19 reviews
Apparently, the snow globe-alternate-universe-Christmas movie genera is here to stay. Unfortunately, this one is not as good as the 2007, one-word Snowglobe version.
In this edition, Meg (Alicia Witt) thinks the shows she produces misleads people into thinking dreams really can come true. After bonking herself on the head with a snow globe, she ends up in it's perfect snow-covered town. She never quite fits into this universe though everyone in town tries to accept her. It all starts to unravel when her negative attitudes impacts the town folks. Just as she starts to realize she likes her snow globe universe better than her real one, she returns to reality with another bonk on the head.
While there is a nice, semi-predictable twist at the end of this movie, its your basic Lifetime Channel Christmas movie fare that you will forget minutes after the movie is over.
In this edition, Meg (Alicia Witt) thinks the shows she produces misleads people into thinking dreams really can come true. After bonking herself on the head with a snow globe, she ends up in it's perfect snow-covered town. She never quite fits into this universe though everyone in town tries to accept her. It all starts to unravel when her negative attitudes impacts the town folks. Just as she starts to realize she likes her snow globe universe better than her real one, she returns to reality with another bonk on the head.
While there is a nice, semi-predictable twist at the end of this movie, its your basic Lifetime Channel Christmas movie fare that you will forget minutes after the movie is over.
- story_by_corey
- Dec 14, 2013
- Permalink
This time magic was gone : I was lucky to have 2 Christmas movies with Alicia in one week but this one is really not interesting : Alicia plays a sort of Scrooge who turns from bad to good by Christmas spirit but her transformation happens in a stupid tale : without knowing it, she has a black husband and two teens as child ! The small town is supposed idyllic but we don't see it ; Christmas is supposed to be a family Holiday but here it's rather belonging to a community (remember the Kranks ?) and the big drama is about a play ! So there's nothing to keep you awake and happy, with a crying eye and a moved heart ! The wardrobe and cinematography and the usual dynamism and smile of Alicia are worthy but sadly, this movie won't be a classic !
- leplatypus
- Dec 26, 2015
- Permalink
Though it rings of Family Man as many have pointed out, it bares a stronger resemblance to Nancy McKeon's Comfort and Joy. The film twists and turns in ways that are sometimes more frustrating than entertaining. However, the acting is good and the lighting is good and so is the sound. 2013 has not been a good year for sound and lighting in these types of holiday films. In particular kitchen scenes have been riddled with reverb, but not this film. They came through. The overlap with prior Snowglobe films is apparently coincidental more through casting than the story. There is no connection other than the name and a shared actress. It definitely tightens up at the end and makes for a good watch.
- raybartlett
- Dec 16, 2013
- Permalink
This movie doesn't really have any flow and is hard to follow. Rather than feeling like its own show, it feels more like a bad editing job of splicing together every other Christmas movie you've ever seen. Considering that the main character is trying to make the perfect Christmas movie when she passes out, I'm sure this is probably on purpose, but unfortunately the end result isn't good. It feels more like we were dropped into a fun house than a snow globe. Also, the male and female leads didn't demonstrate any believable chemistry, or at least not for more than a second or two at a time. Both actors are terrific, and I've loved them in other shows, but it just didn't work here. It might not be their fault, though. It could be because the movie kept jumping around and never held still long enough to maintain emotion. In any case, your time would probably be better spent watching one or more of the other Christmas movies instead of this trippy imitation.
I saw and disliked the first snow globe movie with Christina Milian but hoped that the presence of Alicia Witt , Trevor Donavan and Donald Faison in the cast would make this an enjoyable movie. But alas , the snow globe failed me again.
I watched the whole movie and kept hoping that it would get better, after all it had Alicia, Trevor and Donald in it. They deserved better than this. But it was just so disjointed, badly written and badly edited that it made it difficult to watch. The actors tried their best but the writers gave them very little to work with. I am not real sure what the plot of this movie was supposed to be, but the entire movie felt like a collection of unrelated scenes, strung together at random, in hopes of making a christmas movie.
This is not a Hallmark movie and doesn't attempt to be. However, if you have enjoyed Hallmark movies with Alicia Witt , Trevor Donavan and Donald Faison in them, avoid this movie.
This was a boring movie, who knew 90 minutes could be so-o-o long. It is right up there as one the worst movies I have ever seen.
I gave it no stars, and that was being generous.
I watched the whole movie and kept hoping that it would get better, after all it had Alicia, Trevor and Donald in it. They deserved better than this. But it was just so disjointed, badly written and badly edited that it made it difficult to watch. The actors tried their best but the writers gave them very little to work with. I am not real sure what the plot of this movie was supposed to be, but the entire movie felt like a collection of unrelated scenes, strung together at random, in hopes of making a christmas movie.
