Winter Castle

It was nice to see a very different and beautiful setting but storyline was just so so. I sometimes have problems in some Hallmark movies were attention details get siderailed. For instance Lana buys a champagne dress for Sarah to wear to the rehearsal dinner and Sarah walks in with a red dress. Then Lana walks up the stairs to the dinner, sees something upsetting and walks back out but the shot of the dinner table doesn't even have a place setting for her in the first place. The father says to the wait staff "we're just waiting for one more" and the one more he refers to is his daughter and not Lana. Nobody wonders where Lana is. Guess no one is supposed to focus in on the details anyway but just the characters.

Kevin McGarry was quite dreamy playing a loving Dad with a good heart. It's nice to see him in this role after some of the other characters I have seen him play.

You can't generally go wrong with Emilie Ullerup either, she is a veteran at this 'Made For TV Christmas Film' malarkey now.

The film takes place in an ice hotel, which in itself is an insane concept, but I really like it as a different setting for a change. They still get in the fun things that are to be expected in a seasonal story like this and the romance was nice and gentle.

The "Other" woman was a bit OTT, but they do that a lot, even Natasha in "Bridget Jones Diary" is a bit like it, maybe I've just never noticed a woman marking her territory so vigorously before in real life and they're doing it perfectly, but I don't know?

The bonds that form between the various characters is cute and the story, while still formulaic, is nice enough.

It probably gets extra points for Mr McGarry's handsome face, but I don't care about that.

7ish?/10.

Absolutely breathtaking location! Emilie and Kevin are good together. It's a shame that more information about Lana's relationship to Kevin wasn't given.

Always love Kevin McGarry. The daughter was precious. Great singing by supporting actress. Emily was a very perky person!

Sounds like most people complaining about the movie are bitter about the thought of being invited to a wedding

It was HOW the actress told the story to the girl that made her enthralled. The story itself was in fact good. Not sure what children's books y'all have been reading.

If you want a cute Hallmark movie whose plot actually gets complicated by there being no one-bad one-good scenario, this is one for you. If you find ice sculptures and winter art beautiful, this is one for you. Kevin Mcgarry shines again -- no clue why the reviews seem to criticize him -- he perfectly represents a nervous man who struggles to communicate. Maybe most the reviewers are women, but as a man, I think he was one of the best, most realistic Hallmark male characters I have yet too see -- and I've watched a lot of Hallmark! Rather than being what-girls-want, he was what-girls-experience... like in the real world.

The plotline was very fast-paced, so when it finally got to slow down and showcase more music (which is one of my favorite parts of Hallmark movies), it felt like such a reward and respite after a fast-paced, anxious, complicated-situation plotline. No one is the "bad guy" in this, and that may also have turned off some people. I, on the other hand, prefer a romance plotline where no one's just simply bad; rather, a lot of different urges and desires colliding with each other.

I teared up when the little girl told her story about the prince and princess and the bunny. The woman's storytelling was enthralling. I liked this year's trend of Hallmark movies dealing with authors and storytelling. I think it's a breath of fresh air from the local entrepreneur versus corporate trope they quite exhausted.

Definitely check out this movie and don't let the negative reviews deter you! The average rating is so high because people who came in expecting a good Hallmark movie got what they wanted and don't usually feel the need to review. I just decided to peak at the reviews today and was dismayed not to find a positive perspective, so I thought I would share mine. This is worth it for any Hallmark fans, fans of winter art, fans of fast-paced Hallmark movies, and fans of the recent trend of author-focused Hallmark movies. I guess I felt compelled to write this review primarily because the top review gave so little info and simply was a rant claiming the one scene of the woman telling a story indicates the child must have "low intelligence" to have enjoyed it... Can't believe people even gave credence to that...