Dating the Delaneys movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Dating the Delaneys

This sweet, multi-generational romance is now available on the Hallmark channel.

RATING: TV-G

LENGTH: 1 hour 24 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: B+

IN A NUTSHELL:

The movie follows three generations of Delaney women as they explore the highs and lows of modern-day dating, discovering that love and romance can be found at any age, and even where you least expect it.

The film was directed by Allan Harmon and written by Jennifer Barrow.

THINGS I LIKED:

The movie stars three lovely leading ladies: Rachel Boston, Zoe Christie, and Karen Kruper. Rachel Boston oozes genuine warmth as an actress. Zoe Christie’s character is an annoying, snarky, and funny teen. She was also in the movie Honor Society, which I recently reviewed and got a kick out of. Check it out! She looks a bit old to be playing a teenager. In fact, I tried to Google her age, but no one knows it! Smart actress, eh?
I loved the spin on the classic romance movie of seeing three generations of women as they navigate their own love lives while supporting one another. It’s fun to see what romance looks like at different ages.
Seriously, didn’t that new kid in school kind of look like a young Josh Groban? He’s played by Riley Davis.
All of the characters know each other at the beginning of the movie, which is also a fairly new spin on the traditional romance movie by Hallmark.
I thought the TV show’s name “Make it, bake it, cake it” was pretty funny and actually sounded like a real name. Ha ha
We see really good examples of good conversationalists and terrible ones. So many awkward teen moments.
The photo scavenger hunt game on cell phones is such a cute idea. I’m going to try it!
Pineapple-upside down cake? Pineapple on pizza? Yes, I love them both.
The movie is sweet and family-friendly for all ages.
There is some cute humor to keep things light and breezy.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

If you hate puns, brace yourself! There are a TON of them in this movie! One of the characters says, ‘Puns are the lowest form of humor”, but I like them.
It makes me laugh that so many romance movies feature a woman who owns a bakery. Hallmark sure knows what women like.
A ringing cell phone never stopped me from a kiss! That always happens in cliched romantic scenes.
Chocolate bacon cake? Nope.
If Maggie didn’t have such self-confidence, Devan’s underhanded compliments could have been offensive. Most of those lines felt like they would have an automated laugh track to ensure you knew they were supposed to be funny. In the real world, they’re often insulting and hurtful.
How could Maggie have been so clueless that Michael was interested in her?
I thought the camera angle on the kisses was strange. Maggie and Michael had good chemistry together when they were hanging out but none during the kissing scene. So disappointing!
You see the end coming within minutes of the movie starting.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

No profanity! Yay!
Kissing
Talk to your kids about how to find the hidden gems at their school. Just because someone is popular doesn’t guarantee the person is right for you.