Debbie Macomber's Dashing Through the Snow (2015) (Prime Video/Hallmark Now
I pride myself on honest reviews--though I'm not going to hit the Caps Lock, get in your face, and tell you why all other reviewers either work for the moviemaker or are somehow idiots based on their ratings. How silly is that? I normally try to be objective in my reviews--however I understand that we all have different tastes. But for once I'm going to let my feelings all hang out.
I think the large number of reviews already posted outline the basic plot quite well and because they do, I needn't go into excessive detail. I also understand that with romance films, it is so important to suspend disbelief, and I always TRY to do my best to do so. However, this time I felt this movie had so much wrong with it that I couldn't ignore a myriad of issues. It was probably the story itself in the main.
I agree with the several reviewers who mentioned the boorish behavior of Dash (Andrew Walker) early on when he shoved his way in front of Ashley (Meghan Ory) to rent the last car in the airport. They could have set this scene up much easier by having brought the rental agent in earlier and arranged the car before Ashley got to the desk, thus not having to have Dash behave like such jerk--and expect us to believe Ashley would still get in a car with him. Really? There are other rental car agencies in every large city. In end, suspension of disbelief only goes so far--yes, I am always preaching it, but really? As former law enforcement, I know making a "suspect" suspicious when there is an obvious alternative is stupid. (And script-wise, I confess that I am a huge fan of Meghan Ory, so despite the fact that this is a movie, it still irked me that treating the girl badly is how things started. I now hated Dash, and would continue to hate his rude, lying self until the movie ended. Your results may indeed vary.)
Now then, the entire business with the FBI characters was beyond ridiculous, and sadly, permeated the movie. Could I have laughed it off? Maybe, and I probably should have, but I already felt bad for Ashley, and the head FBI guy, Agent Munroe (Aaron Craven) was an idiot. If we were supposed to take this story remotely seriously, what was with these clowns? In my opinion, these Hollywood FBI agents ruined the movie. This annoyed me even more, because I had really been hoping to enjoy a Meghan Ory romance film, even if Andrew Walker was being a somewhat out-of-character jerk. (Though really, was I going to give him a second chance? Nope.)
Speaking of Walker, I'm sure he simply played the role as it was written. I've seen him too many times and know he's a good actor. I am a bit tired of him lately as he comes out in a new movie every three or four days, but based on some of the lascivious comments made by some of the (apparently) female reviewers, he is probably making big money for Hallmark.
Nothing really made up for Dash's bad behavior, nor the FBI's arresting Ashley. And while I won't mention the very end, I simply couldn't buy it, and wasn't happy with it. I'll never watch this film again, regardless of my deep appreciation for Meghan Ory.
But once again, all this is simply my opinion. I rarely review a movie where I so aggressively state my opinion, but my disgust for this film just got the best of me. I'm sorry, but it gets a lousy 3 from me. If you think my complaints about the film sound bogus, do check out the movie--who knows--you might like it.
I pride myself on honest reviews--though I'm not going to hit the Caps Lock, get in your face, and tell you why all other reviewers either work for the moviemaker or are somehow idiots based on their ratings. How silly is that? I normally try to be objective in my reviews--however I understand that we all have different tastes. But for once I'm going to let my feelings all hang out.
I think the large number of reviews already posted outline the basic plot quite well and because they do, I needn't go into excessive detail. I also understand that with romance films, it is so important to suspend disbelief, and I always TRY to do my best to do so. However, this time I felt this movie had so much wrong with it that I couldn't ignore a myriad of issues. It was probably the story itself in the main.
I agree with the several reviewers who mentioned the boorish behavior of Dash (Andrew Walker) early on when he shoved his way in front of Ashley (Meghan Ory) to rent the last car in the airport. They could have set this scene up much easier by having brought the rental agent in earlier and arranged the car before Ashley got to the desk, thus not having to have Dash behave like such jerk--and expect us to believe Ashley would still get in a car with him. Really? There are other rental car agencies in every large city. In end, suspension of disbelief only goes so far--yes, I am always preaching it, but really? As former law enforcement, I know making a "suspect" suspicious when there is an obvious alternative is stupid. (And script-wise, I confess that I am a huge fan of Meghan Ory, so despite the fact that this is a movie, it still irked me that treating the girl badly is how things started. I now hated Dash, and would continue to hate his rude, lying self until the movie ended. Your results may indeed vary.)
Now then, the entire business with the FBI characters was beyond ridiculous, and sadly, permeated the movie. Could I have laughed it off? Maybe, and I probably should have, but I already felt bad for Ashley, and the head FBI guy, Agent Munroe (Aaron Craven) was an idiot. If we were supposed to take this story remotely seriously, what was with these clowns? In my opinion, these Hollywood FBI agents ruined the movie. This annoyed me even more, because I had really been hoping to enjoy a Meghan Ory romance film, even if Andrew Walker was being a somewhat out-of-character jerk. (Though really, was I going to give him a second chance? Nope.)
Speaking of Walker, I'm sure he simply played the role as it was written. I've seen him too many times and know he's a good actor. I am a bit tired of him lately as he comes out in a new movie every three or four days, but based on some of the lascivious comments made by some of the (apparently) female reviewers, he is probably making big money for Hallmark.
Nothing really made up for Dash's bad behavior, nor the FBI's arresting Ashley. And while I won't mention the very end, I simply couldn't buy it, and wasn't happy with it. I'll never watch this film again, regardless of my deep appreciation for Meghan Ory.
But once again, all this is simply my opinion. I rarely review a movie where I so aggressively state my opinion, but my disgust for this film just got the best of me. I'm sorry, but it gets a lousy 3 from me. If you think my complaints about the film sound bogus, do check out the movie--who knows--you might like it.