let it snow movie review

Let It Snow

What exactly do we want from all these inoffensive, Christmas-inspired romantic-comedies? (That includes “ Last Christmas ,” another tune-inspired rom-com from this week starring Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding , but a much more rewarding one, in my book). By the looks of it, we want characters to find warmth in either a person or a purpose, a sprinkle of holiday virtues, and just a little personality to cover up all the gears of these freakishly mechanical products. As a bland addition to the already low-stakes tradition of Xmas rom-coms, “Let It Snow” could use a whole lot more tinsel.  

Adapted from the book by John Green , Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle , director Luke Snellin ’s “Let It Snow” follows a group of high school seniors on a snowy Christmas Eve, each with some void to fill, or a vulnerability to be addressed. They’re like junior versions of rom-com prototypes, like introverted Julie ( Isabela Moner from “ Dora and the Lost City of Gold ,”) who hangs out with a famous, secretly lonely pop star named Stewart ( Shameik Moore of “ Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse ”), and downplays what others would consider a fantasy day with him. Across town, the neurotic Tobin ( Mitchell Hope of “Descendants”) wants to say something to his Sonic Youth t-shirt-wearing friend and longtime crush The Duke ( Kiernan Shipka , of “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina”), but is just too gosh darn shy to do so. Then, there’s the frustrated Addie ( Odeya Rush of “ Lady Bird ”), who is so caught up in getting attention from her crummy boyfriend that she pushes away her truly accepting friend Dorrie ( Liv Hewson of “Santa Clarita Diet”), who has her own problems crushing on a girl who isn’t out. 

You can guess where all of these stories go—it’s not just the Waffle House party denouement, arranged by cheesy DJ Keon ( Jacob Batalon of “ Spider-Man: Homecoming “), that’s the obvious destination—you’ll just wish it tried to be more fun and funny along the way. With so many characters to juggle, and emotional boo-boos to nurse, “Let It Snow” always feels in motion, in a bad way. It doesn’t have those beats that help characters take after the charisma of their respective actors, or the inspired comedy that shakes up such automatic storytelling. It’s funny when Julia  dismisses snow as the “Spanx of weather,” but “Let It Snow” doesn’t give her enough of that wit, or anyone else. 

The whole enterprise gets some ’80s teen comedy energy with two major factors: it takes place in an Illinois suburb like John Hughes movies do, and Joan Cusack appears as a wise snowplow driver who is covered in tin foil. Cusack even talks about Christmas Eve as if it were a prom night in a Hughes story, wistfully saying that it’s “It’s the eve of everything, of the rest of your life.” But those Hughes tales know that a little gravity makes the lighter stuff stand out more—the biggest standout device is a beer keg that’s treated like a sacred Christmas turkey, even though everyone is underage.  

The underserved all-star cast of “Let It Snow” is at least striking enough to distract you from the fact that these characters have little personality outside of the flaws they need fixed. The farthest this script goes with giving them some color is in the music choices, which either leads to the catchy needle drops that surround them (Slow Club, BØRNS, Georgia, and other bands this movie hipped me to), or scenes in which they sing and dance. Duke and Tobin have an impromptu church organ duet to The Waterboys’ “The Whole of the Moon,” and while that scene might bungle the tension between them—it makes their feelings so frustratingly obvious—it’s probably the best example of the movie’s otherwise dissipating cuteness. 

“Let It Snow” is predictable and prodding at best—that’s not the problem. Because even if Christmas rom-coms work with the lowest bar of movie-watching expectations, and are primarily about gifting you exactly what you expect, it’s the thought that counts. “Let It Snow” can’t even get that right.  

Nick Allen is the former Senior Editor at RogerEbert.com and a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

• Isabela Moner as Julie
• Shameik Moore as Stuart
• Odeya Rush as Addie
• Liv Hewson as Dorrie
• Mitchell Hope as Tobin
• Kiernan Shipka as Angie
• Matthew Noszka as JP
• Jacob Batalon as Keon

Cinematographer

• Jeff Cutter

Writer (short story)

• Lauren Myracle
• Maureen Johnson
• Laura Solon
• Victoria Strouse
• Keegan DeWitt
• Luke Snellin

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Parents' guide to, let it snow.

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 4 Reviews
• Kids Say 15 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

Fun teen ensemble romcom has language, drinking.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Let It Snow is a fast-paced holiday romcom in which a group of Midwestern teens spends Christmas Eve managing a series of emotional challenges, both separately and together. Other than twins who bully others in brief sequences -- in one, they repeatedly slam a skater to the ice --…

Why Age 13+?

Frequent swearing and sexual references, including "ass," "balls," "boning," "p-

Underage kids plan a party, steel a keg of beer from two bullies. Partygoers hol

Kissing. Intended humor includes sexual innuendo and sexual fantasies.

In a game, bullies throw one of the players to the ice repeatedly. A sledding mi

Spanx mentioned. Playa Beer. Steel Beer.

Any Positive Content?

Addresses assorted contemporary teen issues (relationships, responsibility to pa

Multi-character story shows characters maturing, learning the meaning of love, f

Parents need to know that Let It Snow is a fast-paced holiday romcom in which a group of Midwestern teens spends Christmas Eve managing a series of emotional challenges, both separately and together. Other than twins who bully others in brief sequences -- in one, they repeatedly slam a skater to the ice -- there aren't any villains. But the kids are sometimes their own worst enemies. They make mistakes or misbehave; learn important truths about themselves, their relationships, and their families; and then work toward resolving their issues. Expect some swearing and sexual references/innuendo, including "balls," "ass," "s--t," "hell," "bitch," and one instance each of "f--k," "d--k," and "p---y." Characters kiss, and there's some underage drinking/partying with no obvious consequences. It's based on the 2009 YA book by John Green, Lauren Myracle, and Maureen Johnson.

