Review

"Love on the Right Course: A Hole-in-One for Hallmark Movie Fans (and a Par for Everyone Else)"

Ah, Love on the Right Course, the 2024 rom-com that proves Hallmark movies are like golf: you either love them or you’re lying about loving them. This film is the cinematic equivalent of a perfectly manicured putting green—predictable, aesthetically pleasing, and occasionally frustrating when you realize you’ve seen this exact shot before. But hey, if you’re a fan of Hallmark holiday movies, you’ll feel right at home here. If not, well, grab a putter and try to keep up.

The plot is as straightforward as a 300-yard drive: Emma (played by the perpetually charming but suspiciously always-single Hallmark lead) is a big-city event planner who returns to her small hometown to save the local golf course from being turned into a parking lot. Enter Jake (the ruggedly handsome but emotionally unavailable golf pro), who’s as good at swinging clubs as he is at delivering lines like, “I don’t need your help… but maybe I do.” Spoiler alert: they fall in love. Shocking, I know.

The movie is packed with all the Hallmark staples: a quirky best friend who exists solely to give advice, a montage of Emma and Jake bickering while decorating for the town’s annual “Golf & Gala” fundraiser, and at least one scene where someone spills coffee on someone else’s shirt. There’s even a subplot involving a stray dog that somehow becomes the emotional core of the film. (Side note: Can we get a Hallmark movie where the dog is the main character? Asking for a friend.)

What sets Love on the Right Course apart from other Hallmark movies is its commitment to the golf theme. There are more golf puns here than there are sand traps on a poorly designed course. “You’ve really driven your way into my heart,” Jake says at one point, and I swear I heard the screenwriter high-fiving themselves in the background. The film also features a climactic golf tournament where Emma, who hasn’t touched a club since she was 12, somehow sinks a 50-foot putt to save the day. Sure, it’s unrealistic, but so is the idea that a small-town golf course can be saved by a bake sale and a heartfelt speech.

In the end, Love on the Right Course is exactly what you’d expect from a Hallmark movie: sweet, formulaic, and just cheesy enough to make you roll your eyes while secretly reaching for the tissues. If you’re a fan of Hallmark holiday movies, this is your jam. If not, well, at least the dog is cute. Final verdict: It’s a birdie for Hallmark fans, but a bogey for everyone else. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go practice my putting… or maybe just rewatch The Christmas Card for the 47th time.