Die verzauberte Schneekugel

A cynical TV exec looks at the perfect town inside a Christmas globe and rants about how the holiday movies she produces are as fake as the ornament. She throws it against the wall and it bounces back and knocks her out. But when she wakes up in a perfect snow-covered town, married to a local woodsman, she discovers it s not all just a fantasy.

The film is really a first class production. The story is a little bit of a retread of better films however its so well made you can't get mad. Alicia Witt seems to be in every other Christmas movie that gets made. It was also so sweet to see Donald Faison be romantic. This film is family safe. It so safe that if your single the film might even change your life. Watch and enjoy.

This movie doesn't really have any flow and is hard to follow. Rather than feeling like its own show, it feels more like a bad editing job of splicing together every other Christmas movie you've ever seen. Considering that the main character is trying to make the perfect Christmas movie when she passes out, I'm sure this is probably on purpose, but unfortunately the end result isn't good. It feels more like we were dropped into a fun house than a snow globe. Also, the male and female leads didn't demonstrate any believable chemistry, or at least not for more than a second or two at a time. Both actors are terrific, and I've loved them in other shows, but it just didn't work here. It might not be their fault, though. It could be because the movie kept jumping around and never held still long enough to maintain emotion. In any case, your time would probably be better spent watching one or more of the other Christmas movies instead of this trippy imitation.

The only thing that's good about this movie is Donald Faison. He is quite funny. They made the lead so totally unlikable for so long in this dreadful version of a plot that has been done many times over before.

Though it rings of Family Man as many have pointed out, it bares a stronger resemblance to Nancy McKeon's Comfort and Joy. The film twists and turns in ways that are sometimes more frustrating than entertaining. However, the acting is good and the lighting is good and so is the sound. 2013 has not been a good year for sound and lighting in these types of holiday films. In particular kitchen scenes have been riddled with reverb, but not this film. They came through. The overlap with prior Snowglobe films is apparently coincidental more through casting than the story. There is no connection other than the name and a shared actress. It definitely tightens up at the end and makes for a good watch.

The idea was sort of interesting, though it wasn't anything innovative. 'A Snow Globe Christmas' could have been either sweet and entertaining or contrived and bland, like a lot of Christmas films on both extremes and in between. Alicia Witt has always been mixed for me. When she has the right material, she can be good. There have even been times where she's been great. When she has characters that are annoying and not very interesting, she struggles to make it work.

'A Snow Globe Christmas' is not a terrible film and has its moments. It is sadly also not particularly good either and is very lacking in most areas. It could have done so much more with its concept, which turned out to be rather ordinary and muddled. It fits in the extreme of contrived and bland, though not one of the worst examples when it comes to Christmas films. It is yet another festive film where it was a struggle to like Witt or her character, though she is not completely to blame here.

Will start with the good things, as they are there. The scenery is lovely and quite idyllic and the photography is neither drab or garish, looking slick while not doing anything elaborate or too static. There is at times a nice festive feel to the music.

Christina Milian does a good job with what she was given, giving some spark. There are moments of charm and heart.

Neither Witt or Donald Faison come off particularly well, though she comes off better. It is a case of her trying too hard (though she does a nice smile), so everything feels too exaggerated, and he not enough. There is absolutely no spark or warmth to their chemistry and the rest of the cast are forgettable. Only Milian comes off unscathed. The direction mostly is functional but not much more than that. Other parts of the music felt intrusive.

Moreover, a lot of the dialogue is very stilted and corny, with too much cheese and schmaltz. And the execution of the film' concept is very predictable, very strained, completely lacking in energy and the lack of sense spoils it too. None of the characters are particularly interesting or likeable, and the main character's Scrooge-like transformation/character development feels too rushed to be believable.

In summation, has its moments but lacking. 4/10