Stream It or Skip It: ‘Guiding Emily’ on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Features a Star Turn from Sarah Drew and Also Eric McCormack as a Labrador

Hallmark Movies & Mysteries takes a dramatic turn with Guiding Emily, a movie about a driven career woman whose professional and love life are brought to a screeching halt when a climbing accident leaves her blind. Enter: Garth, a yellow Labrador Retriever pup who has a lot to learn about being a guide dog. Based on the Barbara Hinske novel of the same name, Guiding Emily is here to make you feel all of the emotions.

GUIDING EMILY: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Sarah Drew (Grey’s Anatomy) plays Emily, a successful and super Type A career woman. She has a team who respects her, an equally Type-A fiancé (The Night Agent’s Toby Levins), and a nice gym with a dope rock wall that lets her get her climb on indoors. All that changes when Emily and fiancé Connor go on a hiking getaway and an accident leaves Emily blinded, she hopes temporarily. Emily’s newfound dependence proves to be too much for Connor, who essentially drops Emily off with her mom (Christine Willes) and peaces out.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Emily, a little yellow Lab pup named Garth (voiced by Will & Grace’s Eric McCormack) has been connected with a first-time foster mom/trainer (Altered Carbon’s Sharon Taylor). Garth has a lot of energy and an insatiable appetite for snacks. Is he going to be able to shape up enough to land his dream gig of guiding Emily? And as for Emily — will her wounded pride and a nasty bit of depression keep her from reclaiming her life? And most importantly, when will Emily and Garth finally become the dynamic duo we know they can be?

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: There are hints of inspirational movies like Ice Castles or Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken, as well as classic dog films like Marley & Me, all filtered through the guide dog documentary Pick of the Litter.

Performance Worth Watching: Since I’m definitely going to touch on Sarah Drew’s turn in Guiding Emily, I think I can give this superlative to Matty Finochio (The Holiday Sitter), who plays Emily’s employee Drew. Finochio’s role in the movie as a confidant is a complete surprise, especially considering he’s introduced as a workaholic nerd with no people skills. Drew gets his own little story arc, and it’s nice to see.

Memorable Dialogue: Eric McCormack as Garth the dog’s inner monologue: “That was the first time I saw Emily, and the last time she saw me.”

Our Take: You can tell that Hallmark put a lot of trust in Guiding Emily — and not just because they actually cleared the rights to Natalie Cole’s “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)” and a brief clip from Funny Face. There really is, from top to bottom, an elevated sense of maturity in Guiding Emily that takes the movie a step above what we usually see in the network of networks’ weekend movie debuts. Yes, this is a movie where Eric McCormack narrates the thoughts of an eager puppy who loves potato chips. It still has an elevated sense of maturity!

That’s due, in large part, to the performance of Sarah Drew as Emily. Overall, Guiding Emily does a solid job of conveying the panic, confusion, frustration, and hopelessness of Emily’s situation. Suddenly losing your sight, your fiancé, your independence, and your livelihood is tough, and the editing and sound mixing work to make you feel Emily’s predicament. One solo trip to a restaurant bathroom plays out almost like a thriller, with the din of the restaurant swirling around Emily.

But it’s Drew’s performance that makes Guiding Emily feel special. She truly puts herself into every scene, frequently because her eyes — an important acting tool — are completely covered. The way she walks, hangs her head, the tone of her voice — Emily goes through a lot in this movie, and Drew confidently takes her on a journey. She especially sells Emily’s stubbornness and pride, traits that ultimately hold her back more than losing her vision. There’s a surprising amount of nuance to Emily.

And then there’s Garth’s half of the movie — or maybe a quarter of the movie. I’m not here to hate on the dog part of this dog movie. However, the choice to give Garth an inner monologue felt peculiar in comparison to Emily’s fully dramatic storyline. Garth’s journey from odd pup out to guide dog, especially the bond he forms with Katie, felt deserving of its own movie at times — a movie that matched the inherent zaniness of a dog narrator.

If anything, I think Guiding Emily should have had more Garth. Make it a true 50/50 narrative split, with Garth going through as many trials as Emily, until these two protagonists finally come together. As it stands, Guiding Emily is a very good movie about coming to terms with a major life change interspersed with some lighthearted dog moments.

Listen: I still love Garth. His storyline got me right in my emotions, so it was effective. I’m not heartless.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Guiding Emily is a thoroughly engaging drama that’s still uneven at times — but the uneven parts are saved by an adorable labrador.