To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Frequent swearing and sexual references, including "ass," "balls," "boning," "p---y," "hell," "s--t," "bitch," and one use each of "f--k" and "d--k."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Underage kids plan a party, steel a keg of beer from two bullies. Partygoers hold red cups, which are presumed to be beer. No drunkenness.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Violence & Scariness

In a game, bullies throw one of the players to the ice repeatedly. A sledding mishap. A rear end collision; no injuries.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Positive messages.

Addresses assorted contemporary teen issues (relationships, responsibility to parents, confidence, friendships) and offers thoughtful resolution of several of them. Some specifics: "When life offers you something special, you take it." "Bad things happen in life, so don't miss out on the good things." "You can't control everything."

Positive Role Models

Multi-character story shows characters maturing, learning the meaning of love, friendships, and consequences for behavior. They determine the value of loyalty, courage, compassion, unselfishness, and gratitude. Ethnic diversity throughout. Adults (even quirky ones) are portrayed positively.

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Parent and Kid Reviews

• Parents Say (4)
• Kids Say (15)

Based on 4 parent reviews

More teen angst than soppy teen movie

What's the story.

It's Christmas Eve in LET IT SNOW. During the day, high schoolers are struggling with romance, relationships, and the very fact of growing up. In three stories, characters face truths about who they are and what they want. In one, Julie (Isabela Merced) is afraid to leave her very ill mom to accept a prestigious college scholarship when she meets a surprising young singer ( Shameik Moore ) who may help impact her decision. The longtime friendship between Addie (Odeya Rush) and Dorrie ( Liv Hewson ) is threatened when each struggles with budding romantic adventures. And, finally, the bond between "The Duke" ( Kiernan Shipka ) and Tobin (Mitchell Hope), friends since they were kids, just may be changing in ways they didn't expect. That night, all roads lead to the Waffle House, where disc jockey Keon ( Jacob Batalon ) gathers a crowd for an all-out holiday party.

Is It Any Good?

This is an all-around high-energy production, featuring spirited young performers with terrific chemistry when it's needed. And the happy endings make these intercut stories (based on the 2009 YA book by John Green, Lauren Myracle, and Maureen Johnson) feel fresh, if not original. Viewers will know what to expect from the very beginning, but they'll be engaged, rooting for their favorites, and they'll feel good when the credits roll. Special kudos to Joan Cusack and Andrea de Oliveira, who are wonderful in their roles as savvy adults; Cusack is, as always, delightfully playful. Not entirely "wholesome" (sadly, the profanity and underage drinking will keep some kids and/or parents away), Let It Snow is a seriously warmhearted holiday effort. The cast and crew must have had a great time making it.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the underage drinking in Let It Snow . Are there consequences for that behavior in this movie? What are some negative outcomes that kids can face because of that behavior? Why is it important to be aware of those outcomes?

Discuss the music in this film. How did it enhance the story? The mood? Find out what the film term "spotting music" means.

Was this movie predictable? When did you realize how each story would end? Did it matter, or did you enjoy the journeys of everyone involved?

Movie Details

• On DVD or streaming : November 8, 2019
• Cast : Kiernan Shipka , Joan Cusack , Shameik Moore
• Director : Luke Snellin
• Inclusion Information : Female actors, Black actors
• Studio : Netflix
• Genre : Comedy
• Topics : Friendship , High School , Holidays
• Run time : 93 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : crude sexual material, strong language, and teen partying
• Last updated : February 18, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

What to watch next.

Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances

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Best holiday movies for kids, christmas movies, related topics.

• High School

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Let It Snow Reviews

What a gift that for once queer women and non-binary people are invited to the holiday party.

Full Review | Sep 10, 2021

A likable cast does justice to this cheesy teenage X-mas rom-com tale.

Full Review | Original Score: C | Jan 21, 2020

You're likely to have an endearing cinematic experience because Let It Snow is all about the feels. And that, is something that hits the mark for everyone, regardless of how old you are.

Full Review | Jan 17, 2020

Compared to the usual Hallmark-dominated landscape of straight-up straight, white, and boring holiday movies, this does feel like a breath of fresh air.

Full Review | Dec 26, 2019

The characters here are less performatively quirky and as a result more likeable than your usual [John] Green teens.

Full Review | Dec 9, 2019

Let It Snow has charm aplenty, but with so many plates spinning its hard to elicit a huge emotional investment, as with Netflix's own To All the Boys I've Loved Before. But it's okay to not fall for all of these love stories.

Full Review | Dec 6, 2019

Let It Snow is a very silly movie with a lot of heart, nailing the holiday formula with strong production values and an impressive young cast.

Full Review | Dec 4, 2019

With moments of sweetness, outweighing the blandness of the overall feeling of the film, the little tiny moments of comedy are welcome and actually start to make you enjoy the film despite the very obvious messages it is sending...

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 2, 2019

For what it's worth, thanks to a proficient director in Luke Snellin and a talented young cast, Let It Snow ends up being A-OK.

Full Review | Nov 28, 2019

Gets a pass for being entertaining and wholesome while embracing the rich modern diversity of this generation.

I love Shipka and it has Prince Ben (Mitchell Hope) from Descendants in it, which you will find exciting if you are, as I mentioned, a teen or tween.

Full Review | Nov 26, 2019

As it works its way through a litany of clichés, Let It Snow occasionally happens across a sincere moment, but, in a way, that just makes the film more frustrating.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Nov 15, 2019

Teen ensemble romcom is fun; language, drinking.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 15, 2019

Let It Snow offers enough feel-good moments to provide a good start to the Netflix Christmas romance season.

