Branching Out movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Branching Out

This cute Hallmark is all about discovering your family’s ancestry, now playing on the Hallmark/Peacock channel.

RATING: TV-G

LENGTH: 1 hour 30 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: B+

SPONSOR of Today’s movie review: https://amzn.to/3xYSnUk

My twin sister and I wrote a book about how to find your roots and climb your family tree.

IN A NUTSHELL:

This sweet film is based on a true story. A young girl has a project at school to build her family tree but she doesn’t know who her biological father is her mom did IVF to get pregnant as a single mom. It becomes a journey of trust, love, and discovering the meaning of family.

The film was directed by Maclain Nelson.

THINGS I LIKED:

I hadn’t seen Sarah Drew, the protagonist, in anything before but I liked her a lot.
Cora Bella is completely adorable and does a great job as the young starlet.
Juan Pablo Di Pace does a good job straddling the “bad boy rock star” persona and a genuinely nice guy.
The title refers to family trees, but I like that it also alludes to the idea of being open minded and willing to try new things in your life.
The movie poster is pretty cute.
The movie takes place in Salt Lake City, Utah, where I was born!
We get to learn about Pando the famous tree in Utah. It’s a great illustration in the movie about how families are interconnected with extended family and even others.
I thought it was cute when Ruby, the little girl, described churros as “heaven on a stick.” True.
We get to see how to cook Birria tacos for a minute. Have you had those before? Yum!! In addition to that, we get to learn a little bit about the Latino culture, something I have a deep love for. I was an exchange student in Mexico when I was in high school, and lived in Spain while attending a university there for a time.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Like most Hallmark movies, it’s extremely predictable.
It’s always fun to spend time with really rich, successful people, eh?

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

A little girl asks for coffee.
Talk of a sperm donor. Your kids may have questions what that’s all about!

THEMES:

Genealogy (Discovering your roots)
Honoring your heritage
Family
Being able to count on people
Parenting
Sperm donors
The power of music

FUNNY LINES:

“It’s my word of the day: efficient.” – Ruby (Cora Bella)
“That’s not a tree; it’s more like a log.” – Ruby (Cora Bella)
“I guess you’re going to be SUPER old when you’re 18.” – Amelia (Sarah Drew)
“Are you doing okay?” – Amelia (Sarah Drew) “Are you kidding? I’m crushing it.” – Ruby (Cora Bella)
“My romantic fantasy is someone to do the dishes with.” – Amelia’s business partner

INTERESTING LINES:

“Remember to help somebody.” – Amelia (Sarah Drew)
“We never feel like the people we want to be, especially as parents.” – TJ’s dad
“Learn to do everything yourself in case you don’t have money or a man.” – Amelia (Sarah Drew)
“You aren’t defined by your genes or your parents. Only you get to decide who you are.” – Amelia (Sarah Drew)