Duck: Friends, when it comes to Puppy Love, it’s super-ducking strange for a duck to dig a film about dogs, but just because a movie star might *actually eat you* doesn’t make them less talented. And this cast, canines included, did a DUCK of a great job of making Puppy Love compelling. Even to a duck.
Star: What’s not to love about that?
Duck: The duck a l’orange bit, Star. Although thankfully, the film contains no duck-based entrees.
Star: Right! Well, I’ll start by praising Lucy Hale (playing Nicole) and Grant Gustin (playing Max) for their extraordinary comedic talents and ducking sparkling chemistry. As the film progresses, these actors flesh out their characters beautifully—the further we got, the more invested we were.
Duck: Hale and Gustin did a flipper-tickling job of a karaoke scene near the end of the film. Not to give any flipper-sucking spoilers, but let’s just say these actors have emotional range, and ducks LOVE emotional range.
Star: These actors can profound just as well as they do ri-duck-ulous.
Duck: Emotional range, Star. That’s what I’m quacking about.
By the way, here’s a picture of me looking as non-ducklike as possible, bravely practicing giving a dog (who might eat ducks) The Flipper. It’s a duck’s way of saying, “No ducking way.”
Star: Good thinking, Duck. You tell ’em.
Anyway, in Puppy Love, the dogs were really well-integrated into the storyline too. The characters’ became so emotionally attached to their pups throughout the story, being brave for their dogs and prioritizing their wellbeing. These four-legged friends help these characters to grow, yet there are also some truly whacky pet moments. It was lovely.
Duck: We’re not going to lie. It’s possible to be offended by some of the stuff these characters sometimes say—it isn’t all okay. Yet these moments give rise to jokes that are super-ducking funny, and when that happens, (and the offense isn’t so deep that it make us feel icky,) we find the scream-worthy laughter trumps it all. That was Puppy Love. I was quacker-laughing so ducking hard that Star had to rub my flippers just so I could breathe again. And that’s saying something, because I have extra-large beak-holes.
Star: I haven’t laughed that hard in a DUCK of a long time. And you know what, Duck? This film offers a lot of diversity, too. Max is a character with deep anxiety, not to mention a dependency on hand sanitizer since he got COVID-19. He’s afraid of being around others on a deep level, and after a dicey start, Nicole eventually supports Max’s mental health needs. Sure, I’ve seen characters with anxiety in romance movies before, but it’s rare for such a character to be so compelling and complex as Max. I’m officially a fan of Gustin’s performance. Bravo to Puppy Love for bringing us neurodiverse characters!
Duck: We had good racial diversity too, and I have a flipper proudly raised towards Nore Davis’s brilliant comedic portrayal of Sid. The pondwater was choppy as I took my paddle this morning because I was still quacker-laughing about Sid’s moments in Puppy Love. All in all, Puppy Love did a great job with diversity. It’s true that this world seemed perfect for greater LGBTQIA+ representation. That said, some of these characters might actually be LGBTQIA+-identified—I could totally see that, especially among the more minor characters. That “feel” is part of diversity too.
Star: As writers ourselves, we send huge kudos to Greg Glienna, Peter Stass, Kirsten Guenther, Dan Scheinkman, and Richard Alan Reid for this funny, sweet, thoughtful screenplay. We were rapt. So many great moments!
Duck, are you okay? You appear to be shivering!
Duck: I just remembered what dogs do to ducks!
Star: It’s alright! The dogs in Puppy Love would probably run the other way if they saw you.
Duck: Well, that makes me feel a DUCK of a lot better, but ….
Star: Go on, sweetie. Quack it out.
Duck: But what if they think I’m a CHEW TOY?
Star: Well, friends, I’m off to show Duck the difference between him and a chew toy. Just in case that helps.
Duck: Thank duck! My flippers are clammy!
Star: I promise to soothe him until he quacker-snores. Thanks for reading, friends!
At the time of writing, you can watch Puppy Love here:
Amazon Prime (via Freevee)
Google Play (rental)
Fandango At Home (rental)
YouTube (rental)
Apple TV (rental)
Photo for featured image via Amazon Prime. Design by Star Tavares.
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