Full Review | Original Score: 6.5/10 | Nov 13, 2019

Let It Snow is not even close to typical TV holiday movie fare, and a charming cast helps the movie dash through its drearier moments.

Full Review | Nov 12, 2019

While the film isn't groundbreaking, it's an easygoing, unchallenging experience that's suitable for the season.

A reason to stick around when you think Netflix's Midwestern streaming delight ends.

Full Review | Nov 11, 2019

In Let It Snow, Netflix delivers a cute young adult holiday romance that's comforting in its cheesiness, even if it doesn't break new ground.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 9, 2019

Doesn't have the megawatt star power and its issues aren't quite as heavy and widespread, but it makes for an entertaining teen-lite version of Love Actually.

Full Review | Original Score: 8.5/10 | Nov 9, 2019

A winter wonderland worth exploring.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Nov 8, 2019

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Review: ‘Let It Snow’ remains a must-watch Christmas classic

Stephanie (Candace Cameron Bure) is a workaholic who has never really acknowledged Christmas thanks to her father Ted’s (Alan Thicke) tendency to work through the holiday. Given the task of travelling to Maine to draw up a proposal for Snow Valley Lodge, which the company she works for has recently purchased, Stephanie is paired with guide Brady (Jesse Hutch), the song of the retiring owners. Initially planning to overhaul the lodge into a destination hotspot, Stephanie unexpectedly finds her Christmas spirit and her feelings for Brady give her second thoughts.

‘Let It Snow’ isn’t a new movie – it was actually made back in 2013 for Hallmark. The film has now been acquired by Great American Family, which makes sense given stars Candace Cameron Bure and Jesse Hutch are staples on the channel, and is premiering on the channel as part of Great American Christmas 2024. Before watching ‘Let It Snow’, I’d heard lots of good things about it so I went into this one with high expectations. Does it live up to them?

The plot of ‘Let It Snow’ is a very familiar one, and it’s been used in dozens of these kinds of movies for years. Stephanie is an ambitious woman from a fast-moving world, who is thrown into a fish-out-of-water situation when she visits a slower-paced small town. Everything Stephanie thought she knew about life, and the world, is thrown into turmoil when she discovers the Christmas spirit she never realised she’d been missing. Meeting Brady, which is rocky at first but soon transform into romance, Stephanie sees what being part of a close family unit means.

Brady on the other hand feels restrained by his family, and there’s friction when he refuses to carry on the family business. Experiencing creative differences with his father, he decides to do something different with his life but having Stephanie in his life to propose transforming the lodge stirs something unexpected in him. There aren’t a lot of surprises along the way here, and the film arrives at the destination you’ll expect, but that doesn’t make the journey any less charming or entertaining.

The film’s strongest aspect is its two lead stars. Candace Cameron Bure and Jesse Hutch and no strangers to these kinds of films – and they’ve starred in plenty since this film was released 11 years ago – but you know if they’re involved the film is going to be enjoyable. Both actors are good in their roles and they create plenty of sparks between their characters. Honestly, it’s no surprise that they’re so in demand all these years later.

‘Let It Snow’ isn’t reinventing the wheel but it doesn’t need to. The film has a down-to-earth whimsy and charm that audiences will love, and those that have already seen it will keep coming back to it every Christmas. With a whole lot of heart and a message about work/life balance running through, ‘Let It Snow’ is worthy of all of the praise its received over the years.

Cast: Candace Cameron Bure, Jesse Hutch, Alan Thicke Director: Harvey Frost Writers: Harvey Frost, Jim Head Certificate: Unrated Duration: 82 mins Released by: Great American Media Release date: 8 th December 2024

‘Let It Snow’ premieres on Great American Family as part of Great American Christmas 2024 at 8/7c on Sunday 8 th December 2024. Find out more about the film at https://www.greatamericanfamily.com/movie/let-it-snow/

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• Great American Family
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Let it Snow review – more snow than plot

Let It Snow

There isn’t much to say about Let it Snow . It looks great, but under that sheen, it’s unfortunately insubstantial. It should be a survival/serial killer thriller, but it’s simply not exciting, and there isn’t enough depth to the plot.

Let it Snow is about a young couple, Max (Alex Hafner) and Mia (Ivanna Sakhno), who take a trip to the mountains of Georgia for some Christmas snowboarding. Their hotel receptionist warns them about the dangers of the area that Max is so excited about, known as Black Ridge – a warning reinforced by their helicopter pilot – but they go anyway. When their excursion is barely started, the pair become separated, and Mia encounters a stranger dressed all in black (of course) who doesn’t mean for either of them to get home.

The couple has believable chemistry, especially through the occasional flashbacks that develop a romantic tragedy angle. On the trip, Max does his best to impress Mia, while Mia is a little more risk-aware. Both play their parts with sincerity, though out of the two, we see Ivanna Sakhno for a much greater proportion of the film; and indeed, she is outstanding: Let it Snow gives her a much better showcase than Pacific Rim: Uprising did. Granted, for a good deal of the film she is simply freezing and stumbling, but her reactions to both, as well as to her isolation and fear, make me want to reach out and hug her.

As well as Sakhno, the other name I really want to praise is Yevgeny Usanov for his cinematography. Somehow, five days of trekking through snow and avoiding a baddie do not all look the same; and even with occasional foggy and twilight scenes, all the action is clear too. He takes full advantage of the few contrasts available, with steep rock faces, evening skies, and red roses (!) all captured beautifully. Along with the subtle music, this is almost enough to give Let it Snow some atmosphere.

