Story: Following a disastrous first date, Nicole and Max agree to block each other’s phone numbers until their dogs Chloe and Channing find love. These two individuals have nothing in common with one another except the fact that they share similar dog breeds. The two people are forced to act as parents although their personalities do not match at all. They experience friendship, family, and ultimately love as they journey.
Review: Although the general plot of “Puppy Love” is built on a popular theme of dogs being matchmakers in romantic comedies, it does not meet these expectations. The film is void of romance or funny scenes that make it boring.
The film begins by introducing Max Stevenson (played by Grant Gustin), who is anti-social and has neurosis that he works through with his shrink. She suggests getting a puppy so that he can overcome his social anxiety when around people. As Chloe listens to everything Max says quietly, she becomes his companion throughout his life. Meanwhile, Nicole (played by Lucy Hale) is a hot mess with an attitude who has sworn off anything romantic or meaningful from her life. A stray named Channing comes into her life and serves as a catalyst for her healing process. Having found a mother in Nicole, Channing also relates to Chloe thus bringing both Nicole’s and Max’s lives closer.
Gustin does outstanding work in this movie playing the lead role but Hale is just okay which could be attributed to how little her character arc grows throughout entire story. Unfortunately, there isn’t much chemistry between these 2 actors.
The script tries to dig deep into the characters’ emotional journey especially dealing with PTSD for max as well as gatekeeping issues linked with trauma for Nicole leading them both towards love but I believe its poor execution left me feeling empty inside since it failed to create any emotional bonds with its audience thereby also falling short of comedy expectations making its tasteless nature felt even more than before they set off. There is no connection to the humorous premise of dogs being matchmakers in this comedy, with poorly executed comedic scenes that are out of sync with viewers.
Directed by Nick Fabiano and Richard Alan Reid, “Puppy Love” doesn’t live up to the expectations placed on it as a movie but rather depends heavily on lead performances and the cute nature of puppy love story to keep viewers entertained throughout. Poor writing coupled with weak execution made an impact of forgettable film experience on me.
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