Snow Wonder (2005 TV Movie) User Reviews

'Tis the season for magic

[Redbreast777 · 6/10 · 21 November 2005]

'Tis the season for magical Christmas shows where we are whisked away from our dreary lives for a couple of hours of love and joy and hope.

The movie is actually 5 mini-stories woven together by a freak snow storm on Christmas eve - an aspiring writer (Eric Szmanda) looks for encouragement from an off beat aunt (Mary Tyler Moore); a woman's philandering husband (Jason Priestley) is "stranded" away from home; a would-be maid of honor (Poppy Montgomery) watches her friend's wedding self destruct; a divorced mom (Jennifer Esposito) agonizes over her young son going to his father's home for Christmas Day and a widow (Camryn Manheim) tries to block out last Christmas when her husband died. In each story, the snowstorm leads to some interesting changes to the character's lives.

The cast won't have to book time off for award shows but they all played their parts adequately and let us walk away feeling that all is right with the world. Two hours of non-demanding escapism to a happier place, ideal to relax with on a lazy holiday evening.

This Movie Is Horrible

[jpowell10 · 4/10 · 22 June 2006]

This horrible movie was on at Christmastime this past year. I thought I was going to shoot myself just watching it. The acting was terrible and Mary Tyler Moore was so clichéd that I was hoping her character had a terminal illness. Poppy Montgomery looked good as always, but the two guys vying for her affection were awesomely annoying. Everything was complete smarm and overly convenient. I have seen episodes of Walker that looked like Hitchcock compared to this drivel. And instead of turning off the lights and enjoying the evening, my wife stayed up to watch the whole thing.

If you've ever felt lower than a Hallmark TV movie, then you have experienced crushing rejection.

Pleasant holiday film, slightly naughty at times

[vchimpanzee · 23 November 2005]

Billy (Josh Randall) is not a meteorologist, but he reports on weather conditions for the cable channel 24/7 Weather. He says few Americans will see snow this Christmas. Then something amazing happens. He can't understand why clouds are forming so suddenly all over the country. Neither would someone with training. This is a Christmas miracle. Snow starts falling all over the country, and even the world. It snows for the first time ever in Key West. It snows in Italy, Morocco, Malaysia ... Hawaii??? Even Madagascar, where it is supposed to be summer. And with the biggest weather story in years, he loses his teleprompter. So he has to go see pretty Joey (Michelle Krusiec) who writes his material.

Stacey (Julie Ann Emery) is marrying Jim (David Sutcliffe) in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Paula (Poppy Montgomery), is her maid of honor but wishes she could be the bride. The question is which man should she marry? One possibility is the cello player.

Pilar (Jennifer Esposito) lives in Los Angeles with her son, but her ex-husband in San Diego demands that she let the boy spend Christmas with him. He even visits a judge who is supposed to be enjoying a day off to make sure it will happen.

Bev (Camryn Manheim) is from suburban Chicago and she goes to a sugar plantation in the South where it is unlikely to snow. Flashbacks show her happy life with husband Howard.

Luke (Eric Szmanda) wants to be a writer and his family regards him as a failure, except for his weird Aunt Lula (Mary Tyler Moore), who has an interesting romantic history involving celebrities. While waiting on the others to arrive, Luke tries learning to cook and listens to the stories.

Marjean (Caroline McKinley) is missing her husband Warren (Jason Priestley) for the second Christmas in a row. Though he claims to be stuck at the airport in Cincinnati, he is really with his girlfriend in Baltimore.

This miraculous weather event inconveniences the various characters but ends up improving the lives of many of them, while making others (who deserved it) miserable.

I only saw two really outstanding performances among the leading actors. I've never seen Mary Tyler Moore so quirky and ditzy. Eric Szmanda was okay alongside her. A movie about just them and the family might have been quite enjoyable.

And Camryn Manheim showed real anguish and bitterness. While the movie could have been a quality production with only her storyline, it would have been quite depressing. I should single out the three other actors that joined her: they played the driver who brought her to the plantation, the priest at the nearby church she stopped in just because it was pretty (though she didn't seem religious), and the bartender who played the piano.

The other performances and story lines were okay, though the parts with Warren, Marjean and bimbo seemed out of place and not well-acted at all, while still funny. And this story provided most of the bawdy humor that kept this from being a G-rated fantasy. Aunt Lula supplied the rest.

It was, for the most part, a corny fantasy of the type we see so much of at Christmas. I enjoyed it.

What an abysmal holiday movie.

[skasturi · 2/10 · 28 November 2005]

You know, I'm a fan of Connie Willis's fiction, which is the only reason I tuned into this dreck-fest of a film. I mean, it's a network made-for-TV movie called "Snow Wonder." The probability for awfulness was high from the get-go. But it was based on a short story by Connie Willis, so...I figured, what the heck, right? What a mistake. There's two hours I'll never get back. The story arc was awful--perhaps the fact that there were so many separate story lines had something to do with that, who knows? I never cared for any of the characters; almost all of them were tiresome to a fault. The cast was not so bad, but most of the actors seemed like they were flailing around without any direction. Camryn Mannheim and David Sutcliffe especially deserve better. I'm not sure what happened to Mary Tyler Moore... maybe it was just that the character she was playing was so stereotyped and tired..."Oooh, I'm so eccentric! Oooh, I wear a lot of scarves and drapey clothes--that shows how artsy I am!" Her storyline in particular was excruciating to watch. And I've never seen so many overused visual and verbal clichés that masquerade as storytelling in my life. If Connie Willis's short story is anything like this, I may have to revise my opinion of her work. Then again, look what happened to Ursula LeGuin's Earthsea when it made it to TV. Oh, the humanity. It's too late for me, but save yourselves and avoid "Snow Wonder" at all costs. I only give it a 2 out of 10 because it's not as bad as "Salsa" (truly the worst film ever made).

