Yes this movie is touching and does a good job of dramatizing these amazing lives. Several things stand out to me from this movie.
I was very concerned about the pressure Emma received even from her mom to allow things to progress as rapidly as Kendall and Brad were taking it. For one thing, her mom seemed to be keeping the budding relationship on the down-low.
I was amazed that the idea of a 6 month engagement was so abhorrent to so many people in the story. This is the Hallmark movie effect taken to an extreme that is almost irresponsible. For those of us who watch dozens of Hallmark movies every year, we kind of ignore the fact that every couple falls in love in days, if not less. It is a form of time compression that is usually a kind of poetic license. But in real life it is irresponsible to make lifetime commitments so quickly. You can't learn what you need to know about a life partner in such short periods of time. Failure to really know a potential partner leads to surprises that even "love" can't always save. I know few couples with shorter engagements and those also including courtships of at least a similar if longer length.
There is a scene at a bus stop that captures the risks for people with these inherent emotional challenges. And what happens next? Everyone gangs up on Emma for trying to be responsible. Emma may have overreacted some, but the sequence showed what potential consequences might have resulted if the couple were not guided through their relationship carefully. When the very grim faced lady police officer spoke to Emma afterward, I half expected her to say that she was referring the case to CPS before I remembered Kendall wasn't technically a child. I at least expected some warning to be more careful.
On the plus side, Lily D. Moore played Kendall in such an uplifting and positive way.
Also a plus, I liked the way Emma dealt with Kendall's dad.
Erica Durance had a difficult part trying to play the protective mother yet not being overly oppressive. I was happy to see Emma make good choices in that regard. This mother really loved her child and resisted the choice of making everything about her (Emma).
There was actually screen time for a romance between Nic and Emma. Ayres and Durance worked several seasons together on Saving Hope and it is not surprising to see them connect so easily.
The movie is enjoyable, but my concerns over a rushed relationship in this special case left me with mixed feelings.
