Everything Puppies

What attracted me to 'Everything Puppies' was its title. I love dogs!! Being a Hallmark movie, it is cheesy, but that's what you expect from Hallmark - and I'm not being critical by saying it. They are cheesy, but they're feel-good movies serving as lighthearted entertainment. This is what I expected going into the movie. And I wasn't disappointed.

'Everything Puppies' is a cute little movie and the puppies are adorable! Ok, so they're not given all that much screen time and the movie doesn't actually revolve around the puppies. The story is about Scarlett, an entrepreneur who designs dog toys, and makes healthy dog treats. Together with her friend Gina they start Puppy Palate.

Getting into the corporate world is tough, as they soon realize. Then they meet Alex - general manager of a Paws and Wellness Emporium store, who decides to give them a chance. Oh, Alex! Stephen Huszar stars as Alex, and he is a handsome hunk of a man with a great body!

Erm, before I get sidetracked here, the film follows the business relationship between Scarlett and Alex, which predictably transforms into a romance. Off course, there are obstacles challenging their relationship, but I really enjoyed Alex as a sincere and very likeable character. I must be honest, I didn't always find Scarlett all that likeable and even questioned her reasoning and actions at times. The film in general is not realistic, but then again, it's not meant to be taken seriously.

Well, if the characters doesn't always leave you smiling, the puppies certainly will! I do think 'Everything Puppies' will appeal more to the female demographic (chick flick), but it served its purpose for what I was in the mood for at the time.

To heck with the naysayers. I found the movie to be entertaining and uplifting. Take away my man-card if you want, but I've watched hundreds of hours of Hallmark movies with my wife over the years, and I've got to say, I thought this one not a bad movie.

Sure, the women could have been more professional when they received the first order, but what's the big deal? It's a classic story of David vs. Goliath woven with a three act love story ending with a happily ever after.

Did I expect the production quality to be up there with Gone with the Wind? Or course not. But I thought the actors did a good job overall.

Stephen Huszar (Alex) and Pascal Lamothe-Kipnes (Scarlett) seemed well paired; unfortunately, my saying that is not a compliment. I don't consider Huszar one of the better Hallmark actors though I can never put my finger on why I feel that. Since I'm having to put more though in to to write this review I'm thinking it might be because he doesn't seem to be into the part he's playing as some of the other actors might. A bit more of a feel of a person going through the motions of a job because it's a job instead of something they love. Anyway I digress. I decided to do a review because I had given this a lower rating & raised it for two reasons 1. I often get annoyed at the formula conflict point of a movie when it's unrealistic and overplayed. I thought this movie, while slightly overplayed, still had one of the better conflict scenarios between the main character's and the way it was played out.

2. How can I not give points for the great job the adorable dogs and pups did.

If you love dogs and warm fuzzy movies with them in it it's worth a watch.

6.8 stars.

While I really like both lead actors, this story fails to entertain in most ways that I would prefer. The romantic aspect is all but non-existent, which I can tolerate as long as the story can rise to the challenge. Unfortunately, it does not.

A woman has created a puppy biscuit shaped like a bone (like Milkbone dog biscuits) and all the dogs and pups seem to love this brand more than the others on the market. It's also one of the healthiest versions. A large competitor does everything he can to shut down her fledgling dog food business. One very charming man at a large pet store does his best to help the woman get the product on the shelves. This is their story.

The charming and good looking man falls for the woman, he's a muscle bound store manager. She is somewhat endearing, but we don't get to see anything special happen between them. There are some misunderstandings, but the drama is lackluster. Her friend (who is a partner in her doggy business) is likable, but undeveloped as a personality. He has an ex-girlfriend (sort of) who is his currently his superior and works at the corporate office of the pet store chain for which he is a manager of one store location. There is nothing interesting about her at all. She's not even antagonist worthy, just a character with no depth.

'Puppies Everywhere' didn't bring me any excitement or anticipation, because it's too generic and limited and there isn't a large variety of puppies in the film. What I described above is literally most of the story. There aren't any real twists or turns, no side story to elevate the experience, no wow factor. None of the supporting cast stand out as being exceptional. This film is bland. I have no plans to see this again.

As with many Hallmarks movies, this one has a poor script so it was flawed from the start. Steve Huszar is a known quantity, he's been in many Hallmark movies and he's a good and reliable actor. The lead actress is always the star, but casting Pascal Lamothe-Kipnes was a huge mistake, she's terrible as is the director for not getting a better performance from her.

Puppies are always an attention grabber in movies, but they weren't enough to salvage this film. As always Hallmark locations are great and I've always appreciated their positive movies, but some are better than others. Overall their quality is much better than Real One Entertainment and Nicely films, they are still the gold standard for mass produced rom-coms.