I’ve never made any secret of the fact that I think that Nikki DeLoach is an average actress that could be picked out of any acting class. She’s never grabbed me with star power, always existed as a background or secondary part actress. And hey, there is no shame in that.
There are no small parts after all.
The actress has become a staple on Hallmark, which I have to say isn’t my favorite thing in the world. A channel whose movies that I normally love, has made me have to second guess watching some, as sitting through two hours of her feels like a chore. And quite frankly, I would rather do anything but that.
But, even as I protest, I find myself watching movies with her in them. I am not sure if I hate watch them or if I watch them because I love a Hallmark Movie. But here I sit, taking in Taking The Reins, and I am as shocked as anyone else that I am actually enjoying the movie.
The movie follows Samantha Barclay, a writer in New York who doesn’t like to go home, but is on the hunt for her next article. The one that can give her the cover of the magazine that she works for. She’s confused, she’s distant, and she’s got walls built around her that are really high.
Samantha’s search for her story leads her home where her family is hosting some big riding competition. Her Dad is so distant from her, treats her as if she’s just there. But he’s also hiding from her that he’s hired her ex-husband to train him for the competition.
Of course, she’s pissed that he’s there and that no one told her. She’s trying to be the bigger person and act as though it doesn’t bother her – but it does. And when she finds out that he’s living on the ranch, she gets even more angry.
But of course, this is a Hallmark movie and this is all about finding the roads that lead you back to people. Samantha ends up having to return to the sport that she quit – riding – because he father injured himself. She has a little over a week to prepare and needs her ex to train her.
The two of them aren’t meaning to find their way back to each other, but hey, sometimes that’s what happens. But the most important thing is that Samantha finds a way to relate to her father.
I know that Dads love their daughters, but sometimes the biggest distance between a daughter having a relationship with a man is the way that their father treats them. And Samantha has walls up because she’s got severe Daddy issues.
So seeing them work through it – it’s a beautiful thing. It’s an innocent thing, but also something so complex it’s a little scary.
I think that seeing Samantha work through her issues, find peace in her own heart and find peace in her life.
I hate to say it – but I relate to Samantha. And yes, I am as shocked as you when I say that I relate to a character that Nikki Deloach plays. She’s a woman that is on the verge, but she’s always been held back by something. And finding that something in ourselves is sometimes the scariest and hardest thing we can do.
But here’s the thing – Samantha could be so dynamic, but the limited range of the actress makes her there, a human being. She’s not encompassing. She’s not overwhelming. She’s just there.
It’s Samantha’s distance and unfamiliarity with her own feelings and heart that make her easy to relate to.
One just had to realize that Taking the Reins isn’t about horse riding or writing a story for a magazine. It’s about taking what is and remembering what could be. It’s about allowing yourself to let go and remember what you loved about things in the first place.
And hey, what’s not relatable about that?
Taking The Reins is streaming now on The Hallmark Channel.