently finds beautiful ways to shoot the frame, not only the people, but the backgrounds.

Although nothing in this movie will surprise you as novel and brilliant, there is more than enough in this to keep the watcher occupied.

Although I have learned to enjoy hallmark movies to escape everyday bad news and conflict, this one really annoys me.

Female lead is wayyy too made up! Distracting.

And she is too clueless! Hard to like her.

The Elisa Donovan character tells the husband whom she refuses to divorce, he needs to grow up; yet she harbors a petty high school jealousy for the girl who beat her out of h.s. Drama role and talks down to the diner owner (also a h.s. Friend). She is so self-absorbed, she hasn't been home in 6 years, she throws childish fits in front of the judge who is deciding the custody of the couple's 9 or 10-year-old daughter & even tries to compromise the judge on the street (can you say stalking). And, oh yes, misses important business deadlines and teleconferences she has sworn up and down she would meet when she knows she up for an EVP position at her bank. I definitely want this broad on my team. Not.

He certainly shares responsibility for not traveling to NY to visit, but when it comes to maturity - he's got her beat.