Day 2: Snow

 

SNOW

Starring: Tom Cavanagh and Ashley Williams

Director: Alex Zamm

Writer: Rich Burns

Streaming: Freeform

Spoilers: Some, but they are obvious for a Holiday movie

 

So, this is the second-best movie I have seen this year with a lead with the last name Snowden.  I promise that line or some form of it will not be the opening to every Christmas movie I blog about this holiday season.  It is just an honest assessment of movies with the lead character having the last name Snowden.  I watched the movie Snowden a month or so back when it first came onto Netflix and it was good, it was really good, so it is hard for me say this movie was better. 

 

Snow struggled at the start.  I know a lot of Holiday movies are on the nose, but this was right on the nose, in your face, just telling you in the first 5 minutes this is going to be CHRISTMAS LOVE story.  It also has an older format so it was not widescreen, which bothered me more than I would have thought.  Snow have a very respect rating on IMDb at 6.2 out of ten, but a lower rating on the Rotten Tomatoes at 61% with 271 Audience members rating it.  Personally, I think both are a bit high but we will get into that.

 

We start to see the Christmas movie formula play out here.  It is a few days before Christmas.  There is a single adult and the are having the Holiday blues.  Along comes a stranger who helps them find the Christmas spirit.  Happiness is awakened once again.  Etc… Etc… We start to see this in this movie and so as the movie goes on it did grow on me a bit.  I am still on the fence on if I would recommend it or not and I will probably save that until after I watch the Snow II: Brain Freeze.  I mean after all I watched Snow b/c I originally came across Snow II searching YouTube TV for movies.  So, once I watch the sequel, most likely tonight I will be able to review.  

 

To be 100% honest the only reason I watched the movie wasn't just because Snow II.  Part of the reason is I like Tom Cavanagh.  Which is interesting because I don't think I have actually seen him in anything but the Flash.  I always wanted to watch Ed.  I think my sister B liked Ed.  So, I think I have always like him simply because he played Ed.   Also, Ashley Williams has grown on me.  I hated her in How I Met Your Mother.  I never finished the show, but I was always on the Ted and Robin bandwagon and stopped watching the show after Robin and Barney, which seems strange to me.  Anyway, I didn't like her character  However, she then showed up in an episode of Psych and played a potential interest for Shawn and Gus and her stock went up in my book.  I am sure I have seen her here and there and she is ok.  Anyone who gets to hang with Shawn and Gus are ok in my book.   

 

As a creative I often find myself critiquing movies and stories, thinking, oh I would have done this here instead of that.  I would have had more conflict between the two leads b/c the love story was two easy.  I found myself doing that more often on Snow than I would like.  I did feel like it was all a little to easy.  It missed out on a few key parts of the formula.  Mainly the last-minute disaster that makes the two lovers fall out of love, it tried it, but there were better ways to do it in the movie.  It also had the instant click factor which is rare.  I think this is done better when the two potential lovers are opposites or don’t get along at first.  Here, they are just together and its sort of weird.  Like that would never actually happen.  Now, I know what you are thinking, this is a Christmas movie so there is probably some miracle element or Santa siting so why on Earth are you talking to us about realism.  I think its b/c even in suspended believe there are still themes to the world.  Opposites attract for example and great love in movies comes after great sacrifice or controversy.    The other thing the movie missed was the gooseflesh moment.  Where the lovers come together and you get super excited, I was more like, ya that is supposed to happen.

 

Although, I thought at first it was a mistake to turn on Snow, by the end I was glad I watched it.  I ended up liking the characters.  They made me smile.  Are they cheesy and stereotypical for a Christmas movie yes but that is ok.  That is part of what we love about them.  Am I going to watch Snow II and be excited about it, yes, yes I am. 

 

Recommendation: Pending