"Be a warrior, not a worrier."
Hello everyone!
Okay. So.
Because it's January, and I was having this historical movie binge, I was actually planning on watching The Man in the Iron Mask next, and reviewing that one.
Turns out, however, that something else just nipped that idea right in the bud.
I'll still be watching (and reviewing) that one, for sure. But first, for tonight's review.
Love on the Slopes seemed like the type of movie that I could cheerfully lose myself in for the hour and a half (sans commercials). It has a hunky male lead, a cute female one, stunning vistas, and a love story thrown in for good measure.
What's not to like, right?
Wrong.
See, right off the bat, after my first viewing of the movie, let me just say that I disliked it. Greatly.
Which is a terrible shame, because I like the male lead. Greatly.
Thomas Beaudoin is one of those actors who bears watching, because not only does he have the looks to pull off on screen, but he's also the whip-smart kind of guy, judging by his social media posts, that you need to pay attention to and listen.
And I enjoyed him in The Spirit of Christmas. That, too.
So I was disappointed when it came to Love on the Slopes and I couldn't give it an automatic glowing review because of the actor, but hey, at least this is how you know it's real. Despite really liking how someone acts, you don't always like what they act in, and that's okay.
Note: the link to the Christmas movie blog post can be found at the bottom of the page.
On to the actual review. I'll try not to rant too much.
Alex (Katrina Bowden) is an aspiring travel writer, but the problem is that, at 29, she feels like her life has stalled and she really, really wants to go to Africa, among other things. Her best friend Kate encourages her to enter in a competition the magazine is holding, the winner of which will not only be featured on the cover of next month's edition, but they will also become part of the travel writing team AND get full coverage (monetary) for a trip of their choosing.
Sounds neat, right?
Problem is, Alex really IS a worrier, not a warrior, and right off the bat I knew I'd be having problems with her character because, when she goes to speak to her boss about the competition, instead of actually having something to supply in terms of a writing idea (like, say, something to do with elephants in Africa which she was going on about five minutes ago), all she does is fawn and flutter around the man, leaving him (and me) unimpressed.
Get your head in the game, Alex!
It doesn't help that Barton, her boyfriend, hasn't proposed to Alex yet, despite her thinking he just might, but it was only news about being promoted to partner in the bank he works at.
So Alex decides to take matters into her own hands and figures out she wants to go write an article about Cole Taylor, a photographer with a special passion for extreme sports - and who has zero social media presence, making him hard to track down.
Failing that, however, Alex can still write about Ridgeline Resort and extreme sports.
Which is exactly what she does, and in typical city girl fashion (not to mention book-to-movie transcript) runs into Cole (not knowing it's him) while walking up to the resort because she has no ride, and she's not getting into the car with a hot stranger.
Anyway, back to the main storyline: Alex attempts the extreme sports thing, causing, among other situations, a human pile-up, and also running into Cole (literally) again, as well as thinking maybe she really just needs to accept she's a city girl and will remain one.
Meanwhile, Cole is convinced this blonde chick is a walking disaster, but he's got other problems: he hasn't taken any good new shots in two years, and the gallery where his work is displayed hasn't actually sold much in a while, either. This means he needs to do a meet-and-greet, a thing he despises, but of course we quickly come to a solution.
If Cole helps Alex face her fears (and teach her some stuff about extreme sports), she'll help him with the meet-and-greet, and the Winter Walk benefit he throws each year for his charity.
Sold.
A little about Cole: there's no real word about his father, but his mother was the one who raised him, bringing him to Ridgeline for a week every summer and every winter. Unfortunately, she passed away while he was in college, after which he moved to Ridgeline and had a relationship that went south, making him skittish. Also, he really, REALLY hates talking in front of people and socializing, but his foundation helps underprivileged kids with extreme sports.
But he also really, REALLY likes Alex after a little while (despite her city behaviour which comes complete with comments how her shoes need to fit her outfit more than be functional and her almost Bella Swan level of klutziness). And Alex likes him back.
What follows is a montage of the two of them doing everything, from skiing to zip lining, and (apparently) falling a little bit more for each other throughout.
It helps that Cole actually listens and talks to Alex, as opposed to Barton who tends to only talk about himself and what he did a certain day.
You know where this is going.
When the movie tossed the couple into a country bar, I lifted my hands in complete surrender, because, not only was there line dancing, but they won a two-step dancing competition.
Yep, you read it right. Two-step. Dancing. Competition.
Although I will admit it was incredibly hilarious to watch the scene where they announce the winners.
Moderator: And the winners are ... the couple in the back.
Cole & Alex: - look behind them to see who he means -
Moderator: You gonna git up here and get yer prize or what?
Cole & Alex: OH HE MEANS US!
But moving on.
Of course, with three quarters of the movie over (and Alex having almost completed her article, but the more she gets to know Cole, the more torn she feels about not telling him what she's actually doing), Barton arrives unexpectedly, making viewers everywhere groan with what consternation they have left.
I didn't have much, but I gave it my best shot.
Alex declines the (obvious) proposal during a one horse, open-sleigh ride (which I also saw coming) and leaves a copy of her article with Cole, promising she won't publish it because she respects his privacy too much.
Then she goes back to New York, because her week at Ridgeline is over.
Naturally, she also sent a copy of her article to BFF Kate, who "accidentally" leaves it out in the open for their boss to find, and read, which kicks Alex into high gear, because, helloooo morals!
Luckily for her, though, Cole was coerced into reading the article, and he emailed her boss some photos to go along with said article, giving his permission for its publication, and thus fulfilling Alex's dreams about becoming a travel writer.
Alex hasn't had her final say, however, because with two minutes left in the movie (and no kiss yet!), you know there's more. She pops back to Ridgeline to give her winnings to Cole (after having already made a hefty donation to his charity beforehand), telling him to go chase his dreams in Africa (oh, you want to go to Africa too, huh?) but that she has one more adventure left for him to share with her. Or her with him. I don't know at this point.
In any event, he tags along, realizes she wants to go bungee jumping, or planking off this bridge, really, and they declare their love for one another, decide they're going to Africa together so she can be cute in a safari hat and he can take his pictures of her all cute in a safari hat, and then bungee off together.
Because the couple who bungees together, stays together!
The end.
I really wanted to like this movie. And honestly, some aspects of it I DID like. Mostly, however, this particular Hallmark production left me with the feeling that someone read a book somewhere, and decided to literally translate it to the big screen. Because it was that predictable in terms of what was happening next, the klutzy city girl and the outdoorsy guy, right down to them going off into the sunset together.
And I mean, SOME of it was even endearing. But I don't quite understand what guy in their right mind, remembering the fact that they're an outdoor type, would LIKE someone who picks her shoes for outfit as opposed to practical value.
It boggles the mind. Or maybe I just don't know that type of guy yet. Unclear whether I want to meet him.
Anyway. This movie COULD have been good. But to me, it just wasn't, sadly, and I'm annoyed because Beaudoin is an actor I really like to watch. I'll need to cleanse my palate before I attempt either his The Trouble with Mistletoe or Love's Last Resort (though I'm determined to watch those, too).
Still, I can't make up your mind for you. Maybe you're someone who likes this kind of trope! In which case you will probably enjoy the movie.
If you do, good for you!
xx
*images and video not mine
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