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67 reviews in total

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12 out of 15 people found the following review useful:
Enjoyable Perfection, 22 March 2001
Author: (onesmartgirl@hotmail.com) from New York, NY

I was invited to a private screening of the film in New York recently, and was thoroughly impressed by what I saw. "Christmas in the Clouds" is a film of perfect rhythm - the movie is funny when it is should be funny. It's serious when it should be serious. There's an addictive flow to the film that takes the viewer on a smooth ride - you watch the film because you want to watch. The direction of the movie allows the viewer to fall in love with the various characters (each with their own quirkiness). The plots are interwoven and laced with one another, bringing together an excellent example of the "perfect screenplay". Lines are delivered effortlessly, and the actors are exceptional. The cinematography is breathtaking, as is the awesome landscape seen in the picture. Kate Montgomery has done a commendable job in creating a beautiful film, and I highly recommend it to any film enthusiast who desires a quality product. I, for one, consider "Christmas in the Clouds" time well spent.

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11 out of 14 people found the following review useful:
Romantic comedy is fun for the whole family, 6 November 2004

Author: canaryx from San Jose CA

This film is worth every penny of the ticket price if you can get to see it anywhere. I have no idea why it still needs a distributor, unless the Native American setting is a concern to the money men? Shouldn't be. The humor and romance subplots cross all age groups, ethnic groups and class lines. The men I know who saw it at the film festival really liked it, so it's not just a chick or kid flick. It's more charming than You've Got Mail, more interesting than Whale Rider, funnier than Love, Actually, and it has more appeal for a wide audience than Something's Got to Give. Like My Big Fat Greek Wedding, it's the kind of story you'd send everybody you know to see (and this ensemble would make a better, less clichéd basis for a weekly TV sitcom). I'd buy the DVD in a heartbeat, plus buy more for my friends and family if they would just offer it for sale. The world needs more comedies like this!

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8 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
Quite Enjoyable, worth searching out, 15 November 2001

Author: Jas Young from San Diego, CA

I saw this movie this past week at a San Diego Cinema Society event. Several of the actors attended the event making the evening quite special. The numerous romantic threads were reminiscent of a good episode of the "Love Boat" but in a more believable setup, the funny stuff was funnier, and the "deep" stuff more touching than any Love Boat episode. The scenery was incredible, Utah never looked so good. All in all a good little romantic comedy for the holiday season. Hopefully this film will find a distributor.

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7 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
A pleasant surprise wrapped in fresh faces, 15 November 2001

Author: davel92122 from San Diego, CA

Hearing ahead of time that a movie is "sweet" doesn't leave me with much of an appetite for viewing. But, Christmas in the Clouds beat out those expectations. I told a friend the other day: "A wonderfully told story of mistaken identity, American Indian culture and how life seems to find a way to work itself out. Sometimes predictable and a little cute, it still is full of warmth, charm ... and well worth seeing."

Some very surprising performances from a leading cast of unknowns (mostly) and a supporting cast of seasoned professionals. Enjoy!

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7 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
Good Humor in the Clouds, 21 December 2005

Author: Charles Delacroix from United States

I liked but am not enthusiastic about this movie. How to describe it? Something of a Comedy of Manners, in the spirit of one of the old Cary Grant movies. Or something like that delightful movie with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye with Rosemary Clooney and Vera Allen, in the exquisite "White Christmas," set in a snowy Christmas lodge setting. In this movie, though, we have a snowy Christmas lodge setting with a distinctively Native American flavor and contemporary mores.

The Native American setting was to me interesting and (as far as I know) authentic.

I say "as far as I know" because, on the one hand, I have some Native American background myself, and live in Oklahoma, and have regular contact with folks who live within contemporary Native American culture ... yes, including bingo and tribal chief electioneering and tribal commercial enterprise and also genuine if fragile roots in Native American culture of the past ... language, song, hunting skills, spirituality of Nature, and more.

I also say "as far as I know" because I can't claim the kind of depth of background indicated in the movie and have no experience at all of life on a "rez."

The humorous sequences were just wonderful ... hilarious, artful, engaging, and full of contagious laughter. I think especially of the sequences at the opening and closing of the movie. The middle of the movie seemed to lag at times in terms of humor, as well as plot and dialog.

Cinematography was excellent. There are some breathtaking scenes of fog and snow and mountain and tree.

The script for the central romance seemed to me a little strained. The female lead (Marianna Tosca as Tina Little Hawk) was excellent, but her part in the scripted dialog often seemed lagging to me: she smiled brightly and winsomely and almost airheadedly ... yet we know from her first appearance and from subsequent sequences that she was nothing of the sort. The central conversation just didn't have anything like the pace or humor or crisp airy delight of the same kinds of scenes in the Cary Grant or Crosby/Hope flicks.

Still Graham Greene as Earl the Chef was wonderfully humorous. His interactions with the Guests was hilarious. And the final sequences almost make up in quickness and focus and good humor and fun for the lagging middle sequences of the movie. Sam Vlahos as Joe Clouds on Fire was excellent; and Emmet Walsh as Stu turned in a fine performance; and the interactions between Joe and Stu were both the most touching and the most humorous of a movie full of good humor.

