jerrylazar Review of Love on the Sidelines

Love on the Sidelines (2015 TV Movie)

Delightful rom-com with sports twist (spoilers!)

[10/10 · 17 January 2016]

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...