Watch Let It Snow on Netflix
Set in the small town of Laurel in Indiana, Let it Snow is a film focusing on a group of people stuck thanks to a snowstorm. There isn’t a lot of snow and it feels like a summer day with snow on the road. What makes me believe in the snow being a problem is that we are informed that it is unseasonal.
In the words of the tin foil woman/narrator (Joan Cusack), Let It Snow aims to portray to the audience how snowfall may not be such a bad thing after all for snow can change the way we look at the world and has the power to bring us together.
It can be quite bad in some ways as we see in this film. A party got cancelled which led to awkward silences, there was a train stuck, a car swerved off the road and there was a fall.
Directed by Luke Snellin this film is an adaptation of an anthology titled Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances. The stories ( The Jubilee Express by Maureen Johnson, A Cheerstatic Christmas Miracle by John Green and The Patron Saint of Pigs by Lauren Myracle) are weaved together in the Netflix production.
What’s common between them is the Young Adult hangout Waffle Town a.k.a. Affleck Town. Each of the three narratives features young actors who have credits in quite a few movies. We have Transformers: The Last Knight actress Isabela Moner (Jubilee) and the voice behind Miles Morales from Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse Shameik Moore (Stuart) anchor one narrative commencing with the meeting of two strangers on a train.
The 2nd narrative has Kiernan Shipka of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina fame play Angie opposite Mitchell Hope’s Tobin. This one is about longtime friends who want to be more than that but are tentative and afraid about it.
The 3rd narrative focuses on Odeya Rush (Addie), Dorrie (Liv Hewson) and features Jacob Batalon (Keon) of Spiderman fame in a supporting role. Netflix did promote this film as an ensemble and whilst looking up about the work of these actors I learned that they are seasoned young adult performers.
They perform well too. You can sense that slight awkwardness between Tobin and Angie. The need for validation from the ones closest to you can be seen and even serve as the kind of lines you need to hear to propel you to make a difference in what you may do next. Isabella Moner’s role was challenging for she had to play a confused teenager dealing with family issues. She represents the ones who are at a crossroads and struggle to ponder between which path is best for them.
The film touches upon the need of being there for the other and realizing the truth about who one is. It also explores the idea of a generation gap concerning technology and how it is good and bad. Two storylines explore the fear and reluctance Young Adults possess which lead them to take decisions completely with their heart which can lead to regret, misunderstandings and missed opportunities.
Let it Snow is largely faithful to the adaptation with respect to the characters and the groups of people. I found it a tad annoying that few things were inserted just for the sake of inclusiveness. One of the storylines is completely different from what it audiences who read the book would have been expecting but the only indication comes after we have seen quite a bit of the character on screen. These tweaked storylines do offer more depth to the characters and explore three different types of relationships. One character gets a meatier backstory but the question still arises. Should we care about knowing the source material for adaptations considering that they will be tweaked and reworked?
All three stories were focused on regularly. I love the way the three writers wove the narratives together so they didn’t feel like odd jumps from once part of the town to the next.
Also, Checkout our list of The Best Netflix Original Movies of 2019
These three stories focus on blossoming and conflicted romances. Being a holiday-themed rom-com means that you know where this is heading. This one isn’t that memorable film for the ages. ‘Let It Snow’ is a one time watch that can be the one film to trigger that feel-good factor within you to get ready for Christmas which in the words of the famous carol is the most wonderful time of the year. You probably won’t remember this film (now you may ensure that you do just to prove me wrong). But be sure that with its timing it can trigger that Christmassy mood within you.
★★
Let It Snow Netflix Trailer
