Love Finds You in Valentine

Although never outwardly preachy, a few faith-based media outlets partnered for this adaptation of Irene Brand's 2008 novel Love Finds You in Valentine, Nebraska. Budding California lawyer Kennedy Blaine (Michaela McManus) inherits a failing ranch following the death of her widowed father, who once fled the area in a Romeo/Juliet situation along with Blaine's mother, a headstrong girl from the enemy Morgan clan. Kennedy's plan to sell the homestead to an unseen buyer is derailed when she finds that the place is actually thriving under the management of a macho cowboy (Diogo Morgado) and his adoptive family. She is torn between her city-slicker upbringing/boyfriend and the small-town values embodied by the onetime frontier town of Valentine (originally Nebraska; unspecified here, but shot in rural Ohio near Cleveland). Directed by Terry Cunningham, the film features a strong supporting cast that includes stalwarts Ed Asner and Lindsay Wagner, but the plotting comes close to having a Snidely Whiplash manqué tying our heroine to the rails. Still, fans of Hallmark titles will likely enjoy this UP channel-aired movie as well. A strong optional purchase. (C. Cassady)