Snow Wonder (2005) (TV)

Director:

Peter Werner

Writers (WGA):

Rodney Patrick Vaccaro (telescript)
Connie Willis (short story "Just Like the Ones We Used to Know")

Release Date:

20 November 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Family

Plot:

A mysteriously spreading period of postcard winter conditions, complete with snow, over most of the...

Plot Keywords:

Beautiful Woman

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Julie Ann Emery	...	Stacey
Jennifer Esposito	...	Pilar
Camryn Manheim	...	Bev
Poppy Montgomery	...	Paula
Jason Priestley	...	Warren
Josh Randall	...	Billy
David Sutcliffe	...	Jim
Eric Szmanda	...	Luke
Mary Tyler Moore	...	Aunt Lula
Michelle Krusiec	...	Joey
Vince Vieluf	...	Mario
Hunter Clary	...	Miguel
Aldis Hodge	...	Hotel Piano Player
Marco St. John	...	Judge Tilma
Ritchie Montgomery	...	Kirk

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Houmas House Plantation - 40136 Highway 942, Burnside, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Television

What an abysmal holiday movie.

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).