I have been guilty as a reviewer for getting hung up on a ridiculous premise and not enjoying the movie. I will probably do it again since reviewing can be so subjective.
This movie has a fairly unique premise and story. Unfortunately both have real problems meeting the world of reality. Many romance novels use gambling debts as a vehicle to pass the debt on to children, because although legally children aren't responsible for parents debt, those who collect gambling debts don't always strictly follow the law. But we couldn't do that in this movie because Grandpa has to be a stellar human being with no apparent faults. (There are ways parents medical bills can pass on to children, but they don't seem to apply in this case. One that I faced personally was after I had collected inheritance. Up to a point in time I was also responsible for debts which must be settled as an obligation prior to inheritance.) Likewise there were other legal mechanics during the movie that seemed funky. Fortunately Julie did not finish the sentence that started "They said that if I don't pay by December 31, then ..." That's because there is no valid ending to that sentence other than perhaps filing a lawsuit which she could easily win since she already paid.
But I digress. Forget everything in the previous paragraph because that's just stuff. The details were poorly worked out, but the idea was what counted and this was an unusual approach to that story line.
More important is the interaction between the characters. There is tremendous loyalty. There's family love and nostalgia. There's love and generosity. The is helping those in need. There is an optimistic and enthusiastic kid. (Actually two if you count Julie's student.) And there is a romance developing. (Another irritating detail in the story is how Julie gets very angry about Nick's past employment history. This too seems a stretch.)
I thought the two leads did have chemistry and their performances were supported by several other characters. Clem himself was a very interesting character and added a lot to the movie. Clem was probably equally as much a main character as Nick and Julie.
I chose to press on and enjoy the good things in the movie despite some irritating aspects with the details.
This movie has a fairly unique premise and story. Unfortunately both have real problems meeting the world of reality. Many romance novels use gambling debts as a vehicle to pass the debt on to children, because although legally children aren't responsible for parents debt, those who collect gambling debts don't always strictly follow the law. But we couldn't do that in this movie because Grandpa has to be a stellar human being with no apparent faults. (There are ways parents medical bills can pass on to children, but they don't seem to apply in this case. One that I faced personally was after I had collected inheritance. Up to a point in time I was also responsible for debts which must be settled as an obligation prior to inheritance.) Likewise there were other legal mechanics during the movie that seemed funky. Fortunately Julie did not finish the sentence that started "They said that if I don't pay by December 31, then ..." That's because there is no valid ending to that sentence other than perhaps filing a lawsuit which she could easily win since she already paid.
But I digress. Forget everything in the previous paragraph because that's just stuff. The details were poorly worked out, but the idea was what counted and this was an unusual approach to that story line.
More important is the interaction between the characters. There is tremendous loyalty. There's family love and nostalgia. There's love and generosity. The is helping those in need. There is an optimistic and enthusiastic kid. (Actually two if you count Julie's student.) And there is a romance developing. (Another irritating detail in the story is how Julie gets very angry about Nick's past employment history. This too seems a stretch.)
I thought the two leads did have chemistry and their performances were supported by several other characters. Clem himself was a very interesting character and added a lot to the movie. Clem was probably equally as much a main character as Nick and Julie.
I chose to press on and enjoy the good things in the movie despite some irritating aspects with the details.