Christmas Festival of Ice (2017 TV Movie) User Reviews

Interesting Film

[Christmas-Reviewer · 7/10 · 9 November 2017]

I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 400 Christmas MOVIES.

BEWARE OF BOGUS REVIEWS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW. WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE PRODUCTION. NOW I HAVE NO AGENDA! I AM HONEST! I REVIEW Christmas MOVIES AS A WAY TO KEEP TRACK OF WHAT I HAVE SEEN!

In this film

Those years of law school pay off for Emma but not in ways one would expect. When she finds out that her beloved ice-sculpting contest, part of her hometown's Christmas festival, has been canceled, she springs into action. Determined to keep it going.

This film takes place at Christmas but in reality the film is about "Making Choices" and "Figuring out what you really want in life".

Not the typical ending you might expect but I fully enjoyed this film!

Real Christmas setting

[Northener · 5/10 · 12 November 2019]

I give this film a 5 just for the fact that it was filmed in Mississippi Mills - in the winter! People actually looked cold and are wearing real winter clothes and boots, no high heels in sight. OMG. As for the plot, it's just as silly as every 2nd Hallmark film - you know, where they give up their careers to move to the small town to work in businesses that don't actually exist anymore because they make no money in today's world. I am still waiting for the one where someone moves to the city for a job...you know, reality! But no, it's Hallmark so don't expect more. Just chill out and enjoy the beautiful scenery in this one.

Good story below the surface

[Jackbv123 · 7/10 · 5 November 2017]

IMDb gives away a little too much in the Storyline. But I was probably not paying enough attention to the clues about Emma's feelings. I was thinking that Taylor Cole's acting was off in how she was almost irresponsible in her lack of attention to her mom's legal practice. In reality Cole did a good job of showing that her attitude toward law was complicated. The other acting was OK, but I can't say Joey Belfiore was overly convincing in courting Emma. Neither Emma nor Jason made it seem that their romance was highest on their minds.

The story had a small mystery which I thought had a nice solution. There was also a little twist, maybe less so if you paid attention.

For a Christmas movie, I thought it was a little lacking in the usual piling on of Christmas traditions because it was more focused on the ice sculpture.

cute Christmas movie

[jewelch · 6/10 · 8 December 2020]

May be I was expecting to much but I think this could have been way better but I will say it is still well worth watching, James Welch Henderson, Arkansas 12/07/2020

Ice, Ice, Baby!

[adamjohns-42575 · 6/10 · 23 February 2021]

This really isn't a bad film, but I am starting to get a little bit tired of the same story told in a different way. Come on Hallmark/Lifetime surely you can come up with something else?

Damon Runyan is very handsome and likeable and I think she should understand that not everybody is an extrovert. She is nice too though, but I would have liked to have seen more umming and arghing about her job.

The ice sculptures are very well done, but you don't really get to see them properly to appreciate them.

Their romance is cute enough and there's a brief mention of Christmas, but it doesn't have a lot of focus on the season if that's what you're looking for?

I will watch it again I'm sure, especially if there is an extended edition which features Damon Runyan at least topless, but otherwise not for a year or two.

WHAT? Spoilers!

[xetaprime-64257 · 4/10 · 5 November 2017]

Ya know, some of the dialogue was just fine. I've seen worse Hallmark Christmas movies but I will say the last minutes of this movie had me screaming at the state of incredulity! Perhaps not the right word but come on people! Giving up a Law Career for Ice Sculpture? OMG! Maybe if our lead 'Romantic' was eighteen years old and a very big maybe.

So the movie plods along with some fair acting and a rather slow pace, but again I'll take it. Move along to the great romantic ending... There was no great romantic ending. There was a hug and barely a kiss? and the decision to give up working as a lawyer- having passed the Bar Three years ofschool and no, she wants to Ice Sculpt? WHAT? LOL, SIGH and, scene. So, seems like there 'might' be some romance and two unemployed people by seasons end. The End. And I love Hallmark movies! OY!

So much passion...for an ice sculpting competition

[ADadandHusband · 6/10 · 29 November 2020]

Ok movie that had me interested to see the end. Emma, the lead, comes to her home town to work for her mother's law firm, but she really only seems interested in fundraising to get the ice sculpture competition back. She seems annoyed when work gets in the way As the story develops It comes to light that he is the town's best 'ice sculptor' but stopped doing it because he could not handle the pressure partnering with his now ex as she was very competitive. She ends up leaving him near a prior Christmas and it has tormented him ever since. Emma and Nick's love connection isn't really there for a Hallmark movie as it begins way too late in the movie. I have never seen so much ice sculpting though and for this one small town to have so many talented sculptors at the ready for a competition. Lots of good winter scarves as always.

No need to carve out time for this one...

[Mistletoesecret · 3/10 · 11 January 2023]

This is the second ice sculpture related movie we've seen from Hallmark and it hits about the same as the first. Emma is a small-town lawyer that doesn't wanna be a lawyer anymore: she wants to sculpt ice. I'm not really sure why she wants to sculpt ice AFTER SHE PASSES THE BAR EXAM, but she has a need for sleet.