This is not a Hallmark movie and doesn't attempt to be. However, if you have enjoyed Hallmark movies with Alicia Witt , Trevor Donavan and Donald Faison in them, avoid this movie.
This was a boring movie, who knew 90 minutes could be so-o-o long. It is right up there as one the worst movies I have ever seen.
I gave it no stars, and that was being generous.
- jewhitmer25
- Jul 9, 2021
- Permalink
A cynical TV exec looks at the perfect town inside a Christmas globe and rants about how the holiday movies she produces are as fake as the ornament. She throws it against the wall and it bounces back and knocks her out. But when she wakes up in a perfect snow-covered town, married to a local woodsman, she discovers it s not all just a fantasy.
The film is really a first class production. The story is a little bit of a retread of better films however its so well made you can't get mad. Alicia Witt seems to be in every other Christmas movie that gets made. It was also so sweet to see Donald Faison be romantic. This film is family safe. It so safe that if your single the film might even change your life. Watch and enjoy.
The film is really a first class production. The story is a little bit of a retread of better films however its so well made you can't get mad. Alicia Witt seems to be in every other Christmas movie that gets made. It was also so sweet to see Donald Faison be romantic. This film is family safe. It so safe that if your single the film might even change your life. Watch and enjoy.
- Christmas-Reviewer
- Sep 8, 2016
- Permalink
The only thing that's good about this movie is Donald Faison. He is quite funny. They made the lead so totally unlikable for so long in this dreadful version of a plot that has been done many times over before.
Courtesy of the Great Canadian film factory (which, as explained in my other reviews often masquerades as production companies from other parts of the globe), we have this soppy entry, a strange take on the X-mas fantasy classics from the 1940s.
The good news? Alicia Witt. Witt is not only a singer but a comedian and actress of special merit. This reviewer first noticed her in a season of Justified where she stole the spotlight from several dramatic actors more seasoned.
And speaking of "seasoned," this Xmas effort even with its many flaws could have been a lot better than it was were it not for the criminally inept casting of Donald Faison as the fantasy husband.
Folks I understand the benefits of political correctness in the modern age (even though as a youngster I did not go to a "snowflake" university) but there are some things more important than political correctness, such as writing, casting, directing and acting. For starters.
Witt is not only competent, she delivers some very awkward dialog like she means it. Not so with Donald Faison. He seems to think he is in a slapstick comedy instead of a romcom and keeps mugging for a laugh. It would help if there was even a smidgen of chemistry between the two. THERE IS NOT. Worse, the writer/director makes a major faux pas and actually takes this lack of chemistry and tries to turn it into a plot arc.
Ugh! Other than for Witt fans, not recommended.
The good news? Alicia Witt. Witt is not only a singer but a comedian and actress of special merit. This reviewer first noticed her in a season of Justified where she stole the spotlight from several dramatic actors more seasoned.
And speaking of "seasoned," this Xmas effort even with its many flaws could have been a lot better than it was were it not for the criminally inept casting of Donald Faison as the fantasy husband.
Folks I understand the benefits of political correctness in the modern age (even though as a youngster I did not go to a "snowflake" university) but there are some things more important than political correctness, such as writing, casting, directing and acting. For starters.
Witt is not only competent, she delivers some very awkward dialog like she means it. Not so with Donald Faison. He seems to think he is in a slapstick comedy instead of a romcom and keeps mugging for a laugh. It would help if there was even a smidgen of chemistry between the two. THERE IS NOT. Worse, the writer/director makes a major faux pas and actually takes this lack of chemistry and tries to turn it into a plot arc.
Ugh! Other than for Witt fans, not recommended.
- A_Different_Drummer
- Jan 7, 2017
- Permalink
- SanteeFats
- Dec 2, 2014
- Permalink
The first half of the movie was almost unwatchable. Than there was 15 minutes were it looked like it might redeem itself than it collapsed. I'm an Alicia Witt somewhat fan but this was the worst thing I saw her in and I think she didn't care or something because she was part of the reason it was bad. Usually not the case.
There are magical Christmas movies and there is this seminal masterpiece, the apex of the genre.
Busy career lady in a big city? Yup Magical occurance? Yup New life as a housewife? Doi
A film that works as a satire and an homage to the greatest genre of all time? Absolutely.
Busy career lady in a big city? Yup Magical occurance? Yup New life as a housewife? Doi
A film that works as a satire and an homage to the greatest genre of all time? Absolutely.
- doctorsmoothlove
- Nov 17, 2019
- Permalink
The idea was sort of interesting, though it wasn't anything innovative. 'A Snow Globe Christmas' could have been either sweet and entertaining or contrived and bland, like a lot of Christmas films on both extremes and in between. Alicia Witt has always been mixed for me. When she has the right material, she can be good. There have even been times where she's been great. When she has characters that are annoying and not very interesting, she struggles to make it work.
