“Let is Snow” won’t win any Academy Awards, and probably won’t become a go-to holiday season yearly tradition of watching. That said, there are plenty of worse ways to spend two hours on a muddled, not-yet-Thanksgiving but baby-its-cold-outside, mid-November snowy evening.
The Netflix original movie stars a cast of young hip talent, and those of us born before 1990 may have a tough time recognizing any of them (save for Academy Award nominated Joan Cusack) but nevertheless, they have plenty of credentials and dare I say, the chops to play successful parts in a light-hearted movie of this ilk.
Cusack’s character provides bookend narrations, explaining as the story opens the magic of a snowfall. The setting is small town Laurel, Illinois, and the ensemble cast consists of a host of high school seniors. It’s Christmas Eve, and a snowstorm is wreaking havoc on the town, and as a result, a crazy tow-truck driver (Cusack) inadvertently gets involved with the story arcs of the teens. “Snow has the power to bring us together.” She states as the movie opens. The issues the snow storm cause show how this is truly the case.
I loved the Tarantino-style story. No, there are not gratuitous deaths. Director Luke Snellin weaves several independent plot lines together which follow different characters throughout the day culminating in a Christmas party at a local restaurant. Early on, there were seemingly so many different characters being introduced it was actually a bit confusing. But it’s quickly ironed down to three sets of couples being the main focus.
The most enjoyable pairing belongs to Julie and Stuart, played by Isabela Merced and Shameik Moore respectively. Julie is given the direst backstory in the movie; she’s been accepted to Columbia University and desperately wants to get out of her small town, but fears she can’t go due to her mother’s terminal illness. Isabela Merced does a wonderful performance with the part, showing her days as a teen star on Nickelodeon (Dora the Explorer) have paid off well. Merced is paired with real life pop-star Shameik Moore, playing a version of himself in Stuart Bale – a teen heartthrob pop-star whose tour bus breaks down amidst the blizzard, stranding him in Laurel, and introducing him to Julie.
In other news, the totally original concept of geeky guy (Mitchell Hope) who is secretly in love with his tomboyish best friend (Kiernan Shipka) is played out with the standard obviousness anyone who has ever watched a movie has come to expect. There is also a rift between two best friends, Dorrie (Liv Hewson) and my favorite character Addie (Odeya Rush) over the latter’s phone-obsessed narcissism. Toss in Jacob Batalon as Keon, a DJ wannabee who is planning the unforgettable Christmas Eve bash, and you have a group of young actors and actresses who can be funny and pull off the roles very well.
A Scrooge-esque critic could tear apart the plot holes, predictability, and overall campiness like a hot knife through a tender turkey. Predictable? Yes. Works out exactly as you would expect? Of course. A bit too woke? Agreed.But in the end, “Let it Snow” is a thoroughly enjoyable Christmas movie. Am I going to watch it again? Yup!
