Hot Frosty

Grade: B-

In this new Netflix Hallmark-esque romcom, a snow sculpture named Jack (played by Schitt’s Creek’s Dustin Milligan) is brought to life by a magic scarf and falls in love with the widowed Kathy (Mean Girls’ Lacey Chabert).

This movie has garnered itself a bit of attention with its basic premise of what if Frosty the Snowman was hot (and heterosexual and bi ladies and gay and bi men, the advertising is not false; you briefly see Milligan shirtless, and he does not skip gym day). Writer Russell Hainline (who has 3 different Xmas romcoms made from his scripts this year; good for him) runs with this silly idea with a decent script by the standards of these of these films.

The romance is standard, but the script is having more fun than you would expect. Honestly, Jack’s interactions with the local townsfolk are more entertaining than his courtship of Katie. 

There is more comedy than expected with one joke that made me chuckle a little. They hired a couple of comedy veterans to play the comic relief: The Office’s Craig Robinson and Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Joe Lo Truglio as the town’s ego-driven sheriff and simple-minded deputy, respectively. They really are the most entertaining part as they do the most with their characters and have the best delivery.

Milligan was prime casting: a handsome guy who knows how to do comic delivery. Chabert, however, is just okay, doing a basic performance.

Kinda recommended, if you don’t like Hallmark-style films at all, this will not do much to change that, but I do feel it is stronger faire for what it is, and effort was put into the setting and humor.

Haunted Wedding

6/10

In this recent Hallmark Halloween entry, ghost hunters Jane (played by Pretty Little Liars' Janel Parrish), the more science-focused one, and Brian (Shadowhunters' Dominic Sherwood), the more spiritual-focused one, are getting married at a hotel. At said hotel, they encounter Angelique (Cassandra Potenza), a ghost pining over her one true love tragically separated by fate. Jane and Brian decide to help reunite them.

This is a Hallmark movie and fine for what it is. They're simple comfort food and not trying to be high art, and this is exactly what these movies' audience want them to be. The plot isn't complex, but it doesn't quite feel like it's coasting. There are some decent jokes and lines in this, and the writers felt like they took their job seriously. (I mean by Hallmark standards. I kinda love the fact that once the ghost hunters find true evidence of the paranormal for the first time, they don't try studying it at all. Absolutely, no use of scientific equipment or recording anything. They just immediately decide to help Angelique 'cuz the power of love.) Overall, the dialogue, acting, and script all have a good-natured feel to it.

Best performance is definitely Parrish whose Jane is fairly driven and empathetic. Sherwood brings a sort of likeable quasi-dorkiness to the role. Though, a lot of this movie is Angelique being ticked off or feeling sorry for herself (I also kinda like the fact that Angelique is just kinda peeved at the couple most of the time, even though they're trying to help her), Potenza makes it work. No one's trying to win an Oscar in these movies, but I felt that Lauren Cochrane as Jane's best friend was sorta stale.

Recommended if you like Hallmark movies. It's an alright way to spend time where you know you're watching something safe that won't mess with your expectations or require a lot of involvement. Most of the people behind this felt like they were game. I checked and, surprisingly, Hallmark hasn't done that many ghost movies, and a human-human, ghost-ghost romance is something new for them.

Shotgun Wedding

 

7/10

Shotgun Wedding, now out on Amazon Prime, is an action romcom in which the wedding of Darcy Rivera (played by Jennifer Lopez) and Tom Fowler (Josh Duhamel), held on an island in the Philippines, is crashed by pirates. The couple end up being the only ones not initially captured and they try to save the others.

I'm seeing a lot of harsh reviews online, but I rather liked this. Don't get me wrong, the plot isn't Shakespeare, doubts about the wedding and fights between the couple come on too strong, and there are a couple of irritations that they suffer during the wedding preparations that feel like a bit much, but there are several good lines throughout, the action scenes aren't shabby, and this has a very inventive and rather amusing idea for a location for holding hostages.

The cast is pretty good. Nice to see Duhamel get the lead role in a film. He's a likable guy and it's about time his star rose. Jennifer Coolidge fans will be pleased to know she gets all the best lines in this as Tom's mother. Lenny Kravitz has the weakest written character as Darcy's ex, but in his defense, he delivers the character as intended, and he does have one good moment. Also, props should be given to Pancho Cardena as the Pirate Leader. His role is more leveled than some of the characters in the wedding party and doesn't have any big moments, but he nails his delivery.

Recommended, it's a fun, silly time.

Cinderella

6/10 

Found on Amazon Prime, This is the general tale of Cinderella (played by singer Camilla Cabello) except the lead is more interested in starting her own business than finding her one true love.

I'll be honest from the start, I'm not the audience for this. I've never been a big fan of Cinderella, any adaptation. I've always found this fairy tale kinda slow and uninteresting to me, probably because the lack of any action to it. So, bear this in mind as you read on.

Considering that this is written and directed by Pitch Perfect's Kay Cannon and featuring some big names, this doesn't feel like a big film. The whole thing feels like a made-for-TV movie you'd find on Hallmark. The story is so-so. Not bad, just doesn't leave a lot of a lasting impression. It doesn't help that you can tell where the story is going way ahead of when it happens. The modern flairs given to this feel predictable as well as Cinderella's journey. (Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to poo-poo the message of her story of female self-empowerment, I'm just saying it is done in a very unoriginal manner.)

The film is weirdly bipolar. It tries to both have characters act in a modern way, but it also tries to incorporate medieval social standards, and the two don't mesh. Cinderella is very a free spirit and willing to speak or stand up to anyone, except she's suddenly in the more traditionally downtrodden role when it comes to her stepmother (Idina Menzel) and stepsisters.

Jokes are hit-and-miss. The ones that do work are pretty good, though.

The sets and locations feel like a bit of a letdown.  Feel a little medieval/fairy tale bare minimum. I know this is more of a comedy, so the budget may not be that high, so it may be unfair of me to judge. Outfits are good.

This is a jukebox musical. (I believe two are original pieces.) I liked the song selections. The choreography is decent and vocals are great (not surprising since Cabello and Menzel are in this.)

No complaints about the casting. Everyone's giving their all (and Pierce Brosnan as the king is really rocking the beard.)

Again, not for me. Feel it's an unoriginal rehash of a worn-out story, plus I think it's odd they'd revisit the tale not too many years after the Disney live action one came out. But, I don't dislike this the way many critics are. I can't say it does anything downright wrong; it's just light viewing. My sister loves this, so there's got to be an audience for it. If you like the Cinderella story, romantic comedies, or jukebox musicals, this may be for you. Just don't walk into this with high expectations.