by Noella Noelophile®
One Christmas, my grandmother made the most incredible cookies.
Snowy, glistening meringues, with sparkly red-and-green sugar on top. They melted in your mouth, leaving a light, sweet taste.
Somehow, those come to mind, as a perfect metaphor for the Christmas movie we saw last night: “Christmas With A View”, on Netflix.
I know, I know. I grumble all the time about “rushing the season”. But this one is just fun.
The plot: protagonist Clara Garrison has recently returned from a failed restaurant venture in Chicago. She’s superb at managing a restaurant, and dreams of having a second shot at running “her own place” in the future. Meanwhile, she’s managing The Summit, an upscale ski-resort restaurant, for chillingly-slick owner Hugh Peters.
Into the mix comes newly-crowned “celebrity chef” Shane Roarke, fresh from his win on a reality-show chef competition. Hugh announces, to his gathered staff, that he has hired Shane as The Summit’s new chef.
Female staff members swoon, as Shane’s recent media coverage has led to his title as “the most eligible bachelor” around. But no one realizes that a personal quest has brought Shane to the area–and he isn’t telling…
Shane and Clara have instant chemistry–but. Hugh, spotlighting Clara as his star employee, involves her in a special project–but.
Meanwhile, Clara’s mom, Lydia, glows over her star turn in a popular magazine, with her latest artisanal gingerbread house. Clara’s best friend, Bonnie, eavesdrops shamelessly and blurts out comments reminiscent of an eager thirteen-year-old. Clara’s mentors, Jackie and Frank Haven, welcome Shane to their local restaurant as he continues on his mission. And Christmas is coming…
Is “Christmas With a View” destined to be a Christmas classic? Probably not, but it’s a good time. Its scenario is as predictable as a chocolate-chip cookie recipe, but the characterizations and humor involved make “getting there” fun.
Vivica A. Fox’s Lydia is warm, savvy and ambitious. (I especially liked seeing an “older” character with some goals and aspirations, as all too few are represented!) Kristen Kurnik gives depth to Bonnie, who is lovable and loyal, with her “goofy” side just one facet of her personality. (She also has one of the best lines of the movie, when she exclaims, “Everybody’s happy–that sucks!” to a morose Clara.) Jess Walton and Patrick Duffy are believable and touching as the long-married couple, Jackie and Frank, who still have the “spark” between them.
And the two giddy groupies, both named “Janice”, are hilarious! The breakfast scene, where they corner Shane and he tries politely to extricate himself, is great.
Admittedly, “Christmas With a View” includes a couple of scenes that stretch credibility. (For example, would your mom smile and wish you a “good time” if you left her on Christmas Eve to go have a drink with your friend at a local bar?) But suspending disbelief, it’s a ride to be enjoyed–including the funny “reality-show” moment with a volatile fellow-chef competitor, and a wonderful “secret mission” sequence which I won’t ruin by going into detail.
Suffice it to say, make some hot chocolate, perhaps grab some tissues (what Christmas movie doesn’t have a lump-in-the-throat scene?) and consider seeing “Christmas With a View” with someone you love.