10 Steps to Love

Sophie Michaels has built a tidy life around lists, checkboxes and a ten step plan for pretty much everything, including her career. When she decides to apply that same method to dating, she charts rules, milestones and dealbreakers to find the perfect partner. Friends and unexpected situations test her assumptions, and a connection with Mason forces her to rethink whether love can be scheduled. The movie follows Sophie as she balances her spreadsheets and instincts, with humor and small moments that highlight how relationships resist neat formulas, even when you think you know the rules.

The film premiered in 2021 as a television movie, directed by Elizabeth Snoderly and created by Emily Cade, Lexi Giovagnoli and Ferguson Sauve-Rogan, with Ella Cannon starring as Sophie and Britton Webb as Mason.

It didn’t earn major industry awards, and there were no notable Oscar or Emmy nominations, but it found a place among viewers who enjoy light romantic comedies and TV movie fare.

Among rom-com fans the movie developed a modest following, especially online where viewers appreciated its warm tone and the chemistry between the leads. It didn’t reshape the genre, but it showed up in playlists and recommendations for easygoing, feel-good romance nights.

Critical and audience responses tended to be warm but measured, reflected in a user vote average of about 6.8 out of 10. Reviewers noted the film’s theme about control versus spontaneity in love, and praised the cast for making the characters relatable. The story leans into the idea that rules can help organize life, yet relationships often ask for flexibility and honesty instead of checklists.