Sorry, this movie sucks

Sick Product of a Sick System

One of my all time favorites.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Much like what some of the other reviews have stated, this movie's saving grace is the side couple of Megan and Sean, who have great chemistry and are enjoyable to watch. On the other side of the spectrum is our main pair, Cara and Ben, whose story is riddled with completely unnecessary drama.Taylor Cole, who plays Cara, is undeniably beautiful, but lacks dimension in seemingly all her Hallmark characters, who all come across as the exact same woman, just with different occupations and names. Her characters all share the same characteristics of being driven career women, having a fairly smooth personality, and absolutely no warmth whatsoever---one other reviewer referred to as an "ice princess," and this is directly on the money. Her flat portrayal of Cara the romance journalist was uninspired.She also shares very little chemistry with Ben, the good-hearted philanthropist who gives needy children access to snowboards (a worthy cause, of course), who for whatever reason, she snipes with at every given opportunity (until this suddenly turns around after one well-placed lunch together). He spends the majority of the movie apologizing to her for things that are not his fault, such as the misunderstanding that led the four of them to sharing the chalet, or excusing himself to have a quick chat with the woman who arranged an auction for his snowboards (Cara leaves in a huff when this happens, because Ben speaking to other women is apparently a crime).This drama all comes to a head when a picture of the two of them at the auction surfaces on the Internet and comes to the attention of Cara's boss. Cara is unexplainably burned upon learning that a man she knows for all of two days did not disclose his job title to her (CEO) and feels snubbed; Ben, in turn, smells a rat when he learns that Cara is a journalist, which his publicist immediately informs him of because taking a photo with a woman at an auction showcasing his good fortune is apparently bad publicity. But just in case this isn't enough drama, after patching up the aforementioned misunderstandings, Ben leaps to yet more conclusions upon seeing a text from Cara's boss encouraging her to write an article about Ben. He storms off with his friend, although comes to his senses in the last two minutes of the movie in a rushed, quick resolution in which they reunite in a coffee shop.A few moments of utter ludicrousness also pepper throughout the story, such as assistant Megan taking interview phone calls on the middle of a snowboarding hill instead of retreating inside, or then being forbidden from taking phone calls after injuring her hands (apparently speakerphone isn't an option?). It's also worth remembering that all of this occurs in under two days, yet our protagonists act as though months of heart-wrenching drama has just affected them at every turn.On the bright side, the movie did make me want to book a trip to a snowboarding/skiing resort. The atmosphere was wintery, adventurous, and the views were sensational. The chalet as well painted a very cozy picture with its wooden interior, outdoor fire pit, and comfy furniture. It definitely evoked a sense of enjoying winter to the fullest, which was most likely the movie's intent---a shame that the plot did not match the atmosphere in pleasantness.

A pretty good one as Hallmark movies go, but if we had been playing the drinking game, we'd be pretty drunk!

I watch a lot of Hallmark movies. I love the winter theme of the four "Winterfest" movies of 2018. This film is mostly set at a ski resort. The scenery is wonderful and the snowboarding theme is fun. The production is very slick. But I didn't feel much real "heart" or chemistry in this movie.I think where it fell short for me was in the lead actress, Taylor Cole. She seemed like an ice princess (no pun intended), very cold and distant and bitchy. Especially bitchy and princess-y at first. Even once she "warmed up" in the storyline, she still struck me as someone I wouldn't like in real life. Kind of a "mean girl" vibe. The lead actor, Jack Turner, was good but not memorable. Maybe it was because of the lead actress he had to work with.For me in these Hallmarks, I find two things can push them from serviceable to ones I love and will rewatch. The first thing is the script. I love the particularly witty or funny scripts like the recent "Love Always, Santa" or "The Seven Year Hitch". The second thing is the lead actors and their chemistry. For example in "Broadcasting Christmas", I loved the quirky and warm Melissa Joan Hart and the ever-boy-next-door Dean Cain. In the case of 'One Winter Weekend', the script never rose above formula, the lead female was not likeable, and I wasn't feeling the chemistry between the leads. On the plus side, I liked the side romance with the bffs, Rukiya Bernard and Dewshane Williams. She's super cute and I hope she does more Hallmark.In sum: If you love Hallmark, worth watching once, but I won't be saving this one.

The story is complex and contrived. A lot of points don't make sense which is normal for these movies, but in this case they were too much for me. How does the CEO of a company only get half the chalet, but get a $500 gift basket also? Some of the bosses in these movies are slave drivers, but this one, while not mean, is ridiculous. Apparently she doesn't sleep and works 24 hours even on weekends. The premise that Ben's dating life affects his company's bottom line also sounds a little ridiculous. As a sub-plot, the idea that Megan's wrist injury means she can't use a phone at all is also silly. There are just too many silly and contrived plotlines.Taylor Cole and Jack Turner do connect establishing a comfortable relationship, outside of the secrets. Still Jack Turner is a little reserved. Rukiya Bernard looks like someone to watch for as a possible lead in future Hallmark movies. She connects with Dewshane Williams to form a much more realistic relationship than Cara and Ben's. Both of these relationships are pleasant enough to watch in and of themselves until the silly plot messes up at least the one.