Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Kristin Chenoweth | ... | E.J. Baxter | |
Josh Hopkins | ... | Will Albrecht | |
Anna Chlumsky | ... | Jan Lucas | |
Erin Dilly | ... | Roz Baxter | |
Stephen Huszar | ... | Jason Farrar | |
Heather Hanson | ... | Lillah Sherwood | |
Jefferson Brown | ... | Eric | |
Craig Eldridge | ... | Mayor Bob Baker | |
Chantal Perron | ... | Dr. Marci Hempel | |
Paul Constable | ... | Dave Hempel | |
Aaron Abrams | ... | Les Pizula | |
Frank Chiesurin | ... | Scott Lewis | |
Peter Mooney | ... | Noah | |
Joe Norman Shaw | ... | Eddie | |
Jessie Pavelka | ... | Henry Diepeveen |
E.J. Baxter has what she considers the trifecta of New York perfection: the perfect job as a PR executive with Lillah Sherwood's firm where she is the miracle maker; the perfect apartment; and the perfect man in her fiancé and coworker, Noah. E.J.'s life comes crashing down just before Christmas when she is fired from her job, and finds out that Noah is cheating on her, which not only leads to her calling off their engagement but changing what were to be their romantic holiday plans. After a few months of not being able to find a job with a reputable rival PR firm because of no one willing to cross Lillah, E.J. is forced to accept one of the two less than perfect jobs offered to her. The job that she accepts from Mayor Bob Baker is to work in Kalispell, Montana - population 19,000 and located hours from a large city - on a one year contract for its tourist board to encourage corporate retreats to the town. E.J. is a fish out of water in Kalispell, but finds that there are some ... Written by Huggo
This movie is predictable and forgettable, a Christmas rom-com that ends happily ever after before barely grazing the surface of the leads' potential character arcs. Not that I am convinced either of the lead actors was capable of greater depth, but the script didn't give them any room to try. The secondaries were reasonably attractive and warm and human, but didn't get much in the way of lines or focus.
The reasons to watch:
1. Breathtaking mountain scenery 2. The photo shoot montage is excellent eye candy with humour attached 3. The mid-plot mutual-loathing confession of attraction that's a blatant ripoff from Pride & Prejudice but done in language far less polite.
4. The nod to the very real issue of cash-strapped Search and Rescue services, staffed by volunteers and relying often on borrowed or out-dated equipment, who manage at tremendous risk to life, limb, and family/romance to bring most people home most of the time from the wildernesses they've wandered into.
It's a 6 for those 4 reasons. Otherwise, it might be a 3.