Dynamixor
The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.
ChicDragon
It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.
PiraBit
if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.
Cissy Évelyne
It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.
utgard14
A tabloid reporter (Katrina Law) trying to get a scoop on a Kennedyesque family winds up meeting one of the rich single sons (Jordan Belfi), lies to him about who she is so she can get the story, then falls in love with him and feels bad about her revolting career choice. If there was ever a Hallmark romcom that was propped up by one person, it would be this one. Katrina Law is the only thing about this that isn't completely forgettable. Having seen her playing tough chicks in the Spartacus and Arrow TV shows, it was nice to see her tackle a romantic comedy role. Still a tough chick (of sorts) but a different kind. But there's only so much she can do here as the predictability of the script (this is Hallmark, after all) and the unlikable nature of many of the characters works against her. Plus there's this skeevy undertone to so much of this. The lying, the scumbag tabloid press, the guy dating his brother's gold-digging ex, etc. It's just not much fun to watch, despite Katrina Law doing her best to keep things light.
adoptshelterpetstoday
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.
Esselleee
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.
boblipton
Katrina Law is a reporter for a gossip magazine. She winds up invading a political family in a wedding dress; since one brother is dating the ex-girlfriend of the other, she winds up pretending to be the girl friend of the ... well, it's all put together pretty well in this decently written Hallmark Channel romantic comedy.My reviews of Hallmark romcoms frequently seem cynical. That is a reaction to the cynical manner in which they are assembled to appeal their audience. The leading ladies are all brittle, driven, unattached, beautiful professionals who need to connect to their hidden niceness. The men vary over the lot until they end up thoroughly domesticated. However, in this one, Jordan Belfi STARTS as the good-looking scion of a rich, truly decent family. He wears elk-pattern sweaters and drinks chamomile tea of his own free will. He could be a senator for the asking, but yearns to write romance novels. He almost cries a couple of times and probably likes cuddling and long, romantic walks on the beach. It's another chick flick with a Christmas background. It could have been rewritten slightly for Arbor Day.There's nothing wrong with this particular genre of movie, no more than with a western, or a murder mystery, or a buddy picture. However, neither is it incumbent upon us to cheer wildly every time the beautiful young woman discovers happiness in the arms of the handsome young man with the assumption that this time it's for ever after. Sometimes some one puts in some extra effort or some major talent gets interesting. Sometimes you get something where you want your time back. Most of the time, however, what you get is something to kill a couple of hours; and that is okay.And so is this one. There are a couple of nice plot twists that drive the story and which make sense because of the characters. There are the older supporting actors who perform their roles gracefully, simply and interestingly. The establishing shots up by Big Bear Lake are pretty and if the music is again too intrusive and controlling, that seems to be another aspect of this particular genre. I just wish they could change the last.