Airdate: 9-11 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 15 (Hallmark Channel)

This story of a homeless woman and a female police officer who strike up an unlikely friendship isn't as far-fetched as it might seem, especially these days, when women seem to bond everywhere on television. This bit of fluff (though not trying to be lightweight), based on true events, just makes sense.

Although "Accidental Friendship" stretches it a bit in the sentimental category, this original Hallmark movie still holds a grip without too much effort.

One good reason is star Chandra Wilson (also serving here as executive production consultant), who plays a homeless woman who wanders the streets with her two dogs, just trying to make it from one day to the next. She actually has a place to stay at night, but that's not saying much. When another young woman (Kathleen Munroe) who happens to be a police officer befriends her, the two find they have more of a bond than either could have imagined.

When the corn doesn't get in the way of the story, this movie is believable and affecting. Wilson plays bitter well, and she easily takes hold of the frame whenever she's in it. The plot goes smoothly as soon as the two women get together.

Don McBrearty directs with a curious ebb-and-flow pace since it's not easy getting these two together at the start. Working with a fairly substantial script by Anna Sandor, McBrearty does all he can to weave in and out of the characters' lives. Jean Beaudoin's editing helps things, moving swiftly from close-ups to stretches backward in an effort to merge two dissonant lives.

"Friendship" should hit home with women viewers. There is hardly anything in it to offend, doubt or to refute; on the other hand, there is hardly anything to set a spark.

Production: Muse Entertainment/Automatic Pictures.
Cast: Chandra Wilson, Kathleen Munroe, Ben Vereen, Gabriel Hogan, Alison Sealy-Smith.
Writer: Anna Sandor.
Director: Don McBrearty.
Producers: Steve Solomos, Michael Prupas.