In the movie, "Love and Sunshine", a nursery owner is fostering a retired military dog and falls in love with not only the dog but his military partner as well!
Plot summary and other info!
"Ally Craig has been fostering retired military dog, Sunshine, as she recovers from a broken engagement. But sparks fly again when Sunshine's military partner, Jake Terry, returns to claim the dog."
Released in 2019 as a part of Hallmark Channel's Summer Night's programming, "Love and Sunshine" was filmed in Vancouver Island, Canada and stars Danica McKellar and Mark Deklin.
Warning, spoilers ahead!
My thoughts
I just want to preface this by saying I do not know the intricacies of the military or military dogs, so I'm unsure how realistic those portions of the film are.
That being said, I thought the premise of this movie was pretty good and somewhat out of the box for a Hallmark movie.
Danica McKellar plays Ally, the owner of a plant nursery who also fosters military dogs until they can be reunited with their owners/handlers.
When we meet Ally she appears content with the status of her professional career and is a fairly happy-go-lucky woman aside from the fact she was recently dumped by her fiance.
Mark Deklin plays Jake, who has just returned home from a tour of duty in the Middle East. He's very much a family guy with a big heart and a genuine warmth about him.
The chemistry between him and Ally is wonderful! The actors are a bit on the older side (which I appreciate) so they bring an air of maturity to their characters and the relationship they develop (which I also appreciate)!
This love story is a slow build and totally believable! They initially meet when Jake goes to Ally's house to pick up his dog, Sunshine. Noticing the attachment Ally has to Sunshine, he suggests a walk together before he leaves with the dog. So thoughtful and kind!
To show his gratitude to Ally for taking such good care of Sunshine, he begins doing little things for her such as fixing a broken rail, finishing her back deck...their relationship slowly grows and they bond over their recent breakups.
On paper, the movie has two love triangles, but neither of them really translate on screen. I'm so glad there really wasn't any contrived drama keeping our lead characters apart.
Jake has close relationships with his brother and mother, in fact we get quite a few whole family scenes which is nice. Jake's mother is a strong woman who's not afraid to set her son straight!
The dog is honestly one of the biggest, if not the biggest reason I enjoyed this movie! She is absolutely adorable and lights up the scenes she's in.
The ending of the film is a bit different than what we're used to with Hallmark movies, and I loved it!
Final rating
Great chemistry, pretty scenery, a good plot, and a cute dog, what more could you ask for in a hallmark movie?! I really loved this movie and will continue to watch it again and again!
On a scale of 1 to 5, I give it a 5
What did you think of "Love and Sunshine"? Let me know in the comments below.
Leave a Comment!