If only there was more to the plot. Thanks to a prologue, there is little mystery. Surprisingly for a “slasher in the snow”, there’s actually not much violence either. When we are given a little background to the stranger’s motives, it’s too slight to even be called a back story. Still, this is writer/director Stanislav Kapralov’s first feature, and it’s rare to come across a film from that part of Europe – especially produced so well – so I’ll not rule out watching another from the same team.

Let it Snow will be available to rent/download from 4 January 2021.

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Screen Rant

Let it snow review: netflix's christmas teen rom-com is cute, if uninventive.

How Avatar 3’s Story Will Explore The Sully Family’s Grief After Their Child's Death Teased By Fire & Ash Star

Sonic the hedgehog 3 breaks another rotten tomatoes record with near perfect audience score, prometheus star defends ridley scott's most divisive alien movie with the best explanation of why audiences felt lost, in let it snow, netflix delivers a cute young adult holiday romance that's comforting in its cheesiness, even if it doesn't break new ground..

Recent years have seen a major revival in the romantic comedy film genre, with more and more being released in theaters, but there's also been an increase in streaming services offering fans new rom-coms - particularly Netflix. With a number of successful teen-oriented rom-coms under its belt, Netflix's latest, Let It Snow , also ventures into the realm of holiday romance. Based on the novel of the same name with stories written by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle, Let It Snow  is a Love, Actually- style holiday teen rom-com with an ensemble cast and intertwining stories set in the small town of Laurel, Illinois. In Let It Snow , Netflix delivers a cute young adult holiday romance that's comforting in its cheesiness, even if it doesn't break new ground.

Let It Snow follows a number of high school students on their adventures around town during a snowstorm on Christmas Eve. There's Julie (Isabela Merced), who's struggling to decide what to do after high school when she runs into pop star Stuart (Shameik Moore) on a train and the two hit it off. Meanwhile, Tobin (Mitchell Hope) spends the day avoiding telling his best friend, The Duke (Kiernan Shipka), that he's in love with her and grows increasingly jealous of her friend JP (Matthew Noszka). Best friends Dorrie (Liv Hewson) and Addie (Odeya Rush) get into a fight over Addie's relationship. Then, Dorrie runs into a girl she has feelings for, Kerry (Anna Akana), who's giving Dorrie mixed signals. Meanwhile, Addie is trying to track down her boyfriend who's not responding to texts, and winds up getting a ride from the town's resident eccentric, Tin Foil Woman (Joan Cusack). Eventually, all the teens wind up at the Waffle Town, where Keon (Jacob Batalon) is throwing a party.

Directed by Luke Snellin ( Wanderlust, My Mad Fat Diary ) from a script by Laura Solon ( Office Christmas Party ), Victoria Strouse ( Finding Dory ) and Kay Cannon ( Pitch Perfect ), Let It Snow  is a perfectly sweet, if by the numbers holiday rom-com. The movie's many storylines offer a chance for fans of romance to see multiple tropes of the genre play out on screen. There's the girl running into a celebrity and being unaffected by his charm - until she's not - as well as the boy in love with his best friend and the queer girl falling for a girl who giving mixed signals. However, Let It Snow never manages to develop these storylines beyond their cliches, largely because the movie has so much going on, it doesn't have time to offer much depth to any of the characters or their arcs. Further, though Solon, Strouse and Cannon's script makes a valiant effort to interweave all the stories of Let It Snow , the film still ends up feeling a bit disjointed. So when all the characters do come together at the Waffle Town party, it's not as climactic as the movie clearly meant for the scene to be.

Because the script of Let It Snow isn't very strong, much of the film's success comes down to the actors. Thankfully, Merced and Moore do much of the heavy lifting with grace, both being leads in their own right, with the former starring in Dora and the Lost City of Gold and the latter voicing Miles Morales in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse . Together, Moore and Merced showcase their chops as rom-com leads, and the two have chemistry to spare as Stuart and Julie, infusing their particular storyline with plenty of heart and romance. Hewson, too, is charmingly awkward as Dorrie, making her storyline all the more compelling - even as Akana isn't given much to work with as the hot-and-cold Kerry. Hope and Shipka are fine enough as Tobin and The Duke, but they never manage to capture the kind of easy chemistry the storyline requires, so their arc comes off more awkward than romantic. The rest of the cast is similarly underserved, though there is a nice camaraderie between Cusack's Tin Foil Woman and Rush's Addie that provides some needed counterbalance to the romance storylines - even if it's still underdeveloped.

Ultimately, Let It Snow may be aiming to be Love, Actually for teens - or, about teens - but it's neither as clever nor as well-written as Love, Actually . To be sure, Let It Snow is entertaining in its own right and has just the right amount of cheesy romance to be enjoyable for fans of teen rom-coms. It may not be quite Christmasy enough for viewers looking specifically for a holiday rom-com, since it's much more focused on the snowstorm than its Christmas Eve setting (in fact, its Christmas Eve setting doesn't make much sense if you think about it too hard). As a result, Let It Snow won't reach the heights of success that Love, Actually has seen since it was released, but Netflix's latest teen rom-com is sure to entertain viewers and earn its own fans. Let It Snow is perfectly cute and those looking for a holiday-ish rom-com to watch on a cold late fall, or early winter night will have a fun time with this movie.

Let It Snow is now streaming on Netflix. It is 92 minutes long and rated PG-13 for crude sexual material, strong language and teen partying.

Let us know what you thought of the film in the comments section!

Let It Snow

Based on the young adult novel by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle, Let It Snow is a romantic comedy film directed by Luke Snellin. The story follows a group of high school seniors in a small town whose lives intersect during a snowstorm on Christmas Eve, leading to unexpected friendships and romantic entanglements. Starring Isabela Merced, Shameik Moore, and Kiernan Shipka, the film captures the magic of festive romance.

