Christmas in the Clouds

I saw this movie this past week at a San Diego Cinema Society event. Several of the actors attended the event making the evening quite special. The numerous romantic threads were reminiscent of a good episode of the "Love Boat" but in a more believable setup, the funny stuff was funnier, and the "deep" stuff more touching than any Love Boat episode. The scenery was incredible, Utah never looked so good. All in all a good little romantic comedy for the holiday season. Hopefully this film will find a distributor.

I liked but am not enthusiastic about this movie. How to describe it? Something of a Comedy of Manners, in the spirit of one of the old Cary Grant movies. Or something like that delightful movie with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye with Rosemary Clooney and Vera Allen, in the exquisite "White Christmas," set in a snowy Christmas lodge setting. In this movie, though, we have a snowy Christmas lodge setting with a distinctively Native American flavor and contemporary mores.

The Native American setting was to me interesting and (as far as I know) authentic.

I say "as far as I know" because, on the one hand, I have some Native American background myself, and live in Oklahoma, and have regular contact with folks who live within contemporary Native American culture ... yes, including bingo and tribal chief electioneering and tribal commercial enterprise and also genuine if fragile roots in Native American culture of the past ... language, song, hunting skills, spirituality of Nature, and more.

I also say "as far as I know" because I can't claim the kind of depth of background indicated in the movie and have no experience at all of life on a "rez."

The humorous sequences were just wonderful ... hilarious, artful, engaging, and full of contagious laughter. I think especially of the sequences at the opening and closing of the movie. The middle of the movie seemed to lag at times in terms of humor, as well as plot and dialog.

Cinematography was excellent. There are some breathtaking scenes of fog and snow and mountain and tree.

The script for the central romance seemed to me a little strained. The female lead (Marianna Tosca as Tina Little Hawk) was excellent, but her part in the scripted dialog often seemed lagging to me: she smiled brightly and winsomely and almost airheadedly ... yet we know from her first appearance and from subsequent sequences that she was nothing of the sort. The central conversation just didn't have anything like the pace or humor or crisp airy delight of the same kinds of scenes in the Cary Grant or Crosby/Hope flicks.

Still Graham Greene as Earl the Chef was wonderfully humorous. His interactions with the Guests was hilarious. And the final sequences almost make up in quickness and focus and good humor and fun for the lagging middle sequences of the movie. Sam Vlahos as Joe Clouds on Fire was excellent; and Emmet Walsh as Stu turned in a fine performance; and the interactions between Joe and Stu were both the most touching and the most humorous of a movie full of good humor.

I was invited to a private screening of the film in New York recently, and was thoroughly impressed by what I saw. "Christmas in the Clouds" is a film of perfect rhythm - the movie is funny when it is should be funny. It's serious when it should be serious. There's an addictive flow to the film that takes the viewer on a smooth ride - you watch the film because you want to watch. The direction of the movie allows the viewer to fall in love with the various characters (each with their own quirkiness). The plots are interwoven and laced with one another, bringing together an excellent example of the "perfect screenplay". Lines are delivered effortlessly, and the actors are exceptional. The cinematography is breathtaking, as is the awesome landscape seen in the picture. Kate Montgomery has done a commendable job in creating a beautiful film, and I highly recommend it to any film enthusiast who desires a quality product. I, for one, consider "Christmas in the Clouds" time well spent.

I found myself amused for about the first half hour of this film, and then sporadically thereafter. (Vegetarians will particularly appreciate the humor provided by the chef, played by Graham Greene.) The characters are appealing, but two-dimensional, and the hackneyed mistaken-identity plot was tiresome. It's visually beautiful, but not very deep. And why is the Native American male romantic lead played by a white, very Anglo-looking actor? (Not that it was easy to imagine Native American physical traits in the female lead.)

Hearing ahead of time that a movie is "sweet" doesn't leave me with much of an appetite for viewing. But, Christmas in the Clouds beat out those expectations. I told a friend the other day: "A wonderfully told story of mistaken identity, American Indian culture and how life seems to find a way to work itself out. Sometimes predictable and a little cute, it still is full of warmth, charm ... and well worth seeing."

Some very surprising performances from a leading cast of unknowns (mostly) and a supporting cast of seasoned professionals. Enjoy!