'A Snow Globe Christmas' is not a terrible film and has its moments. It is sadly also not particularly good either and is very lacking in most areas. It could have done so much more with its concept, which turned out to be rather ordinary and muddled. It fits in the extreme of contrived and bland, though not one of the worst examples when it comes to Christmas films. It is yet another festive film where it was a struggle to like Witt or her character, though she is not completely to blame here.
Will start with the good things, as they are there. The scenery is lovely and quite idyllic and the photography is neither drab or garish, looking slick while not doing anything elaborate or too static. There is at times a nice festive feel to the music.
Christina Milian does a good job with what she was given, giving some spark. There are moments of charm and heart.
Neither Witt or Donald Faison come off particularly well, though she comes off better. It is a case of her trying too hard (though she does a nice smile), so everything feels too exaggerated, and he not enough. There is absolutely no spark or warmth to their chemistry and the rest of the cast are forgettable. Only Milian comes off unscathed. The direction mostly is functional but not much more than that. Other parts of the music felt intrusive.
Moreover, a lot of the dialogue is very stilted and corny, with too much cheese and schmaltz. And the execution of the film' concept is very predictable, very strained, completely lacking in energy and the lack of sense spoils it too. None of the characters are particularly interesting or likeable, and the main character's Scrooge-like transformation/character development feels too rushed to be believable.
In summation, has its moments but lacking. 4/10
'A Snow Globe Christmas' is not a terrible film and has its moments. It is sadly also not particularly good either and is very lacking in most areas. It could have done so much more with its concept, which turned out to be rather ordinary and muddled. It fits in the extreme of contrived and bland, though not one of the worst examples when it comes to Christmas films. It is yet another festive film where it was a struggle to like Witt or her character, though she is not completely to blame here.
Will start with the good things, as they are there. The scenery is lovely and quite idyllic and the photography is neither drab or garish, looking slick while not doing anything elaborate or too static. There is at times a nice festive feel to the music.
Christina Milian does a good job with what she was given, giving some spark. There are moments of charm and heart.
Neither Witt or Donald Faison come off particularly well, though she comes off better. It is a case of her trying too hard (though she does a nice smile), so everything feels too exaggerated, and he not enough. There is absolutely no spark or warmth to their chemistry and the rest of the cast are forgettable. Only Milian comes off unscathed. The direction mostly is functional but not much more than that. Other parts of the music felt intrusive.
Moreover, a lot of the dialogue is very stilted and corny, with too much cheese and schmaltz. And the execution of the film' concept is very predictable, very strained, completely lacking in energy and the lack of sense spoils it too. None of the characters are particularly interesting or likeable, and the main character's Scrooge-like transformation/character development feels too rushed to be believable.
In summation, has its moments but lacking. 4/10
- TheLittleSongbird
- Feb 24, 2020
- Permalink
I think Lifetime Channel needs to take a page from the Hallmark Channel when it comes to Christmas Movie Quality Standards: always begin production with a good story from the heart.
This movie was a mess - faulty direction, flawed script, cardboard characters and poor performances - I didn't believe any of them.
I love Christmas movies with Alicia Witt, but here she was manic and over-the-top. I fault the director and script because she's a terrific actress when working with good material and direction, even when it's not about Christmas. Check her out as Wendy Crowe in "Justified." Awesome performance!
I wanted to enjoy this movie and was looking forward to it. Now all I want are my 2 hours back!
This movie was a mess - faulty direction, flawed script, cardboard characters and poor performances - I didn't believe any of them.
I love Christmas movies with Alicia Witt, but here she was manic and over-the-top. I fault the director and script because she's a terrific actress when working with good material and direction, even when it's not about Christmas. Check her out as Wendy Crowe in "Justified." Awesome performance!
I wanted to enjoy this movie and was looking forward to it. Now all I want are my 2 hours back!
- kathytexan-12585
- Nov 11, 2018
- Permalink
- kaitlynrenee-77162
- Dec 19, 2022
- Permalink
Meg (Alicia Witt) makes Scrooge look like the good guy. Meg tries to break a snow globe with hits her and has a lovely dream.
Best part of the movie is the end. Plot is weak.
Best part of the movie is the end. Plot is weak.
Trevor Donovan Alicia Witt Christina Milian Donald Fiason
Good cast except Alicia Witt such a terrible actress . Usually 'ove Trevor Donovan his hair light brown looks nice Christina and Donald great .
Movie is beautiful like a snow globe needs new leads.
Movie is beautiful like a snow globe needs new leads.