2 hours of my life I will never get back...

[sarah-gates-1 · 2/10 · 22 November 2005]

I don't know how anyone can give this movie a good review. It was terrible. Extremely cheesy, unrealistic, over-acted, embarrassing to watch. I love Poppy Montgomery, Jennifer Esposito (especially after "Crash")and the guy from CSI and I was so embarrassed for them that they were in this mess. It is about a freak snow storm that turns earth magical white Christmas . It shows about 6-7 different stories around the US that include a woman battling to keep custody of her son while the jerk of a father makes her life a living hell, a young man searching for the approval of his mother and estranged father - when his crazy aunt comes in early for their Christmas dinner to give him a new perspective, a young woman who is the maid of honor at her best friend's Christmas Eve wedding and the drama that ensues when it looks as if the wedding may be canceled due to weather not to mention the hidden feelings the young woman has for the groom-to-be, another woman who is trying to escape Christmas after her husband died last year at the same time, a conniving husband who is cheating on his wife while he tells her he is tied up at an airport, and finally the weather man who brings it all together during this once in a lifetime event. There was potential for this movie to be a cute yet somewhat cheesy hallmark type, and hey, since it is the holiday season I was fully prepared for that. But the movie was muddled by cheesy theme music, over done facial expressions and emotional outbursts. In the end some of the stories intertwine in a twist that's about as sneaky as an bull in a china shop. Sorry to be so harsh, but to me it seemed like this movie was 98% cheese and 2% absurd.

beguiling winter tale

[myriamlenys · 7/10 · 16 May 2023]

Every year the public gets treated to yet another batch of formulaic Christmas movies. The Christmas romcoms tend to be especially dire, spinning tales about perky young American women who accidentally spill spiced wine over the sleeve of a handsome foreigner, only in order to discover they've made the acquaintance of the crown prince of some European monarchy. (Will true love prevail or will Harold-Victor fold before his mother the queen, who insists that he marry the beautiful but imperious Moira of Gluckberg ? And will the population of Turturria accept a free-spirited, freckled girl from Montana who crochets hamster coats for a living ?) If you, dear reader, are looking for something better to cheer you up during the dark December days : "Snow Wonder" is worth a watch. I would not call it an immortal masterpiece but at least it delivers something else than cliché. In my humble it would have been even better if it had leaned into its fantasy/science fiction premise with more abandon, but anyway it's different from, and better than, the average cookie-cutter dross.

In "Snow Wonder" much of the USA gets covered by a thick blanket of snow, which appears as if by magic. The various characters try to cope with the unexpected circumstances and many of them undergo a life-changing experience. For instance, a grieving and embittered widow finds some degree of emotional comfort, while a bridesmaid discovers that her difficult, demanding "best friend" has a habit of sucking all the oxygen out of the room.

Out of all the strands of the tapestry, I liked the one about the author and his eccentric aunt best. Mind you, the fate of the cooked goose surprised me no end. Who, in his or her right mind, would want to throw away a well-prepared and costly dish ? If you want to make some kind of goose-related statement, at least give the food to the needy. In a just world, the aunt would be obliged to eat ten Christmas turkeys in succession, with all the trimmings.

Not a perfect movie, but an agreeable one.

Cute Christmas movie about how small things can change everything

[gbarcangel · 8/10 · 20 November 2005]

Very cute. A little scattered but very cute. Camryn Manheim was at her best. She made me cry during her short speech. Eric Szmanda and MTM were very funny together. Poppy Montgomery was good again with David Sutcliffe who she starred with in Murder in the Hamptons. Though I wish they expanded their parts a bit. Jennifer Esposito and the young boy were wonderful together and very touching. All in all a very cute seasonal movie. Everyone stories get affected by the snow and somehow it changes the way their life is going. Makes you smile and laugh a little and even cry if you ever see it on cable stay a watch a little it will be worth the time. Merry Christmas.

I loved this movie!

[grhea-316-145708 · 8/10 · 13 March 2012]

I loved this movie! Yes, it's a little sappy...but most Christmas Movies are! It's whimsical and magical just like it should be. Snow Wonder...Snow all over the world on the same day...delighting some and making others crazy! I though the actors all did a great job! I could have done without the section with the husband cheating on the wife...did not fit with the rest of the "magic". The wedding scenario was well played out and funny. If you are looking for a fun movie with a little Christmas Magic then this is your movie. If you are looking for reality, you probably will not like it. I personally loved it! I wish I could find it on DVD!

Following the the destiny of several of several different people around the US - during X-mas when it magically starts snowing all over the world.

[annedalbjerg · 8/10 · 27 December 2008]

Sometimes you just need a cliché to get you through the X-mas days. I have now searched high an low about the lines, that Mary Taylor Moore's character said about family: about none of them understanding who you are.

Maybe the film is unrealistic and some of the actors did not deliver their best, but it actually put me into a little merrier X-mas mood - isn't that what counts? I actually love X-mas, just not with my family, but with my second family = my friends.

Or maybe it is the snow just having a magically, positive effect on a Scandinavian who does not have snow during most X-mas'es in the home country?!