A Winter Getaway

I never realized there was such a thing as a personal travel concierge, but I guess the premise isn't that much different than say a party planner. Can't say that switching an average Joe for a billionaire is that common for a premise, but still the whole thing wasn't that unusual. Then there is what I call "the hanging lie" or "hanging secret". That always goes the same way - you know what's going to happen. There were no great highs or lows or big surprises.

Nazneen Contractor and Brooks Darnell were both new to me this past Christmas season and I can't say either one impressed me in the combined four previous movies I've seen with one or the other. But something connected for me in this movie. I guess that's what chemistry is between the leads. I also enjoyed Erik Athavale's part as Gabe. (Interesting that he's reunited with Darnell.)

I just plain enjoyed the movie. I enjoyed going along for the ride.

Hallmark often has great winter scenery which is true again.

The 2021 New Year New Movies films, only five, were mostly good, especially 'A New Year's Resolution'. The one exception being 'Snowkissed', though personally would count that as more of a Winterfest film as it would have been categorised as in any of the previous years. 'A Winter Getaway' also feels more like a Winterfest film than a New Year New Movies film. Expectations were somewhat mixed, the story sounded really charming but due to really disliking Nazneen Contractor in 2020's 'The Christmas Ring' that brought the expectations down.

Of the New Year New Movies films, 'A Winter Getaway' is to me the second weakest. Do prefer 'Take a Shot at Love', 'A New Year's Resolution' and 'Two for the Win', but it is much better than 'Snowkissed' (the only bad one of the five in my view). 'A Winter Getaway' does do a good deal right and one aspect came off much better than expected, but there was room for improvement too (though the flaws have been executed far worse in many other Hallmark films).

'A Winter Getaway' succeeds a lot more than it fails. The best aspect of it is the scenery, which is nothing short of spectacular which is what a vast majority of the 2021 Hallmark films have in common. The camera was clearly in love with it and there are some lovely and lovingly framed shots throughout. Enough of the script flows well and is light-hearted without being too jokey and not going into cutesy overload generally.

While the story is not perfect, it is not as formulaic as most Hallmark films are and has a genuine sweetness and charm without the sentimentality going overboard. 'A Winter Getaway' to me has two lead characters worth caring for. Brooks Darnell is a charming leading man but the biggest surprise was seeing the massive improvement in Contractor's acting here compared to 'The Christmas Ring'. She is a lot more relaxed and expressive here. Their chemistry is engaging and is particularly sweet towards the end.

However, there was room for improvement. The supporting cast are competent, but nobody stands out and they don't have the memorability factor that the two leads have. The film is perhaps a slow starter and some parts are on the overripe side in the writing.

Really have to agree with everybody regarding the music. The film is over-scored in general, but it really does drown everything else at the end. Which is a shame because the final 10-15 minutes do have a good amount of heart.

Overall, above average but wasn't wowed. 6/10.

Courtney works as a VIP concierge (is that even a thing? if so, where can I drop my CV?) and is given a job to go to the mountains with a guy named Joe Franklin. However, there is something Joe is hiding from her: who he really is.

It literally took me 24hs to watch this (I kept being distracted by you know, real life, sleep, work, and even a Turkish show, seriously). I did pay attention (mostly) but... honestly? It bored me a little bit. I liked the leads, they had good chemistry and enough scenes to make the romance believable.

(It's funny how her professionalism flew out the window as soon as he asked her to come with him. It didn't took much convincing. That being said, he is so charming, I would probably go with him as soon as he asked too.)

I love winter movies, we saw curling, we saw the leads skiing, we saw dog sledding and the views were pretty.

The plot was okay. I understand why Joe hesitated to tell her the truth and it's a forgivable excuse, and I think Courtney took it quite well, while it was a problem, it wasn't something serious.

And most reviewers are right, the music, specially in the final scene, was too loud, I could barely hear what they said.

Eh...could tell from the beginning we were not going to be excited about this movie, but we hung in there. Everything flowed right off the pages of the script. I was multi-tasking as the movie went progressed. I didn't really feel any chemistry. The two leads were OK, but there was no pop.

Watch it, enjoy the scenery and make up your own minds.

Loved all the activities, actors and especially the scenery. Chemistry was good and would like to see more of Brooks Darnell in future movies. Canada looks like a beautiful country and the filming locations are gorgeous. Winter movies are always my favorite so I would definitely love to see more areas.

Unfortunately, once again the music overwhelmed the last half hour and I could NOT hear what was going on! I don't know if this only happens in certain areas but it's a problem.

Great movie otherwise and now I have a craving for Root Beer :)