Winter Break

For a movie that I thought would be just a little boring film this ended up being a highly entertaining film. It made me laugh and was so good my wife caught the end and had to watch the whole thing from the begining. The acting was okay but was not horrible. It was better than a B movie would be. This could have possible done well with a wide release with a very little more work. As a video release this movie was great. I am trying to find a copy to buy now. Go see this movie when you get a chance. It is well worth it.

Matt has a Wall Street job waiting for him. This is a good thing because he has a quarter of a million dollars of school debt to begin paying off. Unfortunately, the company merges with another one and, before he even gets to start, Matt is let loose. His college roommates are going to go to Aspen for a year of skiing, low paying jobs, goofing off, and scouting women. Matt, in his despair, decides to join them. It is there that he meets the beautiful Michelle, a young ski instructor. But, horrors! She has a bonafide Wall Street boyfriend and only wants to be pals with Matt. Will Matt be able to find a new path, in life and in love? This is not a bad movie. The principal actors are not picture postcard pretty and that makes them more interesting. The script is typical male humor, mostly, but has some intelligent moments. The Aspen setting is, naturally, quite lovely, a true bonus for all viewers. If you like a storyline of romance and finding oneself among newly graduated college students, you will like this movie. It has a boys will be boys undertow, but hits all the right marks when push comes to shove.

But it could be a lot better. We could get a fun raunchy comedy in the vain of Animal House, American Pie and Ski School. But instead we got a very nice and sweet romantic drama, about growing up. This is hardly an R. I can't remember hear any profanity the would give it an R, and all the sex was all suggested. Nothing seen. Just a naked back. Some nudity wouldn't hurt. Some more sex and nudity and some raunchy comedy will make this an instant classic, and it would beat out Out Could, and be a classic like Ski School. And this is the better picture.

All in all this movie is sweet and it has a lot of fun moments with out being to coy. Milo Ventimiglia is good as the normal guy, and Maggie Lawson is sweet as Michelle. But it is Eddie Kay Thomas that still the show as the guy that never get laid. Justin Urich and Eddie Miles also good. Anna Faris gives a camo in the beginning, but I can't remember have seen Steve Guttenberg. Maybe he was the man in the opening sequence, which was a pretty funny scene.

All in all, if you don't have any big expectation, and don't to mind see a predictable and sweet comedy, you will not be disappointed. But if you expected to be fun in the vain of Road Trip and American Pie you will be disappointed. Maybe not worth the rental price, but if you see it on cable, give it a shot.

6/10

The box for SHEER BLISS (also known as SNOW JOB and WINTER BREAK) reads, "Better than warm apple pie". This is no doubt an attempt to fool the consumer that SHEER BLISS is an AMERICAN PIE-style comedy when in reality, it is anything but. In fact, the only thing this movie has in common with AMERICAN PIE is cast member Eddie Kaye Thomas.

SHEER BLISS is the hardest kind of movie to comment on. It's a movie that isn't bad, but not really good either. The movie doesn't seem complete. It appears to be like a very rough cut of what could possibly be a great movie. Nothing really clicks. Everything seems flat and emotionless. The humor forced. The characters one dimensional. In the end, the viewer is left unsure how to feel about the movie since it seems incomplete. *1/2

I really liked this movie. Its fun and the characters are likable. the plot is your typical "I graduated, now what" theme, but its still well worth watching. I truly enjoyed the movie, but the best part was the soundtrack. The songs are all by relative unknowns who actually write their own stuff. Check out freshtracksmusic.com for the soundtrack and more music along the same lines. There are a few familiar faces in the movie, but the for the most part the cast is young actors who you might recognize if you watch a lot of films. I found it when I got on a kick of watching lower budget, straight to video films. I found a few good ones and lots of average ones. I put this one in the good category. If you like skiing and are a sucker for a cute romantic comedy, then this film is for you.