Love on the Sidelines (2016)

Best movie of this year hands down!

Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Holy football, this was good.Star of this movie was no doubt Master Emily Kinney; not only for her reputation, but also her core performance. Gotta say, since her first appearance, she's got this "I can do a perfect romantic comedy" vibe. And she did. Her portrayal of Laurel Welk truly brought constant chuckles, and her hair's amazing! Think I'm gonna use her hairstyle my next sketch model.From Laurel Welk's first appearance and comments on athletes her voice got me smiling I couldn't stop. Laurel's first introduction to Danny Holland - that was bright and funny mixed with a little... badass; she held up amazingly nice against Danny's gender-biased arguments(The Notebook line was an awesome touch). Her comments about "athlete dating model a cliché". Her dog skills reminded me of another Hallmark movie character, Gridley Maxwell(Surprised by Love, 2014). Her encounter with Isaiah totally LIFTED the funny level, and all Isaiah's comment on Laurel was, "I need a new publicist"... ha, ha, ha.And the comedic fair continues. Against Danny's "Girl" comment Laurel replied with a "Jock" - the mere sound of the word sounds comedic, and spoken from Master Kinney's voice, in that tone - multiple comedic stack-ups. And - wait. Ron Lucas gets Danny's nerve every time he chats with Laurel, even to the point Danny pains to think Ron's seeing Laurel? Think anyone can get what that means. Then a fifty-pound dog food? Sure, "stronger than she looks" - she's Beth from the Walking Dead! Funny carry scene, though.Date night with Hunter clearly got sabotaged, and Laurel was really like, Dennis from Dennis the Menace, got caught after playing a mischief then nervously say, "hi..." Also, "Trade secret" was truly nice touch.And later, with the comedic and romance going more balanced, Master Kinney's Laurel character still makes me smile uncontrollably(maybe I smile a lot but it doesn't matter), and that's pretty amazing. And when they hit critical mass and kiss - even though in a movie, with a fictional story, through a screen - sparks still fly, and a romance blast wave still ignites. That's amazing.This new gig truly made me like Master Kinney. Hope I can see more of her in Hallmark later on - Oh, she's gooood.

Very cute movie! A bit more intelligent than the usual Hallmark stuff. Sparkling dialogue and good casting. At first I wasn't gonna watch it as I know nothing about football but I was delighted to find out that it was light on the spory and long on the romance!I did not know Emily Kinney before, she is adorable. And the lead male is quite handsome... I really liked the young woman who played Ava. I would like to see her star in something. Thanks for making my Saturday nite more enjoyable.

3 cheers for this made-for-TV football-flavored rom-com that spikes it in the end zone... We get to see a whole different side of The Walking Dead's super-talented Emily Kinney, who plays a perky upbeat personal assistant to an earnest pro-football champ quarterback (Canadian Ken doll John Reardon) who's been sidelined with a leg injury... Alas she's an aspiring fashion designer who knows nothing about sports (but needs a job and so is willing to fake it), and so you've got some built-in nerd vs. jock friction at the outset, but since this is a Hallmark movie, you can safely predict the final resolution -- heck, it's revealed in the film's title!... The fun is getting the ball down the field, so to speak, as the writers and director have cleverly plotted and paced the arc of their romance... There's only a smattering of hardcore football footage, as most of the action takes place off the field, as he hobbles around his home/office or his sports bar hangout, but football fans will be delighted to see none other than the legendary Joe Theismann (who was famously sidelined himself with a devastating real-life leg injury) ) in a rare acting role as the hero's father... In all, a lighthearted romantic romp whose leads are easy on the eyes... Score an extra point for Kinney, a TV and Broadway vet (and accomplished singer/songwriter) , whose film career will surely get jump-started with her victorious star turn here...

I saw this charming movie at a sneak preview at the USC School of Cinema a few nights ago. Emily Kinney was present for a Q&A. She is wonderful in this movie and there's great chemistry between her and John Reardon who plays the role of Danny Holland. Emily reminds me of a young Judy Holiday and she has great comic timing.The story is about a young woman (Emily Kinney) who lands a job as a personal assistant to a slightly chauvinistic and egotistic star quarterback who is sidelined with an injury. He never had a female assistant, and she knows nothing about football. There's great banter between the two and the side characters are fun and more than the usual stereotypes. There's also a small role featuring legendary NFL quarterback, Joe Theismann (as Danny's father).