Buddy, il pastore di Natale

Why couldn't she have said her husband found the dog outside his Barracks in Iraq or Afghanistan? Anybody know when we last had troops in Beirut? 83? 84? Do better.

It's about a selfish father and daughter that refuse to return a dog to its rightful owner.

Most of these Hallmark stories are not for rocket scientists but are just pleasant holiday fare. And I always see mistakes. This movie was supposedly set in Massachusetts and its environs. The woman lived an hour from Boston. But when they were "in town" buying a Christmas tree you could see huge sheer cliffs and ocean in the background. Clearly NOT Massachusetts. I wish the producers would give viewers more credit for intelligence and pay more attention to details like this. My other objection is that the credits at the end are squished into about a #2 font so that you cannot read them. This is the fault of the network. I like to see location and music credits and even some of the other actors' names but it is impossible when they reduce the credits to practically nothing. Many of the channels do this and I find it frustrating.

If you're looking for Anna Karenina or something cerebral, look elsewhere. If you're looking for an enjoyable holiday movie with decent acting and a nice story, pull up a chair. You do have to suspend your ideas about dog ownership rights but it's not really a crisis. I don't think Hallmark was making any kind of a political statement. I wasn't looking for a bullet proof plot and so I don't think it bothered me much. I chocked the little bit of fluff up to setting up the story. It's an entertaining little movie... just don't take the premise too seriously and enjoy it for what it is. I thought the acting was fine, especially the lead female.

I have just spent a rainy afternoon watching a set of Hallmark Xmas movies. Some were good, and some were quite bad. This one was enjoyable. I liked how realistic it was about dating and being older and alone and what a hassle it is to try to 'date". Then the fear a person can feel when they meet someone. It was very respectful to the spouses who were no longer with them. It was a lighthearted, well acted sweet movie. The two lead actors and the kid where all very good. Of course the dog was good too. It kept away from the corniness that many movies like this tend to lapse into. If you want to watch a feel good, slightly romantic sweet movie, that also has a realistic more "quiet" ending, this is a good one.