I became a fan of Joely Fisher from her 2003—2005 television series, Wild Card, but I have to admit to having encountered very little of her work since.
In this Valentine-themed vehicle, Ms. Fisher's character is Eve Lovett (get it?), a hard- and Mercedes-driving, love-deprived talk show host. The "head office" (a.k.a. "Cupid, Inc.") takes notice of her advancement toward middle age, along with her loveless state, and sends a representative (the Ghost Whisperer's Jamie Kennedy) to offer her a deal: successfully set up another couple by Valentine's Day, and her own true love will be revealed. Naturally, not all of Eve's attempts at matchmaking are successful (nor a total failure, either), but who said love is easy?
Debra Messing is sometimes credited with being the one to have inherited Lucille Ball's talent for physical comedy, but while most of her work here is dramatic comedy, Joely Fisher isn't so bad in that department, either. Here, she has a subtly humorous "spy scene" involving a friendly plant. (Later, she channels Mary Martin's Peter Pan to somewhat lesser effect.)
About halfway through our movie, it threatens to become sappy and trite; but it is quickly redeemed from this (in the words of our star) "technical mistake" by a surprise plot twist. Indeed, this is but one example of the clever elevation of dialog and plot above the ordinary by our scriptwriter, yet unidentified in these IMDb pages (as of this writing).
The first half of many TV movies these days seems to drag, whether due to some attempt at character development or just plain filler, leaving all the fun to the climax and conclusion. Not here. The energy grabs one's attention from the outset and sustains throughout the film, making this an effective and engaging flick for cozying up to one's valentine (be it dog or man).
In this Valentine-themed vehicle, Ms. Fisher's character is Eve Lovett (get it?), a hard- and Mercedes-driving, love-deprived talk show host. The "head office" (a.k.a. "Cupid, Inc.") takes notice of her advancement toward middle age, along with her loveless state, and sends a representative (the Ghost Whisperer's Jamie Kennedy) to offer her a deal: successfully set up another couple by Valentine's Day, and her own true love will be revealed. Naturally, not all of Eve's attempts at matchmaking are successful (nor a total failure, either), but who said love is easy?
Debra Messing is sometimes credited with being the one to have inherited Lucille Ball's talent for physical comedy, but while most of her work here is dramatic comedy, Joely Fisher isn't so bad in that department, either. Here, she has a subtly humorous "spy scene" involving a friendly plant. (Later, she channels Mary Martin's Peter Pan to somewhat lesser effect.)
About halfway through our movie, it threatens to become sappy and trite; but it is quickly redeemed from this (in the words of our star) "technical mistake" by a surprise plot twist. Indeed, this is but one example of the clever elevation of dialog and plot above the ordinary by our scriptwriter, yet unidentified in these IMDb pages (as of this writing).
The first half of many TV movies these days seems to drag, whether due to some attempt at character development or just plain filler, leaving all the fun to the climax and conclusion. Not here. The energy grabs one's attention from the outset and sustains throughout the film, making this an effective and engaging flick for cozying up to one's valentine (be it dog or man).