James Garner earned his only Academy Award nomination for his turn as Murphy Jones, a local widower, handyman and pharmacist in the small town of Eunice, where the newly divorced Emma (Sally Field) and her young son, Jake (Corey Haim) arrive in to make an attempt at running a horse ranch.

Emma has a tough go of it, and Field is brilliant and engaging as the newly single mother trying to do what is best for her and Jake. Through their time in Eunice, they eventually befriend Murphy, who is slightly older than Emma, but there’s definitely a spark and a connection between the two.

And while she tries to find a way to earn money and keep herself and Jake afloat, the blossoming relationship with Murphy allows him to help her out in the most gentlemanly manner. Garner is absolutely charming as Murphy and as the story progresses you can see the trio starting to click.

But it’s not going to last, Emma’s ex, Bobby Jack (Brian Kerwin) shows up, and despite the divorce, he’s eager to earn his way back into Emma and Jake’s hearts. But he’s a bit of a weasel, a cheat and a thief, and even Jake can see through him but still loves him because Bobby Jack is his father.

Emma takes Bobby Jack in and lets him help out around the ranch, but he keeps pushing for more, constantly making overtures toward Emma and is decidedly upset that Murphy always seems to be around and has a growing connection with Emma.

As the two men find themselves pursuing the same woman, Emma needs to decide what and who she wants, and while she’s sure she doesn’t want Bobby Jack, and she’s comfortable with Murphy, is the age gap too much?

The entire main cast is pitch-perfect, Field is absolutely on-point imbuing Emma with a grit and vulnerability that makes her inherently likable, Garner is charming and everything you would imagine him to be in real life, Haim’s Jake comes across as a really good kid who is on the verge of finding himself and deciding what kind of person he wants to be, and Kerwin plays Bobby Jack so well that you can’t help but dislike him to the extreme.

Murphy’s Romance was a delight. Sure there are moments that don’t translate well to today’s world, but there is nothing here in Garner’s or Field’s performance that doesn’t ring true, and I love the fact that Emma even calls out some of the issues that the small town has. Actually so does Murphy.

It’s wonderfully charming, a feel-good tale, and it’s great to see two actors of Field’s and Garner’s calibre pairing up for such a fun story.