The More Love Grows isn’t a story about botany. Yes, that’s my opening line, because you have no idea how many people asked me just that. Was I asking them to watch a movie about plants?
Now granted, this is after Korean BBQ and a few bottles of soju, but here we are. Sometimes girls nights call for good food, good alcohol, and Hallmark. They call for me being blunt and crying over a movie that I can’t relate to in anyway, but I find beauty in.
And where as this story seems very easy to cover – a woman going through a separation and finding herself. But that’s the thing – it’s not so simple. Because you’ve got three generations of women who are finding themselves. They figure out what they are capable of by finding themselves and if we’re being honest, what is better than that?
Seeing people grow and find their own strength is a beautiful thing. And no, I am not saying that cause I have had alcohol. I am saying that because it’s a reality. Staying true, finding strength and beauty in who you are – these are all great things.
The More Love Grows is about love in all of its forms and embracing that you can fear love, but it’s still worth letting in and letting go of when you need it. It keeps you alive.
It’s About This: Just after Helen (Boston) and her husband Paul (Patrick Gilmore, “Family Law”) return home from moving their daughter Aly (Roan Curtis, “Firefly Lane”) into her college dorm, he breaks the unexpected news that he wants a separation. Not sure where to go from here, Helen struggles with her new-found single status. When an adorable, stray dog turns up on her doorstep, Helen reluctantly takes him in and dubs him Elmer…because he sticks to her like glue. He provides welcome company and also leads her to Ben (Christie), a veterinarian who helps her navigate first-time dog ownership. Slowly, Helen wiggles out of her comfort zone, rediscovers her inner strength and begins to rebuild her life as she starts down a new path full of promise and possibility.
It’s Giving: Three generations of women growing and learning and realizing that they don’t have to dull their light for anyone else and if they do feel like they have to dull their light, then that person isn’t worth their time.
Standout Performance: Lynda Boyd. We all need to have that friend in our life that reminds us that we are worthy. We all need to have that friend in our lives that reminds us that every one is going to have a ton of opinions, but really matters is what you do with your life. You need to follow your own heart. Lynda’s performance was just fantastic! Cindy is the friend that we all need.
Who To Watch It With (Or Not Watch It With): Don’t watch it with your Mama or maybe do. Cause Helen’s Mama is overprotective AF and she’s kinda annoying until she isn’t. There is a point of watching it where you can’t help but think you’re gonna have to tell your Mama that you were wrong and should have listened. But then…
Overall Not So/Way Too Deep Thoughts: I can’t imagine being a parent. Kinda selfish that way. Being a parent sucks in a way (just spit balling here) because you build your life around a child and then you have to let them go. They move on to do their own thing, live their own life, and build this amazing life.
For Helen, when she drops her daughter off at school and her husband leaves for a business trip. When he returns, he tells her that they should split up. He’s basically dumping her for being too boring.
At the same time, this stray dog keeps showing up at Helens door. She ends up taking the dog in because it’s cold outside. I love her taking in the dog, because I love anything that propels a plot forward and if it’s cute, even better.
The dog leads her to Ben, a divorced Dad and a vet student. He offers to see the dog, who she names Elmer, because he’s stuck to her like glue. Elmer doesn’t have a chip and she doesn’t know how they are going to have find its family. But Helen is not a dog person.
Until she is.
All of things that Helen was scared of, she starts to do. She starts to realize that she can stand on her own, that no one is going to do things for her. But she loves doing things for herself. She loves being on her own.
Helen finds strength in taking care of herself as well as Elmer. She finds a certain amount of strength in her new circumstances.
Helen’s daughter is trying to find her way in college and she’s failing. She’s trying to be popular, but it means that she’s also not taking the time that she needs to in order to study. It’s only when she is in danger of loosing her scholarship that she realizes that being popular isn’t what it’s cracked up to be.
Helen’s Mom is trying to force her to get back together with her ex-husband, and when Helen doesn’t want that to happen, she thinks that she’s a failure. She’s not. It’s not about her.
While I do love the relationship between Helen and Ben and how the naturally evolve, I felt a little bit like I wouldn’t want them together yet. We’re seeing all of this growth in Helen and I would have loved to have seen more. She needs to be herself. She needs her dreams to come true and well, to figure out what they are.
I love that Helen ends up getting to keep Elmer and that he ends up bringing everyone together. Helen finds the strength to be honest, as do all of the characters in the movie.
I think that finding your way and your path after things happen in life is the theme, I would have loved to have seen that there was moving forward without a relationship and figuring out who you are on your own.
IDK, though I loved it, I found that it was progressive, but sometimes I would love that we could see women being stronger without a relationship.
