Let It Snow (2013 TV Movie) User Reviews

"I don't do cold."

[utgard14 · 7/10 · 9 November 2014]

Stephanie (Candace Cameron Bure) is an executive with no Christmas spirit who's sent by her boss (and father) to look at a family-owned lodge their company has just acquired. The plan is to turn the cozy rustic lodge into a ski resort, which is news to the family selling it. Stephanie spends the week before Christmas with the family, experiencing the holiday their way. If you think she'll fall for the handsome son (Jesse Hutch) and have a change of heart about Christmas, you must have seen a Hallmark movie before.

I'm always down for a good Candace Cameron Bure TV movie, especially a Christmas one. She's the same here as she is in every role: pretty, charming, likable. Alan Thicke is good as her not-so-likable dad. The fact that Thicke used to play Candace's brother Kirk's father on Growing Pains no doubt led to some back-patting for whoever cast him. Jesse Hutch is an actor whose face is very recognizable if you watch much TV, even if you can't remember where exactly you've seen him before. He's been a guest-star on just about everything that films in Canada. This is one of the bigger roles I've seem him in. He does well and has nice chemistry with Candace. Their meet-cute is funny. I wouldn't mind seeing him in more starring roles. Dan Willmott and Gabrielle Rose are his salt of the earth parents. It's pretty much impossible to dislike them. Oh, and just to preserve it for posterity in case someone changes it: Jesse Hutch's IMDb bio currently brags that he shares a birthplace with fictional comic book character Wolverine and tells a rather odd anecdote about him faking a hostage situation at his high school. Weird but amusing.

The Canadian scenery (subbing for Maine) is lovely. The cast is pleasant and fun. The story is predictable but who cares really? This isn't challenging stuff but it is enjoyable. It has humor, romance, and heartwarming family moments. It's a better than average Christmas TV movie that will make you smile.

Predictable but watchable

[phd_travel · 7/10 · 11 February 2018]

A city girl not used to winter Christmases is sent to check out a resort her father is buying. There she meets the resort owner's son and you know what happens as she grows to love the snow and the resort. One good point is it seems really to have been filmed in the snow not a sound stage. Candace Cameron Bure is quite alright in this movie - not too perky not too cutesy. It is her territory the Hallmark Christmas movie. To balance things Jesse Hutch acts quite seriously so things are balanced out. Alan Thicke has a role as her father and it's quite poignant.

Very Nice Film

[Christmas-Reviewer · 8/10 · 21 May 2019]

Review Date 5/19/2019

I Have Reviewed OVER 500 "Christmas Films and Specials". Please BEWARE Of films and specials with just one review! For instance When "It's a POSITIVE" chances are that the reviewer was involved with the production. "If its Negative" then they may have a grudge against the film for whatever reason. I am fare about these films.

When Falcon Resorts acquires family-owned Snow Valley Lodge from retiring owners Karla and Paul, driven executive Stephanie Beck must spend the week before Christmas in Maine, preparing a proposal on the property's renovations. Determined to impress Falcon's president, her detached father Ted, Stephanie reluctantly departs her warm Arizona home to immerse herself in the lodge's property and decide how to change it to fit the hip, young Falcon brand. While preparing to rebuild the Snow Valley Lodge from the ground up, Stephanie butts heads with her property guide, Brady Lewis, Karla and Paul's son, who has decided to leave his family's business over creative differences with his dad.

A self-defined Grinch, Stephanie begins her stay at Snow Valley Lodge immune to Christmas sentiment. But as the lodge's festive traditions provide the Christmas Stephanie never had growing up with her distant father, Stephanie finds herself enjoying every minute. To complicate her professional duties even further, the combative feelings she felt toward Brady turn into romantic ones. With Stephanie's newfound Christmas spirit and unexpected holiday romance, she begins to question Falcon's overhaul. As her Christmas Eve deadline approaches, Stephanie must weigh her loyalty to her new friends against the complicated relationship with her father and decide if she should transform the lodge into a new winter hot spot, or embrace tradition and let it snow!

