Stephanie (Candace Cameron Bure) is a workaholic who has never really acknowledged Christmas thanks to her father Ted’s (Alan Thicke) tendency to work through the holiday. Given the task of travelling to Maine to draw up a proposal for Snow Valley Lodge, which the company she works for has recently purchased, Stephanie is paired with guide Brady (Jesse Hutch), the song of the retiring owners. Initially planning to overhaul the lodge into a destination hotspot, Stephanie unexpectedly finds her Christmas spirit and her feelings for Brady give her second thoughts.
‘Let It Snow’ isn’t a new movie – it was actually made back in 2013 for Hallmark. The film has now been acquired by Great American Family, which makes sense given stars Candace Cameron Bure and Jesse Hutch are staples on the channel, and is premiering on the channel as part of Great American Christmas 2024. Before watching ‘Let It Snow’, I’d heard lots of good things about it so I went into this one with high expectations. Does it live up to them?
The plot of ‘Let It Snow’ is a very familiar one, and it’s been used in dozens of these kinds of movies for years. Stephanie is an ambitious woman from a fast-moving world, who is thrown into a fish-out-of-water situation when she visits a slower-paced small town. Everything Stephanie thought she knew about life, and the world, is thrown into turmoil when she discovers the Christmas spirit she never realised she’d been missing. Meeting Brady, which is rocky at first but soon transform into romance, Stephanie sees what being part of a close family unit means.
Brady on the other hand feels restrained by his family, and there’s friction when he refuses to carry on the family business. Experiencing creative differences with his father, he decides to do something different with his life but having Stephanie in his life to propose transforming the lodge stirs something unexpected in him. There aren’t a lot of surprises along the way here, and the film arrives at the destination you’ll expect, but that doesn’t make the journey any less charming or entertaining.
The film’s strongest aspect is its two lead stars. Candace Cameron Bure and Jesse Hutch and no strangers to these kinds of films – and they’ve starred in plenty since this film was released 11 years ago – but you know if they’re involved the film is going to be enjoyable. Both actors are good in their roles and they create plenty of sparks between their characters. Honestly, it’s no surprise that they’re so in demand all these years later.
‘Let It Snow’ isn’t reinventing the wheel but it doesn’t need to. The film has a down-to-earth whimsy and charm that audiences will love, and those that have already seen it will keep coming back to it every Christmas. With a whole lot of heart and a message about work/life balance running through, ‘Let It Snow’ is worthy of all of the praise its received over the years.
Cast: Candace Cameron Bure, Jesse Hutch, Alan Thicke Director: Harvey Frost Writers: Harvey Frost, Jim Head Certificate: Unrated Duration: 82 mins Released by: Great American Media Release date: 8th December 2024
‘Let It Snow’ premieres on Great American Family as part of Great American Christmas 2024 at 8/7c on Sunday 8th December 2024. Find out more about the film at https://www.greatamericanfamily.com/movie/let-it-snow/
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