• Movie Reviews
• 3 star movies

LET IT SNOW

"adrift in the storm of love".

What You Need To Know:

(RoRo, PaPa, O, Ho, LLL, V, SS, NN, A, D, M) Romantic worldview with pagan sexual attitudes, reference to astrology, minor homosexual character played for laughs, & man says his family is Jewish “but we celebrate Easter,” though it’s not clear what he really means by that; 39 mostly strong obscenities, at least 2 strong profanities & 6 mild profanities; some slapstick violence, including a comical fight scene; depicted fornication, references to oral sex & masturbation, & grown-up son talks to his mother about her past sex life as a divorced woman when she brought her lovers home; partial male nudity, upper female nudity & woman poses in lingerie; alcohol use; smoking; and, husband abandons wife & son to “find” himself, lying & mother succumbs to pagan New Age fads as seen in a couple brief scenes (but this is mostly used for comedy).

More Detail:

Shot in 1998 but only being released now, LET IT SNOW is an urban romantic comedy that starts in New England. When James is 4-years-old, his Jewish Grammy tells him the family is cursed in love. “Stay away from love,” she tells him. “The men leave and the women go crazy.” That’s exactly what seems to happen when, later, his father abandons James and his mother, and the mother turns to a series of affairs with men from other countries, or, as James calls it, “The International House of Dating.”

One New England snow day, however, James, now 18, meets Sarah, the pretty Gentile girl who’s just moved in next door. They become fast friends, Sarah goes off to New York City to become a TV meteorologist, and James starts to attend classes at the CIA, the Cooking Institute of America. One evening, they arrange a date and sparks begin to fly, but a misunderstanding causes a failure by James to follow up on his feelings for Sarah until it’s too late. Basically, both James and Sarah are afraid that love will ruin their friendship.

Four years later, James has dropped out of cooking school and is working as a mere waiter for a catering firm in New York City. Sarah, meanwhile, is about to get married to a stuffy young Englishman she met in London. All James wants now is another snow day to get a second chance at love. Unhappily for him, it’s June!

Kipp Marcus stars in LET IT SNOW as James. He also wrote the screenplay, which is directed by his brother, Adam. Alice Dylan plays Sarah, and Bernadette Peters plays James’ ditzy mom. As played by the two romantic leads, Sarah and James make a cute couple, which is important if you want viewers to sympathize with their romantic predicaments, but the movie veers away from the winsome comedy of the opening scenes to engage in sex farce as James dates other women after he and Sarah part company. Before those scenes, there is also some crude dialogue from James’ best friend, Mitch, played by Henry Simmons of TV’s NYPD BLUE. It is only at the end that the movie really picks up steam as James becomes lovelorn and starts to act a little bit crazy himself.

Thus, like many independent movies, what LET IT SNOW needs is a good script doctor to tighten up its storyline and a cleaner, more intelligent sensibility to heighten its quotient of fun. The crude dialogue and smarmy sex scenes don’t belong in any movie, of course, but that’s even more true with this one because the main romance between James and Sarah is handled so pleasantly.

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Let It Snow Book Vs. Movie Review

“I was in there at least that long sitting in the show stall with the door closed, sobbing into a hand towel that read LET IT SNOW! Yeah, let it snow. Let it snow and bury me. Very funny, Life.  (pg 81)

Author(s): John Green, Lauren Myracle, and Maureen Johnson

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

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A Christmas Eve snowstorm transforms one small town into a romantic haven, the kind you see only in movies. Well, kinda. After all, a cold and wet hike from a stranded train through the middle of nowhere would not normally end with a delicious kiss from a charming stranger. And no one would think that a trip to the Waffle House through four feet of snow would lead to love with an old friend. Or that the way back to true love begins with a painfully early morning shift at Starbucks. Thanks to three of today’s bestselling teen authors—John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle—the magic of the holidays shines on these hilarious and charming interconnected tales of love, romance, and breathtaking kisses.

Spoilers Contained Below

To the holiday lovers,

Ever since Netflix came out with the movie version of this book, I told myself I would reread Let It Snow.

It’s been yearrrrrs since I read this book, but the one thing I remembered was the all around good time that the book was. So it was also fitting that it would become a movie. When a book becomes a movie, it’s honestly like a proud mother moment because you want that for the authors and the books, and I was the PROUDEST mother! Weird to say, I know 😆

But what a fun, wild ride it was to read this book after all these years. The movie itself was also unique and for the most part, stayed true to the essence of the book, but it also had its own distinctive plot that was interesting. I think for the sake of a good movie, the plot lines that were done in the film were done well and I actually liked the changes. And that’s a HIGH compliment because I find when most people change the movies from the book, I don’t like the changes, but these changes really delved deeper into the story lines and added depths to certain characters in an interesting way.

This is my first review like this, but we are going to be doing a book vs. movie review where we discuss all the differences and similarities.

Before getting started, the book is split into three parts with each other, so for each authors story, I’m going to write that review alongside the movie version for that storyline.

So without further ado, let’s get started:

Jubilee Express

The plot line of the Jubilee Express varies a lot from how the movie perceived it.

In the book, the main character Jubilee’s parents get jailed for being part of the Flobbie Five who fought over the elf figurines, so she takes this train—-the express—-to stay with her Grandparents. But naturally, the train gets stuck because, heck, it’s the winter. On this train, she meets this guy named Jeb who’s trying to rush to see his “girlfriend” Addy, but he doesn’t have cell reception so he’s all hung up about that.

