Love to the Rescue

I can admitt - it is just a beautiful film. Sure, using Hallmark recipe, proposing same familiar ingredients but, for acting, story, drawings, Power Point, dog and steps of romance, inspired humor and nice dialogues, having the gut to be more than you supose know about it.

It is a story about adulthood, well crafted, well told, well exploration of legends, sky, love and friendship. And admirable demonstration of kids importance for a fair story.

Short, just charming, good chemistry and touching characters and wise dose of realism.

The title of this film comes from the fact it revolves a rescue dog, which two families want to adopt. Single mother Kate Healy (Nikkie Deloach) and her daughter Sophia (Michaela Russell) set their sights on the rescue dog, Bruce, only to find that single dad Eric Smith (Michael Rady) and son Owen (Max Ivutin) also plan to adopt the adorable pooch.

A decision to temporarily co-adopt leads to many interactions between Kate, who likes to think outside the box, and Eric, who is usually satisfied by the status quo. The first forty-five minutes showed no chemistry between the two, as backgrounds were established.

Kate is a character that may not appear to everyone; she has a quirkiness that is Diane Keaton-like. But that personality is what really drives the story and gives it energy.

The two child actors would seem to have a promising career in acting. They were not just child placeholders in the story. They felt integral to the story development.

It was a nice change of pace that this Hallmark romance was shot in Savannah, GA.

'Love to the Rescue's' concept appealed to me right away. It sounded very cute and heartfelt. Plus while Nikki DeLoach and Michael Rady are hit and miss when it comes to their filmographies (particularly Rady, but he has nearly always been one of the redeeming merits), both are always worth watching and are two of Hallmark's best and most consistent regulars. Hallmark's overall output is not to be immediately dismissed as they did do a lot of surprisingly good films. 2019 was a variable year for them, but there were again good ones.

One of the good ones is 'Love to the Rescue'. It is one of the best 2019 Hallmark films overall and definitely among the best 2019 Spring Fever films. Perhaps even the best, or at least a strong contender, being one of the few where the concept was immediately appealing while others left me mixed or iffy. 'Love to the Rescue' does both leads justice and corrects most of the flaws that Hallmark are prone to having and frequently committ.

Beginning with the very few things that didn't quite come off, 'Love to the Rescue' to me did lost momentum in the final act, where the conflict lacked tension and the pace slowed.

Am going to agree that the ending was on the lame side, very anti-climactic and didn't make me feel that much.

However, both DeLoach and Rady are great. Both look completely at ease and are charming and have charisma that is subtle and perky. Also loved that their characters developed realistically and were ones with flaws and strengths. Instead of the "too perfect too early" or "over the top negative character traits throughout most of the film until a sudden 180" seen too many times over the years of watching Hallmark films (and Lifetime). Their chemistry is genuine and very endearing. The children are adorable and also surprisingly mature, they are not over-cute and they aren't annoying. And who can't help love the dog.

It is a good looking film, especially the scenery. Something that Hallmark often delivered on, even in their misfires. The music isn't over-scored or too constant. The script isn't awkward and has genuinely amusing comedic moments and very sweet and touching dramatic ones while keeping sentimentality at bay. The story is not innovative but clearly knew exactly what it wanted to be and do, and has lightness, warmth and charm.

Overall, very nicely done. 8/10.

I love Nikki deloach and all of her films but this one is my favorites. I loved the chemistry between the lead characters. The dog was too cute and the kids did a great job.

The plot wasn't bad though I have to say I don't care much for the animal themed stories. What a backdrop though --for the good acting--in the city of Savannah. And And from what I read it was shot in January! It didn't look like winter at all. As for the teen girl with the prominent ears. Wowza.