Puppy Love Plot Synopsis
Directed by Richard Alan Reid and Nick Fabiano, Puppy Love is an Amazon Freevee original movie starring Lucy Hale and Grant Gustin as two people who couldn’t be more mismatched for each other–or could they? After a first date gone wrong, Nicole (Hale) and Max (Gustin) decide they never want to see each other again. But fate forces them together after their date leads to their dogs expecting puppies.
Why does Max get a dog?
Following the work-from-home policy his office instated at the beginning of the pandemic, Max has a hard time going back to work due to his anxiety. It impacts nearly every aspect of his life, from his ability to go in to work, to how he interacts with people–and he’ll always choose a drive-thru over going into a restaurant.
He sees a therapist via online appointment, and she advises him to get out there and start connecting with people. But first, he should get a dog. If he can first make an emotional connection with a dog, he may then be able to make an emotional connection with a person. Max then goes to the shelter, and before long, he has a dog he names Chloe.
How does Nicole get a dog?
Nicole gets a dog for very different reasons. She’s extremely focused on her career and doesn’t make a lot of room for other people in her life. Her boyfriend recently dumped her for not letting him in.
After a drunken night out, she calls him to brag about how good she is at making space for others in her life. It’s then that she sees a stray dog outside her apartment. Feeling like she has to make good on her words, she brings the dog up to her apartment. Soon enough, Channing Tatum (the dog) becomes a permanent fixture in her life.
How do the dogs bring Max and Nicole together?
Nicole and Max swipe each other on a dating app and meet for a date at the park with Chloe and Channing Tatum. They clash spectacularly, and Nicole spikes Max’s anxiety at every turn. They swear to never see each other again, but then Max learns that Chloe is pregnant–and Channing Tatum is the father.
For the well-being of Chloe and the puppies, Max and Nicole decide to let their dogs have play dates together. Max even lets Nicole and Channing Tatum stay at his place when she faces possible eviction for having a dog at her apartment. The two have a rocky start due to the extreme differences in their personalities, but they eventually start to get along, and romantic chemistry blossoms.
Does Max kick Nicole out?
Unfortunately, the roommates’ many differences end up getting in the way after all. When Max and Nicole can’t summon up the courage to tell each other their feelings, Nicole goes out without him. While his anxiety keeps him home, she encounters her boss while out drinking and ends up taking him back to Max’s place.
Things escalate in a fight over Max and Nicole’s different lifestyles and attitudes–Nicole calls Max a pathetic loser; he calls her a selfish asshole. They then notice Chloe’s missing. When Max finally finds her, he returns to the apartment to kick both Nicole and Channing Tatum out.
How does Puppy Love end? Do Nicole and Max end up together?
While Max and Nicole are apart, their friends help them face that they are both better together than apart. Max really does need to get out there more, and Nicole really does need to tear down her walls. Accepting this, Nicole makes a grand gesture of apology to Max, and they make up. Nicole later pushes Max to step out of his comfort zone and perform some of his songs.
Max then takes her to a job interview, but they’re interrupted by Chloe going into labor. Nicole decides that Max and Chloe are more important to her, so they stop to deliver the puppies on the way. Fortunately for Nicole, Max sends Nicole’s portfolio to her prospective employers so that she gets the job anyway.
Puppy Love ends with Nicole and Max throwing a party at the apartment to celebrate. And they both decide that Nicole doesn’t need to move out after all.
Read More: Puppy Love Movie Review