Jubilee also doesn’t have cell reception and she doesn’t want to stay on the train with all those screaming cheerleaders, so she leaves and goes to the cafe nearby where she meets Stuart .

That’s her love interest in this book and they really get to know each other with their cute talking banter. Because she has no where to go on Christmas, Stuart lets her stay at his house with the mom and the sister.

Can we just talk about the mom for a second because I absolutely LOVE her. She’s soooo funny. When Stuart and Jubilee were up in his room and she was walking by, the mom was like, “They’re busy,” and walks the other way. Most parents would interrupt, but she was standing her son and Jubilee to be together.

And I was so happy for Stuart because he was in a relationship for a long time and he finally found happiness again with none other than the girl named after happiness herself.

I didn’t know Isabella Merced’s character name until I read the book again because when I watched the movie, I didn’t catch her name.

The movie doesn’t have her parents jailed, but rather this whole plot line of Julie’s mom who lives with an illness and Julie wanted to get her the one thing that meant the most to her: a Flobbie elf. I thought that it was a cute ode to at least include the Flobbie aspect in the film because it was a big part of the book. I also liked how fierce they made Julie because she was a strong woman. But she was also a nervous teen who didn’t want to go to college because she was scared that if she left, no one would take care of her mother and that would be her fault.

I thought this was such a good change because I feel like a lot of people can relate to Julie in what she felt and maybe what she was going through. I think that it’s more interesting than sticking to the whole idea of Jubilee just being someone on a train who’s going to save her parents. Adding that depth to her is what made me like her even more.

I also enjoyed Stuart more in the film. I thought it was a smart idea to make him a famous pop star that just wanted to enjoy the holidays. It added a lot of depth to him to in the way that he didn’t have anywhere to go, but him spending it with Julie and her family brought out this goofy, teenage side to him not everyone sees or that he can’t even be.

If you watch the Good Place, Janice was in this movie (or the actress at least) and I was living for it. But that aside, I loved the way Stuart could be himself around Julie and how Julie didn’t fawn all over him, but told him straight up. That had to be different than what most people tell him or act around him.

They had this big fight in her room of her not understanding how hard it was for him to not have a place during the holidays and him not understanding her dreams.

The conversation I really liked though, was when her mom talked to her about going to college and living her life because it was so raw and sweet. The mom knew how much college meant to her and she wasn’t going to let her daughter be held back just because she was worried about her health. It was such a good move to make this a deeper story line and it did it in the best way.

And we loved when Julie went to the Waffle House party at the end and Stuart showed up and they kissed. If I’m being honest, Stuart’s actor, Shameik Moore, was serving major looks in this movie 😆

Cheerleaders By John Green

The cheerleader plot in the book was a fun time and really SCREAMED this was written by John Green. I don’t know, John Green has this distinctive voice to me that is one part philosophical, two parts typical male teen pubescent jokes, and three parts wit.

The Duke was an interesting character because although she came across as one of the guys with Keon and Tobin, she was just another girl who wanted to be seen as strong. I loved the times she would make comments about fighting the patricarchy and how she still wanted to be treated or viewed like a girl.

“If by that you mean that I dislike celebrity magazines, prefer food to anorexia, refuse to watch TV shows about models, and hate the color pink, then yes. I am proud to be not really a girl.” 

It was kind of obvious that she liked Tobin because she would get mad whenever he talked about the cheerleaders like cheerleaders were the epitome of beautiful women. A girl only gets mad if she’s jealous and she was jealous Tobin cared about the cheerleaders so much when he didn’t even know them.

The whole race to the waffle house with the Twister and those two burly twins who almost ran them over was such a fun time because I could imagine them just scrambling with Twister under their arms in the snow. It kind of reminded my of that Spongebob episode where Spongebob is with Squidward and they’re delivering pizza and Spongebob is trying to keep it safe the whole time.

If I’m being a big honest though, I had to agree with the Duke because I didn’t really like the whole cheerleader plot. And this is coming from a girl and I really don’t care for the whole cheerleaders are the epitome of society because they are not. I’m not saying I dislike cheerleaders or don’t respect what they do because gosh knows all those lifts and flips are CRAZY and by no means can I do one ounce of what they do, so all the respect in the world. What I mean is that I’m not one to fall into believing that you’re popular, perfect, or already beautiful just because you are a cheerleader. I don’t like that as a society we place cheerleaders on a pedestal because we have hormonal guys out there who think “Wow, girls in short skirts, long hair, and doing flips and spilts is attractive!” Because we all know that’s coming from a place of hormones 😆 But cheerleaders come in all shapes and sizes and colors and they are al beautiful in their abilities and looks, I just feel like putting them on this pedestal is the wrong idea. Again, no disrespect, I just don’t like the idolization. So I kind of really didn’t like the idolization with this whole short story in how they needed to go see the cheerleaders and play Twister because that’s kind of clichéd. This book was written in the mid 2000’s so I can get maybe during that time, it was common, but we live in progressive times in 2020 and we are not hear for cheerleaders and Twister. And if we are, we need to pull on our big girl pants and move on because there are much bigger problems than cheerleaders and Twister.

I also think that maybe there’s a sarcastic kind of wit to this story because we do put cheerleaders on a pedestal and maybe John Green is poking fun at that? I don’t know, it’s John Green and could mean anything. But I liked the moment when Tobin and the Duke get together and finally kiss because they were so cute and innocent about it. I also liked when they went to Starbucks at the end and they were soooo cute because they didn’t know how to be all lovey dovey like that .