Now I do not know why this review keeps getting taken down? I thought the film is amateur hour in terms of story and acting but it is still worth watching because it captures the "Spirit of Christmas" so well.

Stop me if you've heard this one

[eapepin-01129 · 1 December 2017]

The movie begins with a woman, young, head strong, beautiful, ambitious and alone, who gets placed in a situation where she meets up with/is forced to work with/gets introduced to a similarly characteristically endowed man and they immediately butt heads/disagree/have an instant dislike for and generally go out of their way to avoid and make each others' existence as unpleasant as possible while trying to do whatever it is they have to get done before Christmas. In this case, her family bought the lodge and she has arrived to take it over and re-make it into the image of her family's image. Invariably it involves some form of having to work together when they would obviously rather not. But you know what? They always seem to find some way of working it all out and fall in love in the process while the mom or the dad or the boss or the other protagonist involved sees the error of their ways and becomes the understanding mom, dad or boss they should have been.

Plot sound familiar? It should. With minor variations, it's exactly the same plot the Hallmark Channel has used in all of these:

12 Gifts of Christmas; A Boyfriend for Christmas; A Christmas Detour; A Cookie Cutter Christmas; A December Bride; A Holiday Engagement; A Novel Romance; A Rose For Christmas; A Royal Christmas; A Royal Winter; Annie Claus is Coming to Town; A Wish for Christmas; A Very Merry Mix-Up; Broadcasting Christmas; Christmas Cookies; Christmas Festival of Ice; Christmas Getaway; Marry Me at Christmas; Christmas in Homestead; Christmas Land; Christmas Under Wraps; Let It Snow; Miss Christmas. (The list is much longer, but 1, you get the idea, and 2, I got tired of typing.)

Sometimes, it's the mother of the man or the father of the woman who resents the arrival of the other, and who cause the conflict, but it's pretty much the same plot with different faces. The couple always get together in the end, because, after all, it's Hallmark and this is what they do. The movies are sappy, feel-good, live-happily-ever-after pieces of fluff that warm you like hot chocolate on a cold winter night. They leave you, probably, teary-eyed and smiling and believing the world is full of magic, no matter how behind you are on your credit card bills or how obnoxious you ex behaves. It's a 2 hour blanket you can wrap around you and forget about whether your car will start in the morning. Of course, 2 minutes after it's over, the feeling is lost and reality invades, but you are comforted by the fact that you're watching The Movie Channel and there will be another, just like this one, coming your way right after this commercial break.

God Bless You, Hallmark Channel.

Typical Hallmark Christmas story

[Jackbv123 · 7/10 · 19 July 2017]

This is a nice Christmas story about a resort executive who can't remember much about Christmas growing up because her father and she never did anything to celebrate it. She is sent to totally remake a newly purchased resort into a young person's happening resort.

Stephanie meets Brady, the son of the previous owner, who leads her through a journey of remembering what Christmas is all about. This resort has everything you would want for Christmas including several old ethnic traditions and legends.

It is not surprising what happens. It is a little incredible how quickly Stephanie loses her grinchness and just takes in everything with an open heart. This includes her performing the ritual required to dream about the man she will marry.

The two leads make a fine couple falling in love, including the requisite hate each other scene when they meet. Alan Thicke plays the role of the true Scrooge of a father who basically wants to bulldoze the existing facilities and start over. ****SPOILER** He even fires her for failing to follow his instructions. His reformation at the end is totally abrupt, but possibly almost believable after he reads his daughter's Santa letter which was slipped into his coat pocket before he left the resort.

The Weight of Snow on Boughs

[boblipton · 7/10 · 1 December 2013]

Alan Thicke's corporation has bought the Snow Valley resort from its third generation and sends his daughter, Candace Cameron Bure, to survey it. She arrives in the middle of its Christmas season and finds love with both Jesse Hutch and the idea of Christmas in this Hallmark Channel seasonal romantic comedy.

It's a nicely written movie. Mr. Hutch is oppressed by four generations of tradition, including an elaborate series of events and recipes and even regular family guests which must be rigorously followed, with no room for the changes he wants to make. Ms. Bure feels rootless and enchanted by the order and beauty she sees about her. Add in some quite lovely camera-work of the snow-drenched landscape near Vancouver, and you have a fine holiday romcom.

