Not quite a Touchdown, but at least a Field Goal

I did not hold high hopes for this one for a few reasons. First of all, there is the age thing, which probably bothers me more than it should for some reason. Ryan Paevey is 39 years old and it is absurd that he could credibly play a star wide receiver in the NFL. It is rare that wide receivers play much past age 30, and the youngest his character could be is 35. Secondly and sadly, I have not been much of a Pascale Hutton fan. She just always seems so placid and too mellow. I don’t watch When Calls the Heart, so maybe I would feel differently if I did.  Also, getting back to the age thing, she is 44 years old and is playing a character that must be at least 10 years younger.

But I was surprised. Ryan and Pascale were good together and totally believable as a couple, despite Erin, Pascale’s character, hitting the nurturing maternal thing pretty hard, and not only with her daughter. She really won me over with her comic timing delivering the humorous lines (“It’s a powerpoint. We’re doomed.”) and her skill with physical comedy as well. Her bee scene was a standout. The two actors seemed to play off each other very well and both seemed to be having a great time with this movie.

The plot was not much being the same old second chance romance of a former couple parted in their youth by a misunderstanding and lack of communication. It was made more tiresome because the lack of communication continued on and on until the end despite them becoming friends and then getting serious again. Briefly, Mike (Paevey) breaks multiple ribs in his first game after a long absence recovering from an ACL tear. Not surprising given his age. Sorry, not sorry. He goes home to recover and ends up helping his brother Jimmy by coaching the girls’ flag football team. Mike and Erin are reunited, she having mysteriously ghosted him after he was drafted by the Pros after college, breaking his heart. Her daughter has joined the girls’ team after being discounted and ignored trying to play on the boy’s team. The weakness of the plot was more than countered by the strong cast of characters. To single out just two, Kalyn Miles, Erin’s friend, and partner in their real estate firm was a standout, as was the always reliable Heather Doerksen as Danielle, Mike’s droll smart-mouthed sister-in-law who, along with her husband, immediately starts scheming to get the two reunited. The family dynamic adds a lot, as well as the adventures in coaching and the competition on the field as the girls go through the season and finally play the boys for the championship. I can’t help it: I love a good dose of girl power in my stories.

The strong cast was bolstered by some entertaining cameos: Ben Wilkinson as a sportscaster, and Kimberly Sustad appearing as a sideline reporter. Another favorite, Steve Bacic, played Mike’s quite dastardly agent who-spoiler alert!-gets satisfactorily fired at the end. I prefer him as a good guy, but he was well-cast.

It’s about time a football story was included in Hallmarks Fall lineup.