Her mother, the angel, spends $10k to teach her daughter a lesson she already knew. That's not a lesson, that's a bad investment. The falling-in-love in this film happens off camera. All we know about the newly beloved is that they share the same hobby. There are other more enjoyable Hallmark movies that you should watch (including the first ice sculpture movie).

Jinglin' and Jolly, The Misletoe Secret Podcast.

ZZZZzzzzz Wake me when it's over!

[bramptonrocks · 2/10 · 4 December 2017]

First of all, what is the fascination with ice sculpting?

The plot in this thrown together movie is thin at best. I mean, talk about "first- world" problems!! A rich, pretty and educated woman doesn't want to be a lawyer? Come on. I want to be an ice-scupltor? I'm not sure that's a year-round job, especially in that small town.

Oh, and did I forget the romance? That's OK. So did the script. The two leads have no chance of creating chemistry with this garbage.

Kudos to Wendy Crewson, who seemed to have all of the good dramatic parts.

I enjoyed seeing the Canadian locations as a backdrop. Delete, delete, delete.

Great Scenery and Good Casting

[docm-32304 · 8/10 · 21 December 2021]

I really liked this film for a number of reasons. First off, the scenery, the scuptures, the snow were an excellent backdrop. I'm obviously not a big fan of California Christmases. Then, there was the wonderful omission of cranky, super stressed out women which for me does not feel appropriate for a feel good Christmas movie; in fact, every character was likable, or more importantly, there were no ones that you'd hate. This is a very laid back movie that you can simply enjoy. I liked that there were a few stories going on...not enough to get complex or confusing and not too little to seems bland. Next, the romance aspect was adult...not like so many of the sophomoric silliness that too many of the seasonal movies that get cranked out have. Lastly, I found the beauty and charisma of Taylor Cole particularly refreshing. Definitely recommend. A good relaxing watch.

Ice thin festival

[TheLittleSongbird · 4/10 · 23 June 2020]

Actually liked the idea of the story, which had a setting that set itself apart from a lot of Hallmark's festive efforts. Even if it still sounded formulaic, which is pretty much what one expects from Hallmark anyway. The title was quite cute, refraining too much from being too cheesy like film titles from Hallmark can be in game attempts to be cute and catchy. Have liked Taylor Cole in a few other things, though she is a relatively new actress to me, so she was not inexperienced in this type of role.

One would think though that she was if judging her performance in 'Christmas Festival of Ice' without seeing some of her other films beforehand. 'Christmas Festival of Ice' as an overall film is not awful and it has its moments. There are also far worse Hallmark Christmas films as well as worse Christmas films in general. On the most part, to me it was not a good film, does very little with its potential and basically should have been much better.

'Christmas Festival of Ice's' best aspect is the acting, which is mostly acceptable and even good. The best performance coming from Wendy Crewson, who brings vitality and heart to her role and the film. Damon Runyan is an engaging enough male lead, the character is cliched but Runyan at least doesn't look bored or ill at ease. The second best aspect is the production values, which are also quite good. Lovely festive locations slickly shot.

The music has its moments, it sounds Christmassy and some of the choices of soundtrack have a nice nostalgia. The film starts off quite well.

However, Cole didn't work for me. She seemed rigid and like her heart wasn't in it, things that have not been there in some of her other performances. She and Runyan have very little chemistry together, almost disconnected and under-rehearsed, which made it very hard to invest in the romance which never properly develops. Very few of the characters are likeable or interesting, Nick and Carol are minor exceptions and that is because of Runyan and Crewson's acting skills rather than the character writing.

Moreover, the script is very cheesy and soapy with a very stop-start flow to it. The story is as thin as black ice (sorry) and crawls along at a snail's pace, so the film feels very dull. As well as not easy to take seriously, while the ending on top of being too convenient strains credibility beyond the limit. The music has moments but has the problems that a lot of Hallmark festive films have in being used too much and being too loud.

Concluding, very lacklustre but with sporadic good things. 4/10

Good Acting but Horrible Plot

[charcnc · 4/10 · 1 January 2018]

Emma made it through 7 years of school and studying for the Bar Exam and now is back home in time for the Christmas Festival. The scenery is great. It is clearly set in the winter.

We have a Christmas Tree farm, but outside from the beautiful sculptures, there isn't much other Christmas-y stuff. There is a "tragic" backstory with our hero that he needs to get over in order to enjoy the holidays. Didn't really see the chemistry between the two, though.

Ending doesn't sit right with me. Another reviewer called it "First World Problems". This is not a movie I would have my teenage daughter see without pointing out all the things the heroine did wrong, presumably with her parents money.

Some fantasy can't be suspended.

