Puppy Love Review: The Amazon Prime Video Freevee movie stars Grant Gustin as Max Stevenson, Lucy Hale as Nicole Matthew along with Nora Davis, Christine Lee, Al Miro and others. The romantic comedy is co-written by Greg Glienna, Peter Strass, Kirsten Guenther, Dan Scheinkman and Richard Alan Reid. It is directed by Nick Fabiano and Richard. The runtime is of 105 minutes.
– Puppy Love Review Contains No Spoilers –
Puppy Love Movie Review Plot Summary
In Prime Video Freevee’s Puppy Love, Max Stevenson is a socially awkward/anxious person perpetually concerned about his health and well-being and an aspiring singer/musician. We learn that he became like this after he got COVID-19 during the pandemic. His therapist suggests he go out and make friends. Max befriends a dog named Chloe to see if a pet can help him.
There’s Nicole, completely opposite to Max. She’s a Home Stager by profession and ends up with a dog named Channing Tatum. Max and Nicole meet on a dating app, but their first date (along with the dogs) goes horribly wrong. However, their dogs end up having sex, so the two have no choice but to keep meeting.
Puppy Love (2023) Movie Discussion
The idea of dogs becoming cupids for two strangers is fascinating and cute. But what looks good on paper cannot always be executed perfectly on screen. Max and Nicole have a lot of differences, but there’s hardly any room for their bond to grow. Much time is spent on other dates and arguments between the two. There are moments when the two get to know each other, but it’s not enough to showcase the sparks between them.
More than the love story, I was impressed with how the makers showed Max’s health anxiety. The pandemic impacted everyone differently. We know about the loss of lives, the financial mess and people losing their jobs. But it’s also true that some people started fearing going out, became anti-social and perpetually worried about their eating habits and health.
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Puppy Love is a romantic comedy, but it lacks good romance. The only scenes that made me laugh were the ones featuring Max and his reactions to things that go out of control. The tone of the narrative is quite dull. The dogs are adorable, but their cuteness isn’t enough to make us go “aww” or fall in love with the film. Such rom-coms have a predictable ending, so what stays with the viewer is how the love story was shaped. But there’s no moment between Max and Nicole or even the dogs that stays with us. Even the dialogue doesn’t flesh out any deep emotions.
Coming to performances, Grant Gustin has played Max Stevenson phenomenally. Grant aptly portrays the panic and overwhelming emotions of someone who’s socially anxious and constantly fears that something bad will happen. As it’s intended to generate some laughs, the actor makes you chuckle with his performance. Lucy Hale gives a decent performance as Nicole Matthew. But apart from Nicole’s job and living life to the fullest attitude, there’s not much we know about her. Even the scenes with her family have no impact.
Puppy Love Review: Final Thoughts
Overall, dogs becoming cupids for two odd and conflicting strangers is an endearing idea. But in the movie, these two individuals mostly argue and have little time to build an emotional bond. I wish we had better sweet moments between Max and Nicole instead of focusing on random other dates.
The movie is available to stream on Prime Video Freevee.
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