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Parents' Guide to

Snowbound for Christmas

By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Predictable, cookie-cutter holiday romance lacks spark.

Movie NR 2019 83 minutes
Snowbound for Christmas Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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What's the Story?

In SNOWBOUND FOR CHRISTMAS, a blizzard traps a male boss and his female employee in a mountain luxury resort for a meeting with an important potential client. Adrian (Henderson Wade), head of a historic preservation/renovation company, has brought Rachel (Zarrin Darnell-Martin) with him to bid on a major job in Italy. As his new marketing director, she's presenting, along with Diane (Josephine Buettner), the company's pushy and self important architect. Diane and Adrian had briefly been an item and she's scheming to rekindle their affair. Adrian and Rachel have the newly-opened hotel to themselves until the roads clear the next day, just enough time for them to fall for each other. But it's all so new that they aren't sure it's really happening, or if it would be proper, given their working relationship. Will it work out?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Dull plot, check. Forgettable acting, check. Banal plot, check. Cheesy songs, check, check, and check. This is harmless enough, but how much better it would be with fully-realized humans eliciting our sympathy rather than the cookie-cutter humanoids we find on screen. The cartoonish Diane couldn't be more ridiculous if she wore a necklace that said "Villain." The hotel's manager cluelessly fakes his way through a sad French Canadian accent. A couple know their romance will work when they discover they both love sardines!

Zarrin Darnell-Martin miraculously rises above the dialogue and plot to put in a convincing performance as Rachel. Snowbound for Christmas is to good movies what sugar-free cotton candy would be to the County Fair staple -- an ill-conceived imitation that should only be consumed by those who have no other choices.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how the movie tells us who's the villain. Do you think Diane has any self awareness regarding how unpleasant she is? Why or why not?

  • Do you think a romance between new hire Rachel and her boss will last? What good or bad effects might such a relationship have on the dynamics of their working environment?

  • What does the movie say about relationships among women?

Movie Details

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