Image via: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/taking-the-reins
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I’ve been looking forward to this movie since the first preview because…HORSES!!! But horses weren’t the only thing capturing my heart here. Below is a quick re-cap and my full two cents.
Quick Re-Cap
Sam, a journalist, wants to write her first cover story. Her boss tells her that the best way to make that happen is to find a story that’s personal to her. Sam decided the best way to do that is to return home and cover a jumping competition at her parents house. What she doesn’t know is that her parents hired her ex-husband as a trainer for the competition. What could possibly happen in the two weeks before the competition? 🙂
My Two Cents
Hallmark hit me right in the feels with this movie. From the opening scene where Sam is on a date completely distracted by the horse jumping competition to the final competition, I loved every horsey minute.
But the non-horsey parts of the movie? I’m not so sure. After the first 20 minutes, I was tired of Sam and Luke fighting. Luckily, that’s mostly where the fighting ended…over a couch named Winston.
Hold it a second! People name couches? I mean, I’ve heard of people naming cars and Tom Hanks named a volleyball Wilson. BUT A COUCH?! That made me squint and question the writers just a bit. But then we saw Sam and Luke start to move on and leave the major arguments behind.
Returning to the saddle after any amount of time is like coming home. After sitting on Rascal for two seconds, Sam took a deep breath and felt the connection between her and the horse in every part of her soul. Then her soul soared as she took off, which gave her the courage to open her heart further with a shared kiss.
I could make this whole blog post about horses and the unrealistic parts related to the horse parts, but really this is a romance movie. Not just any romance movie – this is Hallmark, so we know a few things are probably going to happen.
- The father who was planning on riding in the jumping competition will find himself unable to compete and Sam will need to take his place.
- Sam’s parents will be having difficulty with the farm and consider selling it or losing it.
- And Sam and Luke will have some falling out before finally coming together for good.
Predictable, but enjoyable accurately describes my final feelings for this movie. I can’t fully separate my love of watching the horses and riding from the movie itself though, so I’m a little biased.
It’s not one of the best Hallmark movies, but it has horses and heart. If these sound like things you enjoy in a movie, then give this one a shot. Happy movie watching y’all!
Have you seen it? What did you think? Leave a comment!
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