Unleashing Mr Darcy (2016) [D: David Winning. Cindy Busby, Ryan Paevey, Elizabeth McLaughlin]. I recorded this because I'm always interested in attempts to rework Pride and Prejudice. Lizzie Scott is fired from her private school job because she insists that the basketball star (son of a Board member) should earn his marks. This plot thread later gives Mr Darcy an opportunity to help her.
She moves in with her aunt, who's a dog fancier. They show their dogs at a fancy dog show, judged by Mr Darcy, who's somewhat arrogant, very wealthy, etc. And who lives across the street. And whose dog has just delivered the cutest puppies you can imagine. And who needs someone to look after the puppies while he's away on business. And so it goes, in this lame riff on Pride and Prejudice. Biggest problem: Lizzie is supposedly 31 years old and an established professional. Yet she acts like a 15 year-old suffering her first "I don't like him, but those eyes!!!" crush. The dog shows aren't properly staged, either.
Give this one a pass, unless you like snorting at badly done cliches of romance and enjoy sussing parallels between two versions of the same material. Or want to suffer through another example of Awful Movies That You Watch Despite Yourself. *
Review of Unleashing Mr. Darcy
Unleashing Mr. Darcy
(2016 TV Movie)
If you like cute puppies, you'll tolerate this movie
14 April 2020