Charming Christmas Movie

[karencoughlin · 9/10 · 11 January 2020]

I loved this movie. I want to spend every Christmas at this lodge with these people and eat all that food that somehow one middle aged woman prepares! Yes it is corny but I did feel there was actual chemistry between the two leads (unlike most Hallmark Christmas movies). If this movie doesn't put you in the Christmas spirit with the gorgeous snowy scenery, rustic lodge full of decorations, a Mom and Pop like you wish you had and all the traditions and Christmas food then nothing will! This is definitely one of my favorites and Candace couldn't be more adorable doing the Feast of Saint Thomas ritual before bed.

Snowy charm

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 11 January 2022]

As has been said quite a few times, Hallmark's Christmas output is very hit and miss. Some though are above average level, and there are some surprisingly enjoyable ones amongst the average and less films that there is in a good deal of in their output. Have been on a roll for the past couple of years watching and reviewing as many Hallmark and Lifetime Christmas films every now and again and it has been interesting despite the quality being uneven.

'Let it Snow' is to me among Hallmark's better festive efforts and certainly for that year. It is light years away from being a masterpiece or flawless and will admit to considering bailing early on, but stick with it as it does get better. 'Let it Snow' was a pleasant watch and is really not bad when taken for what it is and judged for what it's meant to be. Which is an inoffensive if uneven and hardly unique watch and not a cinematic classic or milestone.

It is very professionally filmed and the locations are simply beautiful. A lot of Hallmark's Christmas films suffer from being over-scored, meaning being too constantly used and too loud. That isn't so big a problem here generally. While the characters are not meaty or original, none of them annoyed me and nor did they bore me. The leads were easier to connect to than expected. They also had personality traits that appealed and any negative traits were not exaggerated, which can be a common problem with female lead characters particularly in Hallmark's Christmas output.

Candace Cameron Bure is a big reason as to why 'Let it Snow' works, she has a likeable character worth identifying with and Bure is just beguiling. Jesse Hutch's character isn't as interesting but is an amiable and subtly charming presence too. Their chemistry is genuine and always at ease. Am not usually a fan of Alan Thicke, but this is one of his better performances where he manages to make something heartfelt out of a potentially annoying character. All the cast are fine in their own way.

While the dialogue is not what one would call amazing, it is not as cheesy or as forced as a lot of festive films or films with similar story types. The story is formulaic, but is also immensely charming and heart-warming. There is nothing mean-spirited about it and it is genuinely moving without going overboard on the sentimentality.

As said though, the story is very formulaic and the film is not for those that dislike cliche overload, with most of the characters and situations as cliched as they come it does make things very predictable.

Furthermore, the ending is on the too easy and corny side and maybe some of the music could have had more personality.

Overall, well done. 7/10.

Very Well Done

[kurteilrich · 8/10 · 2 January 2021]

So, is it sentimental and formulaic? Certainly, but what they do with that formula is something special. And the sentimentality never crosses over into corny. The leads are charming and wonderful to look at, but intelligent & thoughtful too. Filmed in a beautiful location with sets dressed in a lovely non-cloying manner, this film sets itself apart from the "regular" holiday fare just enough to actually be effective. I quite enjoyed it.

A Christmas Romance

[atlasmb · 7/10 · 25 October 2020]

This is one of those Christmas romance movies that the Hallmark Channel specializes in. It stars Candace Cameron Bure as Stephanie Beck, a hospitality industry exec who is sent to the Snow Valley Lodge by her father to assess its profit potential as the newest acquisition by their firm. There she meets Brady Lewis (played by Jesse Hutch), the son of the owners of Snow Valley. From the start, it's an oil-and-water relationship, with no apparent possibility for romance.

But they do have one thing in common---they harbor no affection for Christmas, though for different reasons. Stephanie and her father do not celebrate the Christmas season. She lives in Arizona and has never seen snow fall. Brady, on the other hand, was raised with all the trappings of Christmas at Snow Valley, where they enshrine all the traditions and dedicate themselves to making the season special for their guests. However, family conflicts have soured him on the yearly celebrations.

