La Fiancée des neiges

Hallmark mass-produces Christmas movies by the dozen and they are, for the most part, interchangeable. Although not particularly unique, it's still a charming and heartwarming story with two characters who just mesh well together. Katrina Law is unlike I've ever seen her before (I only know her from Arrow), and her expressive eyes and face and goofy nature steals the show. Patricia Richardson is wonderful as the male lead's mother, exuding a natural warmness that many other actors try too hard to convey. The chemistry between the two leads are what makes this film stand out from other holiday flicks. I definitely recommend this one.

Greta Kaine (Katrina Law) is always in search of juicy gossip. As a tabloid reporter at "Pulse! Gossip" in Los Angeles, it's her job to expose the rich and famous for the entertainment of the magazine's readers. So when word gets out that one of the late Senator Tannehill's two sons might be proposing marriage at the family's Big Bear compound during Christmas, Greta and her chief rival Wes (Tom Lenk) are challenged by their old-school editor to get the scoop. There's incentive to be the first, too-- the editorship of the magazine's new online incarnation.

Greta's assistant tells her that Wes has a head start to snowy Big Bear, so she dashes to the mountain resort. When she mistakenly ends up as a guest of the family, she's in the middle of what could be her best story yet! However, she soon discovers that the family, including matriarch Maggie Tannenhill (Patricia Richardson) and caretaker Peters (Robert Curtis Brown), are more down-to-earth than she ever gave them credit for. Increasingly guilt-ridden about her game of subterfuge, Greta must make a decision: how far will she go for the sake of a story?

This film was surprising. The "Kennedy" type family in this film are not mean spirited at all. They are nice. They are just press shy and afraid of letting new people into their lives. The film is worth watching. Kids will Be bored but its meant for a slightly older audience

I have to admit that I am a sucker for the Hallmark Channel's holiday movies. I look forward to their annual, 2-month long "Countdown to Christmas" extravaganza with the giddiness of an excited child waiting for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. Hallmark's movies are warm, inviting and comforting, and they envelop me in holiday spirit, like a cozy winter blanket or a cup of hot chocolate. The plots are good-natured, usually a bit flimsy, and always predictable -- and yet I am drawn into the stories they tell as though I think something new and unexpected is going to happen at the end of each one.

In the case of "Snow Bride," I expected a standard, lightweight, family-friendly, thinly outlined romantic comedy -- and that's precisely what I got. However, it seems surprisingly modern and fresh.

One highlight of this movie is that the two romantic leads in "Snow Bride" (the striking Katrina Law and Jordan Belfi) are impossibly attractive, and they have genuine chemistry. This is not to say that other actors in other Hallmark productions are unappealing, but many times the couplings fall flat in the absence of any true sparks. The "Snow Bride" duo, however, sparks left and right.

Also, the repartee between "Greta" and "Ben" throughout this movie is fairly snappy, witty, and clever, which had me wondering if Hallmark hired some new writers...or maybe just better actors?

I suppose the only reason I am not assigning a higher rating to "Snow Bride" is that the circumstances under which our two leads meet seem a bit implausible and preposterous, although that is generally the formula for many of the Hallmark holiday romcoms that I already love.

Overall, though, "Snow Bride" is one of the better installments in Hallmark's pantheon of reliable, feel-good Yuletide fare. It's not going to win an Emmy, and it's not going to provoke deep thought, but it is as sweet and delightful as a sugary piece of Christmas candy, and that's all I need it to be.

We watched this movie 4 years ago and have just watched it again. Katrina Law was perfect for this role. We also liked her in 12 gifts of Christmas (2015). I like the way one reviewer described this type of plot as "the Hanging Lie". She is a reporter trying to spy on a senators family and if the senators son ever finds out she thinks this new found romance is over. The tension sure makes the movie interesting. Jordan Belfi who I had not seen before is in the male lead. Also have Susie Abromeit who starred in An Unexpected Christmas a.k.a A Perfect Christmas (2016) which was not that good. Bobby Campo has been in My Christmas Love (2016) and Sharing Christmas (2017) which weren't my favorites. It is nice to have Patricia Richardson (Jill on Home Improvement) in this and she adds a lot as the mom. The title is perfect.

One common plot device is what I call the hanging lie, or the looming lie. Well instead of her having one and him having one, in this case, Greta is part of both of them.

Of course the reveal ruins everything in Greta's life, but there are a couple little twists yet to come.

Katrina Law is a talented actress and she does well in this movie. She and Jordan Belfi have some chemistry, although there is too much going on in the movie for them to spend enough screen time together to really sell it. Except for two people, all the supporting cast is good also. I suspect Susie Abromeit and the guy playing the boss did as they were directed, but I thought both were a little over the top and cliché in their parts. She was so transparent and he was more unreasonable than he had to be.

This movie did not exploit all the Christmas themes as much as most Hallmark Christmas movies do, so there was not so much of the heartwarming stuff I enjoy.

As I implied, I think this movie would have been better if they'd found a way for Katrina Law to show more of her talent and work it with Belfi more, but overall it was still enjoyable.