[johnadams-34788 · 3/10 · 30 November 2018]

In Sci-Fi movies, we know that some things will never happen, but we think of them as believable. In Christmas Festival of Ice, the first thing that we did not understand in why 5 blocks of ice cost that much money. Did they pay judges, pay sculptors? Did they pay prize money and would it have to be that much? We have people in our town that would pay to be part of a holiday ice sculpting contest, not have to be paid. It is hard to get around that money raising scheme logic since it is the major part of the movie.

As A Professional Ice Sculptor, this Film Offends Me

[stevedoctor · 1/10 · 2 December 2023]

First off, I simply didn't believe that Emma Parkers had any ice sculpting talent whatsoever. Her dad gathered a group of amateurs to compete with while her mother funded 10k to hold the contest at all. Talk about privilege. What kind of sick joke is this. I've busted my tail for 25 years participating in ice sculpture contests all across America. This isn't handed to me like little miss Parkers win was. I hope my fellow ice sculptors don't watch this film, as it totally misrepresents the community and what we are all about. Just for once I wish Hollywood would show the adversity that us ice sculptors truly encounter and suffer through. Do better Hallmark, do better!

Christmas Festival of Ice

[JoBloTheMovieCritic · 5/10 · 20 July 2019]

5/10 - Christmas flick that didn't really connect to me or bring me any more holiday cheer

" Ice sculpture has always just been part of who I am"

[littleking-91142 · 1/10 · 3 November 2018]

This will be one of the first Christmas shown....in November. It is so thin on plotline that It can only be a warm up movie to the main events much later in the year. The script makes you yawn at every turn. The scene where the protagonist reveals that she wants to be an Ice sculpture and not a lawyer had me crying... with laughter. It's appalling. Please tell me how this film made any money. Best thing to do with this film is to put it on, get under a cosy blanket on the sofa and have a nice snooze until it's over.

Enough Already

[zyxnix · 5/10 · 24 November 2017]

Enough about Ice Sculpting already!!

Let me say that Damon Runyan is a real professional to try and power through this one. He was trying his best...but there is no chemistry in this movie at all. Let's face it Taylor Cole is not suited for the Christmas movie genre. I kept hoping for more screen time for Teagan Vincze.

Right...."Mom, I don't want to be a lawyer; I want to be an ice sculptor"...Stupid. It's a small town! How would they not know each other? Dumb. If Mom had been in a car crash on the way home, now that would have been a plot turn.

Take out everything about Ice Sculpting and Emma and it's a good movie..

Skating on a thin plotline.......

[Lew777 · 5/10 · 1 November 2018]

Taylor Cole looks great and isn't a bad actress but the plotline of whether to be a lawyer or an Ice Sculptor defies credibility ! Also there is little chemistry between Taylor & Damon Runyan, the local artisan with a reason for not showcasing his amazing sculptures. All in all this passes the time pleasantly enough - what more do you need from a Christmas Hallmark movie ?!

A pain in the ice

[doctorsmoothlove · 2/10 · 2 November 2019]

Emma Parkers is a young woman who lives in a small town and works as a law clerk for her mother. She has taken the bar exam and awaits results. She lives in a small town with elegant apartments and spacious downtown apartment space despite us never getting the full picture of it. Emma is obsessed with carving ice statutes which is a tradition in this town. Not enough of a tradition to receive public funding lest I digress.

"Christmas Festival of Ice" has the elements which I assume wish fulfillment Hallmark movies are known for (I'll known more after I see a few dozen). The young woman meets a handsome, nice man and coerces affection from a man afraid of love and ice sculpting! Her best friend who has a glorified cameo role encourages her to talk to the Christmas Tree salesmen she falls for. They appear to be close. Everyone's makeup and teeth are immaculate. If you have ever been to a small town in the USA, you'll have seen different.

The film bothered me because it begins with a good, empowering premise. The heroine wants to preserve the ice sculpting contest in her town. She raises money to keep the event going. Everything else is beyond her control . Why does she have to choose between her career and her hobby? Why can't she choose to do both?

The film is tolerable until its ending which is illogical on all accounts. This is disappointing in that the actors and the script give you the impression that a better film was possible. Neither is profound. An actualized woman can choose to have boyfriend. He doesn't show up because the plot demands it.

Don't like Taylor Cole's acting.

[krichter-24724 · 1/10 · 5 January 2019]

She is too stiff, blah. Not realistic. No electricity between her and her co-stars! Should have gotten a different actress to do red herring. Mistake!

Christmas is iced

[Prismark10 · 3/10 · 4 November 2018]

Emma is a would be lawyer for the family law firm who springs into action when her town's annual ice sculpting competition is cancelled.

Emma uses her skills and contacts to raise money and get sponsors. She also gets Nick, the local ice sculpture maestro to enter the contest.

The experience helps Emma to consider her future life choices.

These is one of these cheaply and quickly made saccharine Hallmark festive films. The one they start showing from October onward. There is no chemistry between the romantic leads and not much of a plot. Only Wendy Crewson makes an impression as Emma's lawyer mother whose briefs are being neglected.