Stephanie Beck is a role that seems designed for Bure. She does a convincing job of showing us the changes in her character. Though most of the plot is predictable, her enthusiasm carries the viewer along, to share in the magic that is Christmas.

This is a film filled with touching moments, guaranteed to satisfy true romantics.

Actually kind of pleasant!

[kz917-1 · 5/10 · 18 December 2017]

Finally a movie where Candace Cameron Bure isn't completely annoying!

Alan Thicke portrays CCB's father and tycoon of hip young hotels for the jet set.

He sends CCB to take stock of his latest purchase and plan how to tear it all down and make it new and edgy for their clientele.

Well what do you know but shortly after arriving and butting heads with the current owners son (Jesse Hutch) they soon begin to fall for one another!

Can CCB convince her father to keep the family charm of their new purchase?!

What a great movie

[mvisser-48384 · 10/10 · 2 February 2021]

This movie was so enjoyable and the cast was very believable. I felt I was at Snow Valley too. Stephanie and Brady (Cameron Bure and Hutch) are both great actors and worked well together. I appreciated Stephanie's humorous antics and the variety of activities both indoors and out for them and the other guests.

It was refreshing to not have serious conflict between the two of them. Instead, they both faced a similar and more realistic difficulty with their dads' expectations. They kissed before the very end of the movie which I liked and Brady supported Stephanie when she approached her dad near the end of the movie so they were working together as a couple. Quite nice to see.

I got so involved in the movie that I when it was over, I had forgotten the "real world" which showed me I really loved this movie.

Good points and Bad points

[VetteRanger · 7/10 · 23 October 2022]

We're fans of Candace Cameron Bure, but more in the now defunct Murder Mystery Club series than her Christmas movies. To me, she tends to be a bit whiney in some of her Christmas movies.

There are plenty of nice fish out of water moments in this movie, as she plays a California girl out of her element, literally, in a winter playground.

The romance is classic antithetical, and the story is one of the major Christmas movie cliches ... a bigger company without a heart buying a charming local company with plans to change everything.

Alan Thicke does a nice job as the father/business mogul who is set on utterly changing the property and stubborn about listening to other ideas.

Used to like it

[brookenichole-98054 · 1/10 · 22 December 2020]

Let It Snow is disappointing. The acting is great but the story is lacking. The romance is alright; although, the ending is unbelievable with the 'I love you.' Every time I watch it I'm bored to death.

Fun movie.

[wkozak221 · 8/10 · 22 November 2019]

I like this movie. It is funny and heartwarming. The lodge is great. The cast is good overall. The scenery is beautiful. I have a few problems: 1. It sounds like the husband is going to be gone, (literally in 3 months). 2. Wby bring up the brother? You don't see him. 3 Why can't movies like this be filmed in the U.S.? You have Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont? etc. They have snow and mountains! I am tired of Canada subbing for us! Sorry.

Grinch rediscovers Christmas spirit in herself

[stefbuik · 9/10 · 24 December 2014]

Not a whole lot to say about this typical Hallmark movie. And to me that is a good thing. I'm kind of tired of the whole high-strung "grim 'n gritty super realistic" vibe of so many movies, and around Christmas I like my no-problem-everything-will-be-alright movies.

Hallmark delivers on that.

It's an enjoyable movie with actors that seem to really like what they are doing, and there's a constant undercurrent of a child-like happiness about Christmas. The leading lady conveys her slowly rediscovering of the joys of Christmas very well, with tons of odd 'n funny traditions thrown into one, giant basket, so to say. (just see what a "spinster" has to go through to see the man in her future in her dreams)

The Vancouver locations are fantastic. Snow aplenty, no need for fake snow, unlike some other Hallmark Christmas movies, and used very effectively for a bit of physical comedy.

All in all, an enjoyable (there's that word again) movie, and clean, non-convoluted entertainment.