I also liked when Tobin was like, “Can I have a venti muffin?” 😂

The direction the movie takes this story is quite a good one. I liked how it was Tobin pinning after the Duke, whom they just called Angie in the movie. I think reversing it in this way was good because it highlights how Angie was a strong woman and wasn’t super hormonal as to pin for a guy, but a guy pinning for her showed how much he admired her strength. I really enjoyed Kiernan Shipka as Angie because she’s a strong, empowered woman with a lot of humor that resembled the Duke from the book.

One of the things I admired was how they kept the John Green essence alive with the immature jokes and the humor. It was well done. I also liked how they amped up Keon’s character and kept him Asian, because we love an Asian representation.

Having Keon throw a party and be a DJ was an interesting idea too because it meshed well with what was going to happen at the end and it was smart to make him work at the Waffle House where it would all go down, so it would click better. Very well thought out if you asked me.

There wasn’t really a cheerleader motive to get the Waffle House, but a support the best friend who’s throwing a jamming party and I loved that. There was still the journey of getting to the Waffle House with Tobin and Angie picking up the keg. Along the way, Angie sees this guy and Tobin gets all jealous, which is the reverse of how the Duke was jealous of Tobin and the cheerleaders. But again, I liked how they did the whole flipped perspective and how well it worked out.

The ending when they’re on the Waffle House roof was also very sweet. It was cute when both confessed their feelings for each other and how Julie and Keon came up on the roof with lights and the missing Waffle House letter and spot them kissing. It was probably embarrassing for Angie and Tobin, but I liked that they got they’re sweet ending.

The Patron Saint Of Pigs By Lauren Myracle

Addie in the book came across as a very emotional teenage girl. She was going though a lot because she cheated on her boyfriend for one and then she asked him to meet her at Starbucks where they met, but he didn’t show up. So on Christmas, she’s crying her blues in her room while her whole family is happily celebrating.

And I get it, she wasn’t feeling the best because she wanted him back, but girl, he was stuck on a train and even if he did love you enough to come meet you, you cheated on him, so it was kind of your fault. But she didn’t have to be all boo-hoo on Christmas as to ruin everyone else mood. It also seemed like she was questioning the relationship she had with Jeb . She always liked Jeb, but he wasn’t the type of person to wear his emotions on his sleeve and that’s probably because he has a different love language then hers. But Jeb was always sweet enough to lend a hand or do anything for Addie because that’s how he showed he cared. And sure, he wasn’t going to make cute jokes with her at Starbucks like she dreamed or they weren’t going to be this lovey dovey couple, but he loved her. I think she had different needs and expectations from the relationship and they didn’t communicate that, so she was hesitant as to where she stood in his life or whether or not she liked him anymore. That’s why she had a moment where she kissed another guy int eh bathroom at Starbucks when Jeb was there and saw her coming out of the bathroom with another guy.

I get why she would have doubts, but she should have talked to Jeb rather than react the way she did. It also made her kind of like that other girl who kissed the mascot (the Coyote) in the bathroom and that whole story.

Her friends were what kept her grounded in this situation, and there was Sophie and Dorris, her two best friends. Sophie tried to cheer Addie up with news she got a tea cup pig, Gabriel, but she couldn’t’ pick him up, so Addie promised she would do so as to not be selfish. So Addie wrote a post-it note on her body and everything.

The thing about Addie is this whole idea that she only cares about herself. In some ways I can see that, but I think people were giving her a hard time because she was going through a break up and they could have been more compassionate about that. I also could see how she was selfish in the way that she would always bring up her problems and make them about her. It did seem like her whole world revolved around her, but that’s such a natural teenage thing to feel.

Everyone telling Addie that’s she’s selfish really makes her want to prove them otherwise, so that’s what I can admire about her in her love and determination; When she sets her mind to something, she does it, and when she loves, she loves with her whole heart.

Addie was working at Starbucks that day and she got caught up with this whole Christmas Angel thing, which is kind of an interesting storyline because this older lady names Millie came by and talked to her about it. Seemed kind of foreboding and sketchy, but Addie wasn’t bothered by Millie because she had to get the pig. When she went to get the pig, the dumb guy at the desk, Charlie, already adopted it out.

And I get he didn’t see the note, but how ironic was that situation because when Addie was younger, this guy liked her and gave her a note. Addie claimed to have not saw it, but he thought she was ghosting him or something. But now I think he could fully appreciate where Addie was coming from as a kid.

So Addie, searches the world over for the pig and it was so funny when she asked Charlie for a ride to this woman’s house who had the pig. When Charlie drove her to the house, it was literally a five second dive back to Starbucks 😂 Sounds like me. I have no clue as to street names or signs.

Millie apparently had the pig as to teach Addie, this Christmas Angel lesson. Kind of weird, but I get it. Addie caring for someone else with so much zeal, proved that she had a heart that was open in that way. When Sophie got her pig, it was a cute moment because Addie didn’t get the guy (yet) but she did get the pig.

Alls well that ends well, because when she was talking to Tobin and the Duke at Starbucks, they relay the information that Jeb was stuck on the train without cell service and how he said he was coming, which gave her hope. So Jeb showed up last minute at Starbucks and they reconciled and were willing to try again with their love.

Cute, but I would like to see Addie more and how she truly changed.

Addie in the movie acted like a whiny pre-Madonna and I’m stating that lightly. Not that Odea Rush was a pre-Madonna, but Odea really hit the nail on the head with capturing Addie’s essence. The movie also brings up the idea of her being selfish, not so much as her whining about Jeb breaking up with her, but about Jeb? or some dude in the movie who wasn’t interested in her anymore.