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7 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
Cute, funny, reminded me some of Smoke Signals, from a few years back., 15 November 2001

Author: sandra hoffert

I enjoyed the movie; found it to be funny and the plot reminiscent of some films from the 40s. It reminded me of Smoke Signals, another refreshing native American film made a few years ago. The scenery was beautiful; wish winter had come sooner so there had been more pictures of the forest deep with snow.

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10 out of 15 people found the following review useful:
Fabulous romantic comedy got standing ovation at festival, 6 November 2004

Author: juniperland from Santa Fe

I cannot forget this comedy which I saw with an overflow crowd at a film festival in 2001. I never saw a review of it, so I went to see it because of word of mouth. I had no idea it would be so delightful. I liked it better than My Big Fat Greek Wedding and keep hoping it will get similar success. Charming, unique and yes - feel good - it has all the elements for a good date flick. An Indian tribe runs a ski lodge that desperately needs snow so that it can bring in customers to stay in business. The lodge manager also wants to impress a travel writer who will be staying incognito to write a review of their facilities. But mistaken identity leads to romance between the lodge manager and supposed travel writer, and a bit of slapstick ensues. In the end, more than one couple falls in love and of course -- it's a comedy -- it finally does snow like heaven.

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5 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
this is a great movie, 11 December 2005

Author: fliphop from oklahoma

this movie is great. it has a sense of humor that is not slapstick but kind of country it is not hateful but very hopeful the movie has small problems, it is not polished like a perfect golden globe there are tiny holes that could be filled in with an extra scene or two. however, it is a wonderful work of art. in the tradition of making you laugh, cry, and shout. its telling me i have to put more lines in. alright let me think here. basically the story is a penpal (think you've got mail) mixup leads a to an Indian-owned resort hotel in the West, various odd and humorous and touching characters, most of them lonely and looking for love, fill out the plot, and interact with each other in an extremely well constructed, not contrived, set of circumstances. oh and the love scenes are wonderful; not the typical degrading Hollywood stuff.

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3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
Charming Romantic Comedy, 22 February 2006

Author: noralee from Queens, NY

"Christmas in the Clouds" is a charming romantic, Native American take on "Fawlty Towers".

Set at a Utah resort that's Indian tribal owned and operated (as was the production of the film), with a majority Indian cast, the plot entanglements and eventual resolution in debut writer/director Kate Montgomery's film are pretty obvious from the first ten minutes, but how the colorful characters get there is fun.

The opening voice over narration is a bit awkward in setting up the situation for the mistaken identities, but the introduction of each eccentric character is quite entertaining. While the plot contrivance in romantic travails probably goes back further than Shakespeare, the dialog that keeps the mistakes going in double entendres is amusing (including her as a NY Mohawk "passing" as NY Italian by using her father's last name).

Amidst the funny running joke about romance novels' depiction of a "savage" lover, Timothy Vahle as "Ray Clouds on Fire" and Mariana Tosca as "Tina Little Hawk" are staggeringly gorgeous, but they each bring a wariness and neediness to their characters that has you rooting for them more than for the vicarious thrill of watching beautiful people kiss on screen. We rarely see in films educated off-the-rez professionals like them back home, having returned to their families for emotional personal reasons (it's inferred that his ex was non-Indian). The parent/child relationships throughout are much warmer than any we've seen before in the few Indian films.

There are jokes throughout on Indian stereotypes in image and language, and that's the term the characters use, not Native American. Here the alcoholic, alienated father is the white guy, M. Emmet Walsh, who is both comic and touching. But none of the whites are played for stereotypes (including a cute flirtation between a British guest and "Ray"s father, played by a solid Sam Vlahos). In another reverse, this may be Wes Studi's only comic performance, in a cameo as a guest bingo caller. Singer Rita Coolidge of the distinctive husky voice also has a brief cameo as "Tina"s mother. Graham Greene is very funny as a vegetarian chef with serious issues about his menu.

There is some contemporary Native American music on the soundtrack and lovely performances of translated Chrismas carols.

The tiny budget is obvious with some continuity errors and background shots with inconsistent snow/no snow, but the Utah scenery is lovely, and this is much more about the people up front than the details in the background.

What a shame that I was the only one in the theater in NYC, when a broad stereotyped ethnic romantic comedy like "Big Fat Greek Wedding" was a hit. While I would enjoy following these characters in a continued life in a sit com, this sweet little film could have an extended life as a holiday staple on cable, like on the Hallmark Channel.

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3 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
A wonderful and charming movie for the whole family., 23 November 2005

Author: ejmatts from San Jose, CA

It's an absolute shame that this movie hasn't had more distribution and much more publicity. I keep coming back to the word "charming" as it's best description. A rare find and one I will look forward to buying on DVD to watch many times. The characters are people you would like to know and the scenery is breathtaking. Shot on Robert Redford's Sundance resort, I understand that after he read the script, Redford gave them permission to shoot there and it is only the second movie he's allowed on that property; the first being "Jeremiah Johnson". After my first viewing, I took two friends with me who didn't know of it and, as movie buffs, were surprised they hadn't heard about it. Both loved it and in turn recommended it to others. It won't challenge the intellect nor will it cause a great controversy but you will leave satisfied with a warm feeling. How unusual!!

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