Branching Out

8.2 stars.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I could go on about the plot in great detail, but I figure there isn't much point to it. I'll describe in a nutshell. A woman gets pregnant through a sperm bank and has a little girl. Daughter (about 9 years old) overhears some conversation between mom and best friend, now she wants to meet her dad. The rest of the story is about mom and daughter meeting dad and his wonderful extended family. Mommy and baby daddy fall in love, little girl falls in love with the rest of the family - the end.

There are a dozen qualities of this film that really stand that require no further mentioning. I will leave you with a bit of advice: focus on the little girl and her colorful personality and the rest will fall into place.

I really enjoyed this movie from start to finish.

What a great story line n wonderful characters who really looked like they were family.

It was a believable story n relationship problems felt so real.

Ruby is so cute n adorable, very talented for her age.

She was so natural n very funny too.

Loved the male character n he could really sing!

Loved the songs in this movie so many of them.

The farm setting was beautiful as well as the entire loving Cruz family.

The friend was very caring n loved her advice.

Loved how no one forced anyone to do anything but gave space to come together.

The ending was perfect 👌

I love the alternate universe of Hallmark movies. I started watching them in 2017 and they have been a soothing escape from troubled times. But even I get a little tired of the formula. So I was delighted last years when Hallmark Movies and Mysteries began providing movies with a little more depth like Guiding Emily, Come ly with Ne, etc. They've migrated to Hallmark and I strongly suspect that this gem was originally intended for HMM.

If you've seen the commercials, you know the basic story- a child conceived by IVF is curious about her donor. A wonderful cast makes this a joy all-around experience. Most important is the joy of family and the recognition that family comes in many forms. After watching again, I have to add how much I enjoyed the "introvert sucked into a loud, boisterous family" theme. I can relate to that. And also how refreshing it is to have characters who are flawed but still likeable. Very well done.

My only minor quibble is the teacher. No real teacher would push off a student's concern on such a sensitive topic with a platitude. I understand the limitations of time, but that one thing niggled at me.

If you are a Hallmark fan and have enjoyed those mentioned that have a little more depth, I think you will love this.

The script isn't perfect, but the general plot is good, not normal for Hallmark but a refreshing change, it's real life. Artificial insemination is a reality, kids want to know about their parents and family, if they don't get answers when they're young they'll search for them as an adult. DNA isn't just a law enforcement tool, it's available in limited ways to the public.

Well casted with Juan Pablo Di Pace, Sarah Drew and Cora Bella. The supporting cast was good, I especially enjoyed T. J.'s (Di Pace) extended family and all the different personalities. Ruby loves it (Bella) and Amelia (Drew) warms to them slowly. Beautiful filming location in Utah.

It would be really hard not to be great with a story like this. But it doesn't stop there. The acting is good, but the dialogue is fantastic and the timing of line delivery is great. There are a ton of funny moments. Really funny. Reviews like this usually talk about chemistry between the romantic leads, and I often throw in great chemistry between an adult and a cute kid, but there is amazing chemistry almost all around. It's like all the main characters really are family and have known each other forever.

Cora Bella as Ruby is a force of nature. Such a powerful performance. Meanwhile Sarah Drew goes deep. The woman who plays Amelia's partner is real, not just a foil as a BFF.

If the movie wasn't good enough already, the climax tops it all off perfectly. And I laughed really hard at Ruby's last line.

Added after watching again: With a really good movie, you can get so much more after watching it again. One of the things I picked up this time was how Sarah Drew does such a good job of developing her character throughout the movie. A complaint I often make about Hallmark-like movies is that a lead's personality will change on a dime. A complete change within minutes of screen time. That doesn't happen here. You can see Amelia clinging to her walls even though she is yielding them up layer by layer. There is a big jump at one point, but with a woman like Amelia that last wall is going to be a big one.

The movie also does a good job of use lyrics in the songs that play through the movie.