That dude was seen hanging out with those bunch of girls in track suits at the Waffle House, who I think were cheerleaders, but I’m not sure because they weren’t wearing skirts or carrying pom poms, which is fine because heck if they’re in track suits at least we’re being modest! 😁

What I didn’t like about Addie in the movie was how she rubbed me the wrong way, especially with how she treated Dorrie.

I really liked what they did with Dorrie’s character in the movie because she was just a friend in the book. They kind of bumped her up as an important person and gave her that plot line with liking that Asian girl in the track suit. The Asian girl, however, was too prideful or embarrassed to actually be true to who she was in saying she wanted to be with Dorri’e publicity. It really hurt my heart and I cringed the whole time when Dorrie was confronting the Asian girl at the booth around her friend and then the Asian girl competely ignored Dorrie’s heartfelt words and was like, “Cool, can we order.” What a prude!

Like I get it though. The Asian girl can come out whenever she wants and not everyone is comfortable with living their truth, so it’s fine, but I think she didn’t need to put up a rude front to her friends or to Dorrie. It really caught me off guard when she was in the bathroom and kissed Dorrie like that because I thought the Asian girl hated her guts. She loved her guts 🤪

I give a lot of credit to Dorrie though who actually told the Asian girl straight, gosh that’s an unintendedly bad pun, sorry! But she said she wasn’t going to fake or play this game with her and that she wanted things to be real if she would be real with her. Or something along the lines of that. It takes a really big person to recognize that they deserve the truth and nothing less and I was proud of Dorrie for speaking up for herself.

It made me giddy with joy when the Asian girl apologized to Dorrie and they made up and made out in front of all her tracksuit friends. I think they knew something was up.

I also enjoyed the friendship dynamic between Addie and Dorrie more. There was no Sophie as far as I could catch in this movie, but there was a pig. I think the pig was given to Addie and it was shown for a brief moment, but I don’t think the pig was the main focus of this story, so much as loving who you love and choosing love.

I loved that Addie recognized that her friendship with Dorrie mattered a lot more than her relationship that wasn’t working out well. I think because Addie was so hung up about her relationship and angry, she lashed out at Dorrie for it, and that pushed all the people she loved away. It kind of goes back to Addie being selfish, but also her being hard to love because she does that to people.

But there was that moment with the infamous tinfoil lady—- who was actually a tinfoil guy in the book—–and the tinfoil lady drives her back to the Waffle House. In the car ride, Addie’s all defensive and angry at the tinfoil lady, asking her why she wears tinfoil. I really enjoyed the tinfoil day though, because she was hilarious with her jokes and her banter with Addie. She was also the one to tell Addie straight when she needed some tough love in the best way. I think the tinfoil lady was the Christmas Angel looking after Addie in this situation and I was here for it.

The ending also caught me by surprise too when the tinfoil lady was driving by the Waffle House watching everyone partying, and I was like, hey, maybe she is the Christmas Angel. Or at the time, I thought she was at least the overall narrator of initiator of everything to get them to the Waffle House. I liked this change to the story because adding Millie in as the Christmas Angel would have been adding an additional character that would only make one appearance, but combining all the stories together with one commonality (the tinfoil lady) was a smart move. It made sense too because as I was reading the book, the tinfoil man was in all the stories and everyone seemed to know him. So maybe deep down, the tinfoil man was also responsible for all their journey’s turning out the way they did.

While we’re talking about the end, I thought it was cool that they all ended up having a good time at the Waffle House, but in the book they were all at Starbucks instead. So just thought I would note that difference because the Waffle House was a big part of the movie, but not that much in the books

Overall, I enjoyed rereading Let It Snow and watching the movie. I think at the time that this was written, the book’s plot made sense and it was just a fun holiday romance and book. I think at this time, it might have also been one of the first collaborations between famous writers, so to have a book that celebrated the holidays and these writers was so special. The movie was also done well and I enjoyed all the changes the screenwriters, producers, directors, and other film-related people did because it made a lot of sense and it added more depth and diversity to these stories.

I would recommend watching the movie first and then reading the book after, so you don’t have a lot of expectations going into it, but either way, both make for a great time 💙

If you read this book and/or watched the film what was your favorite part and favorite story? Least favorite part? Did you like the changes made or was the book vastly different from the movie? Let me know below in the comments as I love hearing from you all 💕

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season that’s nothing but merry and bright!

And as always, with love,

4.24 Full Bloom Flowers

Characters: The characters were very diverse and had as unique voices as the writers. My favorite character would have to be the Duke because of her finesé, but not the biggest fan of Addie 🙈

Plot: I loved the idea of a Christmas book, let alone, three tales. All brought something joyful and interesting to the table and it was a feast to be won.

Writing: Such unique, distinctive voices, but when put together, it makes Christmas magic

Romance: All the romances had a very authentic teen young love voice that was fun to get into

Buttery Popcorn

If I’m being honest, I liked the movie a tad bit more than the books. There was something much more personable and warm about the movie and how the plots meshed together really nicely to create a story that was equal parts fun and quirky, but also hopeful and romantic. I think everyone can find a character they relate to and see themselves in, and with movies and the media in general, that’s such an important thing to have—-connection. I also liked the direction they took each story and gave it depth and character with Jubilee having a mom who was ill and not wanting to go to college to take care of her. I liked how they empowered the Duke’s role. And I really loved Dorrie’s time to shine. The end was truly a celebration of young love, laughter, and life.

Movie Rating

Furikaki Cheeto Popcorn = THE BEST (way to eat popcorn, trust me)

Buttery popcorn = Great movie

Plain popcorn = Okay, still good, but needs a little more pizzazle

Stale popcorn = Decent movie, but doesn’t quite sit well or not exciting/memorable

Kernel = Underdeveloped movie that didn’t seem to go anywhere

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