Dating the Delaneys

Campbell and Boston always are great but the over use of puns made the characters rather ridiculous and one wishing to fast forward through the dialogue, especially the wine tasting event and backyard family BBQ. Loved the restaurant first blind date scene. Now that was good.

Maggie Delaney (Rachel Boston) is a divorcee and a "single mother" of two. She has not been on a date in twenty years, but she decides to try dating when she sees her widowed mother and her teenage daughter dating. Everyone, it seems, is sticking a toe into the dating pool with little real-life experience. Maggie's nervousness is abated somewhat when a friend, Michael Taylor (Paul Campbell), suggests that they go on pretend dates and critique each other's game.

Hallmark romance fans can see where this is going already, which is fine. There is plenty of humor in this story about the three generations. The relationship between Maggie and Michael is fairly comedic, as they tease each other and share jokes. The writing is good, yielding dialogue that is fun and upbeat.

Rachel Boston is the keystone of the film, providing a cheerfulness that does not flag, even when her character deals with things that annoy her. There may not be a lot of depth in this story, but it is enjoyable.

I watched this movie for the third time the other night and I was impressed. Maybe I'm slow on the uptake. The main two characters took their time and warmed up to one another, gradually. These two are wounded ducks, so to speak, each having lost a spouse and that makes them cautious about love and commitment. Both have children which makes things even more complicated and their slowness in realizing that they are attracted to one another is natural. The puns the two main characters tossed back and forth was at first mildly awkward for me but when you are dating and comfortable you let down your guard and let the real person out. I do recommend this movie but you need to be patient and let it unfold.

This is mostly a typical story with some minor differences. In ways, it's not a lot different than the last movie starring Boston and Campbell, The Last Bridesmaid. The leads hang together avoiding any sense they are dating each other. In this one, they knew each other already and decide to help each other enter the dating market by "practicing". Add to that story a daughter that has a crush but spends time with her lab partner and grandmother who already is well on her way to a new beau.

Boston and Campbell have great chemistry together. Any couple who can banter the "bad" jokes and puns so smoothly has to have chemistry. They have tons of fun together and the audience tags along.

The ex-husband is there mostly as a stereotype of an absolutely terrible dad. He was a little too much.

There are no great highs or lows and definitely no surprises but the movie is still fun.

8.2 stars.

Two single parents start to practice date each other so they can be prepared for real dating. After a couple of outings, what if one of them hopes for this to be more than practice?

This is another wonderful film that caught me off guard. The title is not the most flattering, but since four out of five Delaneys are dating, it makes sense. There are a lot of really corny puns and dad jokes interspersed throughout, but it makes for decent comedy, fills the gaps, and it's a family movie. It is cringe at times, but it's still fun. To elaborate: the two leads go on several fake dates because they agree they need practice for the real thing. We can see that this gradually becomes more than practice. Classic Hallmark.

After time passes and together they have honed her skills for real dates, we expect her to catch a hint, but she chooses to ignore it. Does she like him for more than a friend, it's difficult to ascertain. I feel it's her subtle way of getting on board with the idea that he could be Mr. Right. She is a real jokester, and this feels like a very secretive scheme on her part, he is the butt of the ultimate joke...but we will never know for sure.

The anticipation is palpable, we are rooting for this to work out, which Hallmark always delivers. This film is a hiatus from the usual formulaic humdrum, a pleasant vacation from the same old construct. There is no critical moment, no temporary falling out, no major misunderstanding or disagreements, no interrupted kiss...this is simply about a woman going on a bunch of meaningless dates, each man being stranger than the last.

On inconsistency that affects the credibility of her character is when she is dating the wine tasting symphony enthusiast. This guy is a total troll of the worst kind and I can't imagine anyone would tolerate his attitude and behavior. He was disgusting, and her reaction was inconceivable. Any normal woman would have doused him with her wine and stormed out.

The side stories were well developed and added so much to this film: the daughter and her crush, the sons with basketball, and fishing, and the ex-husband being a half-hearted lame dad. There is so much depth to this film, it's a must see.