If you're looking for Anna Karenina or something cerebral, look elsewhere. If you're looking for an enjoyable holiday movie with decent acting and a nice story, pull up a chair. You do have to suspend your ideas about dog ownership rights but it's not really a crisis. I don't think Hallmark was making any kind of a political statement. I wasn't looking for a bullet proof plot and so I don't think it bothered me much. I chocked the little bit of fluff up to setting up the story. It's an entertaining little movie... just don't take the premise too seriously and enjoy it for what it is. I thought the acting was fine, especially the lead female.