In 60 Dates in 6 Months, director Scott Leslie walks us through Maureen Meehan’s late life dating experiences, from a script based on real events. Widowed 11 years, Maureen (Katelin Chesna) decides she wants companionship, and explores dating through online apps. Egged on by her friends, she dives into the dating scene and travels a difficult road seeking a relationship.
After a series of goofy coffee introductions, she meets Craig (Corbin Timbrook), who is attractive, normal, kind, and intelligent. There are sparks. She goes out with him several times, and is euphoric about the situation. Being a neophyte of modern dating, Maureen is not prepared for how it works and is shocked to learn Craig is not exclusive with her. He’s taking a smart, measured approach to relationships at this point in his life.
She is discouraged and decides it was a failed experiment, until her friends Amber (Katherine Kirkpatrick) and Matt (Rob Moore) point out how naive her expectations were, and encourage her to date as many men as she can to improve her odds of finding a match. Her friends help her devise a plan to have 60 dates in 6 months.
What happens, naturally, is that instead of learning about 60 men, Maureen comes to know herself: who she is and what she wants. This growth sets her up for success. To quote David Foster Wallace: ”… of course you end up becoming yourself.” She emerges self-assured, and questions whether a serious relationship is the right goal. Everything changes for her again when she has an accident and injures her spine, and then again when she discovers that the latest man she’s dating is married. Life tosses her about, but she rallies and gets even stronger.
“… she dives into the dating scene through online apps …”
At a certain age we have accumulated enough mileage to be generally quirky, and everyone has baggage. Maureen learns to look for someone with baggage that matches hers. She winds up drifting back into Craig’s orbit, better able to navigate what she’s feeling and where it’s going.
Production-wise, the film is solid, but nothing special. The performance quality varies. Timbrook and Chesna are credible and authentic. Other characters are broadly drawn, with some of them bordering on caricature. Rob Moore’s attempt at an Australian accent is overdone and cartoonish. When Maureen reconnects with Craig, he says his faith guides him and that gets preachy. That will lose some viewers. Another note is that the events portrayed don’t flow smoothly. Traditional scripts have a defined, focused structure, and dialogue streamlined for film. A biography based on real life, like this one, is less orderly, with a more uneven texture.
Also worth mentioning is that men in the script are not written as people, but rather as two-dimensional archetypes, and often objects of ridicule. This is clear in the credits, which name the characters as “boots guy,” “heavyset guy,” “young guy,” “married guy,” and so on. That’s fair enough, women have been subjected to reductive objectification throughout the history of cinema. Men shouldn’t get too wrapped around the axle about it happening to them. Take it as instructive to note how offensive it is, and think about that when you see women portrayed this way. The film does address this when Maureen’s daughter points out that she’s become a “dating assassin.”
60 Dates in 6 Months is made in the “hallmark movie” style, which, as a genre, sets a distinct tone. As such, this movie is not going to be for everyone. Managing expectations is key to enjoying what, at its core, is a heartfelt journey of finding real connection in a fake world. Relax and enjoy how Maureen gets her groove back.
"…a heartfelt journey of finding real connection in a fake world"
