The Lost Husband Parent Guide

The Lost Husband doesn’t begin well. Libby (Leslie Bibb) has been widowed, lost her home, and, along with her two kids, has moved in with her mother (Sharon Lawrence), whose hospitality has now run dry. Desperate for a job and a place to live, she accepts her Aunt Jean’s (Nora Dunn) invitation to visit her goat farm. Libby believes the stay is temporary and is startled to learn that Jean expects her to settle in and step up to run the farm. The current farm manager, James O’Connor (Josh Duhamel), is tasked with teaching the newbie everything she needs to know about raising goats but she’s going to learn far more than that….

The first third of the movie is by far the weakest part, relying as it does on clumsy stereotypes. The film bounces between portraying Aunt Jean and O’Connor as “rustic hicks in the sticks” or wise barnyard sages. As for Libby, she’s so “city girl clueless” that it crosses into caricature. I’m not sure if her awkward introduction to farming is supposed to be funny; if so, it fails.

The movie finds its footing when Libby does. As she gains confidence in looking after the goats and making cheese, she and O’Connor both start to deal with their pasts – her sorrow over her husband’s death and his complicated feelings on his divorce. There’s nothing profound here: both character arcs follow the well marked path of emotional recovery in films. Libby learns to let go of her anger and guilt and find peace with her husband’s death and O’Connor learns to move on from his rarely spoken grief.

I have to confess that I went into this movie with low expectations. The trailer led me to believe the movie would be a cheesy, formulaic romantic drama – which is exactly what it is. Yet, somehow, I don’t hate it. I can’t explain why I don’t hate it: the romantic plotline is entirely predictable and the acting is mediocre at best. Josh Duhamel is clearly uninterested in his role and seems to think that playing a taciturn character means he doesn’t have to emote. Leslie Bibb is uneven, rarely showing any depth of emotion, unless awkwardness can be considered an emotion.

Despite the movie’s obvious flaws, it manages to be watchable in a Hallmark channel kind of way. Maybe it’s the sets: Aunt Jean’s small farmhouse is the epitome of farmhouse chic. The shiplap walls, wire baskets, worn floral patterns, and milk glass tableware are enough to make anyone with a fondness for farmhouse-style decorating swoon in their seats. Maybe it’s the story’s emphasis on the strength we can find from loving family members: Jean’s kindness becomes increasingly apparent as the story unfurls. It might be the low levels of negative content: with relatively little swearing or sexual content, you don’t have to cringe if you’re watching the movie with grandma. It could be the film’s emphasis on resilience: Libby is a survivor and watching her get herself back up again after absorbing multiple blows from life is reassuringly hopeful. Or maybe it’s just the comfort of watching a predictable plot unfold towards the ending we all expect. If you like curling up with a clean romance novel, knowing what the story is going to deliver, then this is the movie for you. It offers exactly the same plot points and emotional rewards – sweet, cozy, and not entirely realistic.