Have Cheetah,Will View #175 – “Meet My Valentine” (2015)

It’s 5:44 pm
cold/rainy

As I was typing my “Human Target”review,I had a nagging feeling in my head….I had commented that the episode “Rewind” was my favorite from the first season. Part of that reason was the guest spot as a flight attendant given by an actress named Courtney Ford.
It wasn’t until I had posted my review when I realized that we had seen Courtney not that long ago but right about the time the cheetah and I started doing our reviews.
Now I had mentioned in our review of “Hide Away” that we needed to go back into the movie collection and review some past gems that needed to be talked about. Well with Courtney Ford on the brain and given a chance to talk about a film that we had watched….what a perfect time to come and Meet My Valentine.

Tom and Valentine Bishop seem to have the perfect life,both are working professionals,Tom (Scott Wolf) is a artist and gives lectures and Valentine (Courtney Ford) runs a catering business with her from Michael. They have a really sweet and smart daughter named Phoebe.

While Tom’s best friend,Mac, is a struggling comic,he is staying at the Bishop’s home and helps around the house while yearning for Valentine’s friend Brynn (Kristen Miller).
The truth be told is that Tom and Valentine are struggling a bit,Tom seems to have hit a roadblock in his career while Valentine is being encouraged to open her own restaurant with Michael and another friend,Esteban,backing her. She agrees to go for it as Michael as found the perfect building for them.

Tom on the hand,after giving another lecture,is sitting at a bar with his agent Byron. Byron comments on the beautiful women who are looking at Tom but after looking,says “I’m a happily married man” but his heart just doesn’t seem in it.
Tom comes home to get ready to go with Valantine,Brynn as they going to support Mac at a comedy club,he notices the wine glasses and figures that Valentine has gone ahead and decided to go after her dream. He tells her that she is “out of her league” which only adds tension to the couple.

At the comedy club,Tom experiences a crushing headache so bad that he goes to his doctor where he receives that news that he has brain cancer only has 9 months to a year to live. His doctor tells him what to expect as the tumors continue to grow in size.
Tom says nothing to Valentine and while at chemotherapy the very next day thinks about what to do.

He tells Mac what is going to happen and what he wants to do….he wants to find a potential suitor for Valentine  after Tom has died. The two brothers create a fluff story about setting up a fake profile up on a dating service using Valentine’s picture. It’s supposed to be a gag for Mac’s YouTube site.  Valentine finds it weird but supports it.
While the two men start their plan,Valentine and Brynn also talk about the cracks that are showing up in the Bishop’s marriage. Valentine wants to fix the marriage but doesn’t seem to know how to approach Tom about it.
Turns out that Tom has also discovered that he lost of what he knows about his wife when he starts creating her profile. After 15 years,what Tom has taken for granted is gone and he finds himself asking Phoebe what is Valentine’s favorite color.
The fact he has forgotten re-ignites Tom’s passion and he starts having small dates with Valentine.

The men Tom meets to interview all have huge flaws and egos,not a single candidate even comes close. Mac is urging Tom to come clean but Tom isn’t quite ready.
Valentine and Michael’s restaurant continues close closer to opening night and Valentine and Tom continue to re-connect.
Tom finds himself updating the profile with fact he rediscovers and while all seems good,Valentine knows Tom is hiding something and she is concerned despite the sudden closeness.
Time is against Tom as he has to decide when he tells Valentine he is dying and still finding the right man to love and cherish his family like he does……

Despite the rather incredible plot device of hiding a fatal illness and trying to find a suitable replacement (which is borderline offensive to me personally),we both thought “Meet My Valentine” was a noble effort and had it’s heart in the right place.
Of course in a film like this,its easy to let it come melodramatic and overwrought but director Brian Herzlinger has a fine cast who does a good job is showing restraint and letting Brady Smith (who also plays Michael) and Jay Black (playing Mac)’s script take center stage.
Wolf,who rose to fame on “Party of Five,has clearly moved past those days as he has racked up quite a fine resume. In “Valentine”,he shows he still has leading man chops and looks as Tom Bishop.  I would have liked to seen just a little emotion from him as we never really see him address his own fear until very late,this isn’t Wolf’s fault but it would have been nice to see.
It was really cool to see Kristen Miller back in a project,I loved her in “She Spies” and always thought her career would just explode after the show ended but it never really did and that is a damn shame because she is a really good actress who do comedy as well as sultry roles. While she is in the “best friend” support here,she brightens up the screen every scene she is in.
And last but not least was the really good performance of Courtney Ford as Valentine. She makes a perfect leading lady,looks,sass,real warmth and she makes it so easy. The emotion I said Wolf’s Tom should have shown,well Ford got a chance and it rang true if not a little underplayed. I see she has a role on The CW’s “Legends of Tomorrow” playing Nora Darhk,can’t wait to see her in another DC Comics superhero show….

“Meet My Valentine” has a run time of 90 minutes,is rated “PG”  and has a Director’s Commentary with Brian Herzlinger.

The cheetah and I both this film a thumb/paw straight up.