A Few Special Nights
23 year old Lisa (Ayla Kell) is pregnant and desperate to get as far away from Las Vegas as possible, not easy when the bus she is on turns back because of a blizzard. It is how she ends up sharing a ride with Brad (Brendan Michael Coughlin), a professional snowboarder, who is due back for his engagement party and is late. But after they crash in the middle of nowhere they come across the shut up Rosemont Lodge where Josephine (Grace Zabriskie), the owner, has become a bitter and twisted old woman haunted by something in her past whilst Abe (Brad Dourif), her one remaining member of staff tries to keep the building from rotting whilst hitting the bottle to put up with Josephine's sniping. But with them ending up snowed in the four strangers become friends as their past issues are aired and Brad and Lisa become close whilst everyone is on edge as it is clear Lisa is almost full term and could go in to labour at any time.
The more movies I watch the rarer it becomes that I find a movie which takes me surprise and having been told that "Snowed in at Rosemont" would be something new to me I hate to say that unfortunately it was still familiar to me. Here we have the old familiar of strangers stranded together and becoming a quasi family with each having an issue to contend with. In the case of "Snowed in at Rosemont" we have a woman who lost someone and it has made her bitter and twisted whilst we have a pregnant woman on the run from the baby's father who wants to sell the baby. Throw in a couple of patient men and as I said it is all very familiar although none the worse for being so.
"Snowed in at Rosemont" also has a familiar tone from a moment of drama as Brad heads out in the snow to try and get help to the comedy of Abe trying to look the other way when he and Josephine have to help deliver the baby. And there is nothing wrong with the tone as it makes it enjoyable with such a great lightness that it is the tone which makes the movie such a charmer. Well I say that but it is also Brad Dourif and Grace Zabriskie who make for such a great odd couple that they bring out the smiles in you. Oh and there is a twist to this movie which suddenly gives the movie the miracle it needs.
What this all boils down to is that "Snowed in at Rosemont" is normatively very familiar but the tone and the casting is spot on which is what makes it work, especially the casting of Brad Dourif and Grace Zabriskie who work so well together, bickering like an old married couple that they make you smile.
Tags: Christmas Movies
