Puppy Love: A Spoiler-Filled Discussion
***As the title would suggest, full spoilers for Puppy Love follow***
https://open.spotify.com/episode/371vgQogT9vPbUK8rsoDS0
Now I'm not 100% certain how it works specifically but I know for certain that every person with an Amazon Prime has access to Freevee. Considering the service is ad supported, I'd venture a guess that anyone can watch it, even if they don't have an Amazon Prime account. All that is to say that Puppy Love is available on Freevee and it is not a bad use of an hour and a half.
What Worked
When the plot allows it, the chemistry between Max (Grant Gustin) and Nicole (Lucy Hale) is fantastic. That said (and this will definitely be explored further below) the narrative does not give them enough to work with. The relationship between Nicole and her best friend and Max and his best friend/boss are amusing and lead to some great comedic moments as well.
What Didn't Work
The key issue is that the relationship between Max and Nicole never gets the chance to develop into something that feels earned beyond just the movie is ending so they have to end up together. This also leaves the ending in a place where Max and Nicole getting together does not feel like a final win for the couple, this feels like them getting together and when the honeymoon period ends, they will both be back at square one and single.
Max's behavior and social anxiety are never clearly defined and only ever rear itself when it wants to go out of its way to actively set the relationship back. For example, the above sequence where Max has to ask for Plan B for the dog does not have Max acting socially awkward in a way where one would expect him to, the same goes for him agreeing to this public park date with dogs that inevitably fails. Yes, obviously he is taking the advice of his therapist (which could have made for an interesting through line had it carried through) but the step of "go on a date" being extrapolated to "go to a massive public park with your dog which is going to invite a ton of strangers to interact with you when we've already seen you struggle in that exact situation" is a bit too far. Every failure in the movie seems like it is because the characters are just acting outlandish for the sake of progressing the plot.
When Should You Watch This Movie?
Puppy Love is not the worst direct to streaming movie to come out, however it is also not the best. Really the recommendation for this movie comes down to the chemistry between Lucy Hale and Grant Gustin when they're allowed to showcase it and that one scene with the pharmacist in the beginning of the movie. Maybe check it out if you're looking for a good date night movie, but there isn't too much more to warrant a look, even if it is free.
★★★
