Um Natal Animal

This movie was so bad. The acting might be the worst I've ever seen.

Who knows why these cheesy, made-for-TV movies appeal to me, but Netflix has me pegged and I am watching all of them.. 'A Dog Walker's Christmas Tale' claims to be set in Austin, Texas. As an Austin native, I am deeply offended. As an actual dog sitter, I could not believe that half of the actors were committed dog owners.

This movie is riding on Austin's coattails, likely because we have recently gained notoriety with the rest of the country. However, this movie does not actually take place in Austin, but instead a small, adjacent suburb that is the embarrassingly conservative cousin to our liberal, weird Austin. Perhaps 1% of the movie was actually filmed in Austin city limits, and that includes the brief shot of the downtown skyline during the opening credits. The rest was filmed primarily in Round Rock, which is night-and-day in aesthetic character. The backdrops of shops and landmarks do not at all authentically represent Austin. And yet, there are countless references to our capital city.

The plot revolves around dog lovers who congregate in a well-groomed dog park (again, the majority of Austin dog parks are torn up because dogs really PLAY in them). While I can handle the inevitable over-acting in these movies, only one or two of the actors really knew how to handle their four-legged counterparts. Most of these people were obviously uncomfortable, and reserved in their contact.

Overall, the plot, script, and execution were on par with all other films in this category. However I am definitely disappointed. I am an Austin dog walker, and was hoping to fall in love with the cheesy and romantic Christmas hope of falling in love with a fellow dog walker. Instead, I could only notice all of the drastic untruths.

Luce Lockhart wants a ruby necklace for Christmas, but can't afford it. A wealthy obnoxious developer friend offers to get her the necklace in exchange for taking her very large dog walking during the holidays. Luce really doesn't like dogs but she really likes rubies, so she agrees to do it. Along the way, she encounters an attractive dog walker at the dog park. Could romance blossom? Not if the developers (who happen to own the dog Luce is walking) bulldoze the park before it happens! Dog walkers from all over town converge on the park to find a way to take advantage of Luce's connection and stop the developers. Does Luce get the ruby necklace? Is Luz the Christmas miracle that saves the park for the dog walkers? Can dog walking lead to a walk down the aisle?

It's an interesting storyline when the dog shows up at the 23 minute mark until about an hour into it. Before and after that, the movie feels like walking your dog down the same road for the hundredth time to its predictable end. It's not the worst Christmas movie of 2015, but you might find walking your dog more enjoyable than watching it.

From the title itself you can tell that this will be no classic. It's a Christmas TV movie and expectations should be set at that level.

A rich girl meets a dog walker in the park and finds herself in a battle to save a local park from developers, which makes her re- evaluate her principles.

Like many of it's genre bedfellows it's very predictable and relies on the cast and the characters to make it a success. The cast do a good show with the limited material. Lexi Giovagnoli exudes a certain charm as the spoilt rich kid finally growing up and Jonathan Bennett does a half decent job as the activist. The back up cast are all adequate, with Timeca M. Seretti especially good in a cameo role as one of the dog walkers.

It's nicely filmed and there are a few hit and miss attempts at humour to go with the predictable romance. It's full to the brim with the usual Christmas messages i.e money isn't everything, family and friends mean the world etc. This is no bad thing but maybe they are forced home a bit too clumsily here.

You will pretty much know what's going to happen but as a very easy to watch Christmas movie, you could do a lot worse.

Cute story and fun actors. I liked this film because it was funny, Christmassy and not too serious. There was no inappropriate language or scenes. I wish there were more movies with these characters or some of the supporting actors. James Welch Henderson, Arkansas 12/22/2020