Let It Snow (2019) Review

It that time of the year again. The holidays are upon us – a festive season that entails that a plethora of Christmas movies are on the horizon. Stories of cheer, hope, love, and friendship wrapped up in a bundle of snow and festivities.

Let It Snow (2019) is a Christmas romantic comedy that premiered on Netflix a few days ago. It’s loosely based on the young adult novel Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances (2008) by Maureen Johnson, John Green, and Lauren Myracle.

The film is directed by Luke Snellin and stars young adult actors Isabela Moner (Dora and the Lost City of Gold), Shameik Moore (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), Kiernan Shipka (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Mitchell Hope, Liv Hewson (Santa Clarita Diet), Anna Akana, Odeya Rush (Goosebumps), and Jacob Batalon (Spider-Man: Homecoming).

SYNOPSIS

When a snowstorm builds on a small town on Christmas Eve, lives are drawn together in ways that only a holiday could – presented through the lens of five stories that intertwine over the span of one snowy day.

REVIEW

The characters and stories of Let It Snow are bound together under the over encompassing theme of ‘love’ and… yes, ‘snow’. The latter is used as the plot device that triggers the beginning of the each of the stories and drives the characters and their actions moving forward; it’s a metaphorical external force that’s situated behind each of their respective conflicts.

While as the concept of this might seem tried and overused (and it probably is), I did thoroughly enjoy of idea of it.

But despite my intrigue in this element of the story, Let It Snow doesn’t bring much to the table to terms of plot or character development. It’s multiple stories are, to be honest, predictable, simplistic, and rather cliche. The same can be said for its characters who are, all-in-all, almost two-dimensional in the best of cases.

The film is predominantly a popcorn flick. It’s over-simplistic. Vanilla. Bubblegum. Its conflicts are difficult to care about, especially you’re expecting too much out of it. (Don’t.)

Although, while that may be the case, there is something to be said about the casting choices made here. While the characters themselves are crudely written, the ensemble of young actors portraying them bring a lighthearted charm to the film. They bring a welcomed delight to Let It Snow, even if it’s undeniably familiar.

Let It Snow is a not a film that’s meant to be viewed critically or thought about deeply. It’s not particularly well-thought out or well-written but it does have a handful of feel good moments that, while imperfect, is enough to put a smile on your face every now and then.

Also, the soundtrack was pretty good, too.

CONCLUSION

Let It Snow is a fun, feel-good, festive foray that tries to be many things and falls short in a lot of them. What it lacks in plot and character development, it just barely makes up for in charm and humor. It’s the kind of film that you can have playing in the background at your next young adults’ Christmas party without needing to worry if you’ll miss anything important.

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