Sunday 8 December 2013

Snowglobe (2007)

Another Christmassy confection from the writers of both Santa Baby and Santa Baby 2: Christmas Maybe, this is a film that may not actually be that good, but it's a perfect time-filler in amongst the many other snow-filled flights of fancy occupying the TV schedules at this time of year.

Christina Milian plays Angela Moreno, a young woman who is a bit fed up of her overbearing family. They never seem to mind their own business, whether they're trying to set her up with a new fella (this time around in the shape of Josh Cooke) or just assuming that she's happy to work in the family business until the day she can take over from her mother (Lorraine Bracco). Angela actually just wants to enjoy a traditional Christmas, and she gets her chance when she receives a magical snowglobe, hence the title. She finds that she is able to enter the village inside the snowglobe, and starts to spend more and more of her time there, especially enjoying the company of cheery and sweet Doug (Matt Keeslar).

Directed by Ron Lagomarsino, and written by Garrett Frawley and Brian Turner, this is standard stuff indeed, but that's not to say that it's not unenjoyable. The simple premise is rough around the edges, and quite lazy at times, but it's also built around a decent core idea.

Milian isn't a great actress, but the film doesn't completely rest on her shoulders so that's not so bad. Cooke is decent enough, and Bracco is sorely underused (and, frankly, deserves better anyway), but Keeslar has a lot of fun as the man who views the world around him through child-like eyes. Kailin See, Christine Willes, Erin Karpluk, Jason Schombing and everyone else onscreen do . . . . . . . . . okay. Nobody stinks, at the very least.

There are some nice little touches here and there, especially in the artificial, twee design of the snowglobe village, but just not enough to raise this to something above average. Not to be too down on the girl, but with a better actress in the lead role this could have been fun. As it is, it's just a mild diversion that doesn't cause you any pain while it's on, even though it could have been much better.

4/10

http://www.amazon.com/Family-Christmas-Collection-Cupid-Boston/dp/B00DNLZRXI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1386495808&sr=8-3&keywords=snowglobe+dvd



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