Best Hallmark Christmas movie

[jonathanrspalding · 10/10 · 11 November 2015]

When you watch a Hallmark movie, especially a Christmas one, you know what you are going to get. You know what is going to happen no spoiler alert necessary. I enjoy the Christmas season and by definition the movies on the Hallmark Channel. They are kind of background noise to what I am doing during this time.

In that spirit I think this movie might be the best of the bunch. The character dynamics seem more real and the romance more believable than most of genre. The family drama rang true with both characters. I also think the choices facing the characters seemed real and relatable.

Unlike other reviewers I thought Alan Thicke was very good in this movie. He had to look like a clueless jerk because that is what is character was supposed to be.

Mrs. Bure is very good in this movie as this type of role suits her well. But I also felt the cast outside of her, except perhaps the male leads mother, was very good.

Hence, I would high recommend this next November.

An Unforgettable Alan Thicke Performance

[jlthornb51 · 10/10 · 30 November 2019]

This is one of the most beautiful Christmas films produced in recent years and destined to become a classic. Ms. Candace Cameron Bure will have the hardest hearts melting as she delivers one of her finest performances and give it all the love in her heart. Mr. Alan Thicke is absolutely marvelous and gives a powerfully moving performance as the proverbial Grinch/Scrooge character. He will have you in tears in a role you will never forget. This is destined to become a Christmas classic to enjoy for generations!

THUMBS UP!...not disappointing at all!...VERY safe!

[adoptshelterpetstoday · 10/10 · 4 December 2014]

Another great quality movie with the very talented, very enjoyable Candace Cameron-Bure!.......But was it absolutely necessary to dig up the talentless, drab, vocally-annoying Alan Thicke?.....Oh well, at least he didn't appear in it much......Anyway, everything else was on the plus side: the plot was very enjoyable. The location was ideal...all the scenery and décor was beautiful...wonderful! It was well written and had very good directing. The supporting cast was well-casted...no one was annoying...(as is the case sometimes in good movies otherwise)................Sometimes it's difficult to separate the actual person from the part he / she is playing. If their exposed personal standards are low, then that casts a shadow on what ever decent part they play.............. However, having heard Candace talk about her respectable personal / family life on "Home and Family," it's consistent with the respectable parts she plays, which makes her decent movies even more enjoyable to watch. In fact, I consider her to be the contemporary Doris Day........"You are a wonderful asset, Candace, for upholding moral standards in life and also for contributing them to the movie industry...which often tends to be risqué and offensive."

Loved this movie

[mirandalsullivan · 10/10 · 8 October 2022]

Jessie Hutch and Candice Cameron-Bure did an incredible job. He is such a hunk and just love her! It was really wonderful to see Alan Thicke in this movie. I would really love to know where it was filmed.

I love both of them and it was really fun to see Candice in a different type of role. The movie reminding me of everything Christmas and I love the twist of different countries influences! Especially the tradition for dreaming about your husband to be! The family feel, the picturesque views and the expiration of all that was going on. Our good reminder I of what Christmas is about. I absolutely love the movie and would watch it again and again.

Authentic Christmas wonderland

[MickyG333 · 8/10 · 11 November 2023]

7.5 stars.

This is about a wealthy young woman traveling from Phoenix, Arizona to spend Christmas week at a northern winter lodge in Maine. She works for her real estate mogul of a father who buys resorts and upgrades them to meet the expectations of a specific sort of vacationer: mainly the rich kind. She is not keen on this trip and wants nothing to do with the cold, winter, and snow of the north. She is as icy cold inside as the climate on the outside and it shows, because she is rude and unapproachable from the start.

As the week continues and she begrudgingly participates in the holiday activities, the nice vacationers in this quaint town resort eventually melt her heart. Of course she also falls in love with the owner's son, and he helps transform her anti-Christmas mentality into something wonderful. She finally accepts that Snow Valley must survive as something more than one of her father's soulless acquisitions. She has discovered a special kind of magic here, where snow falls and people wish upon a star, and little children dream of sugar plums dancing.

I enjoyed this nice little excursion and the feeling of being nestled in a snowy, woodsy, and mountainous wonderland. 'Let It Snow' brings a gratifying sentimental feeling like Christmases when I was a child.