Snow Bride (2013)

the audience applauded

Load of rubbish!!

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

The plot was nice, the chemistry was good. there was no awkwardness between the two main characters and there weren't many cliches in the movie. It's probably the best Hallmark movie for Katrina Law, and the same goes for Jordan Belfi, I can't remember seeing them doing better -or any other- Hallmark movie.

One common plot device is what I call the hanging lie, or the looming lie. Well instead of her having one and him having one, in this case, Greta is part of both of them.Of course the reveal ruins everything in Greta's life, but there are a couple little twists yet to come.Katrina Law is a talented actress and she does well in this movie. She and Jordan Belfi have some chemistry, although there is too much going on in the movie for them to spend enough screen time together to really sell it. Except for two people, all the supporting cast is good also. I suspect Susie Abromeit and the guy playing the boss did as they were directed, but I thought both were a little over the top and cliché in their parts. She was so transparent and he was more unreasonable than he had to be.This movie did not exploit all the Christmas themes as much as most Hallmark Christmas movies do, so there was not so much of the heartwarming stuff I enjoy.As I implied, I think this movie would have been better if they'd found a way for Katrina Law to show more of her talent and work it with Belfi more, but overall it was still enjoyable.

Perhaps if Hallmark didn't brag so much about their up-coming new Christmas movies in the previews, then I wouldn't have such high expectations...and I wouldn't be so disappointed.After seeing this movie several times, I still couldn't find anything enticing about it...or warming...or fun...or delightful. But I did find that it had PLENTY of deception and nothing. The plot was all based on deception: "Greta" lied to everyone about who she was....."Ben" and "Greta" created a deception about their relationship...The mother and her live-in "friend" held back their info and continued to deceive after knowing who "Greta" really was.....the brother's girlfriend had deceptive motives with her engagement. The plot...the lines...the players...all were ho-hum. On the favorable side: It did not have any annoying players...which some Hallmark Christmas have. It did not have blaring "background" music and / or atrocious "singing" to drown out the dialogue...which is typical of Hallmark's Christmas movies to have.

I have to admit that I am a sucker for the Hallmark Channel's holiday movies. I look forward to their annual, 2-month long "Countdown to Christmas" extravaganza with the giddiness of an excited child waiting for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. Hallmark's movies are warm, inviting and comforting, and they envelop me in holiday spirit, like a cozy winter blanket or a cup of hot chocolate. The plots are good-natured, usually a bit flimsy, and always predictable -- and yet I am drawn into the stories they tell as though I think something new and unexpected is going to happen at the end of each one.In the case of "Snow Bride," I expected a standard, lightweight, family-friendly, thinly outlined romantic comedy -- and that's precisely what I got. However, it seems surprisingly modern and fresh.One highlight of this movie is that the two romantic leads in "Snow Bride" (the striking Katrina Law and Jordan Belfi) are impossibly attractive, and they have genuine chemistry. This is not to say that other actors in other Hallmark productions are unappealing, but many times the couplings fall flat in the absence of any true sparks. The "Snow Bride" duo, however, sparks left and right.Also, the repartee between "Greta" and "Ben" throughout this movie is fairly snappy, witty, and clever, which had me wondering if Hallmark hired some new writers...or maybe just better actors? I suppose the only reason I am not assigning a higher rating to "Snow Bride" is that the circumstances under which our two leads meet seem a bit implausible and preposterous, although that is generally the formula for many of the Hallmark holiday romcoms that I already love.Overall, though, "Snow Bride" is one of the better installments in Hallmark's pantheon of reliable, feel-good Yuletide fare. It's not going to win an Emmy, and it's not going to provoke deep thought, but it is as sweet and delightful as a sugary piece of Christmas candy, and that's all I need it to be.