Rating: ⭐⭐⭐3/4
Movie: Winter Castle
Release Year: 2019
Starring: Emilie Ullerup, Kevin McGarry
Synopsis: Born and raised in sunny California, Jenny is thrilled when her sister Meg decides to have a destination wedding at an ice hotel. Jenny is immediately entranced by the magical décor of the hotel and also finds herself instantly smitten with Craig, the handsome best man. Will the romance of the gorgeous wintry hotel bring them together?
Review:
So the weather in Ontario is crazy cold right now (-22 celcius!) so I curled up with a cup of tea and watched "Winter Castle" starring Kevin McGarry and Emilie Ullerup last night. I have to say that I quite enjoyed this movie. Yes there were a few "wait what" moments, but overall I thought it was unique and enjoyable.
Let me start off by saying that I love Emilie Ullerup. I have seen a number of her movies so far and I just enjoy watching her on screen. After watching this movie...same thing. I thought she was super sweet as Jenny. Her character was sweet, lovable and just genuinely adorable. I thought She played the doting sister/maid of honor well, and her character was just fun. You could feel her excitement come through with her emotions and infectious smile. I mean who wouldn't have fun going on that ice slide and going on a romantic carriage ride with Kevin McGarry?
Kevin McGarry was...well he was Kevin McGarry. I love this guy. Doesn't matter what role I've seen him in he just exudes confidence which is super sexy. He had a natural ease with playing a father and I love him in this role. You could feel how awkward he felt at times with Lana at the wedding. But seriously buddy, why'd you invite her in the first place? More on that later!
Chemistry...yup. Quite a bit honestly. That carriage ride was magical. Who doesn't love a romantic carriage ride in the snow snuggled up with a blanket. There were two particular times that I found quite magical with how much believability there was in their romance. The first was when they were outside at the rehearsal dinner. She was a tad cold and he just took his hands and rubbed her arms. Hello! I loved that. The second was the way he would take side glances at her during that wedding ceremony. I just loved these two together.
A special mention here...I was so happy to see that this was filmed in the real Ice Hotel that is found here in Canada. I have heard alot about Hôtel de Glace in Quebec and have always wanted to see it. This place is gorgeous and that was portrayed beautifully in this movie. Hard to believe that they have to rebuild this hotel every year! My goodness. Unbelievably beautiful and what a labour of love and talent. The interior and exterior shots were unbelievable. What an absolutely beautiful place to shoot a movie.
So I do have a couple of wait whats in this movie just to bring this down a notch. They are not enough to ruin the movie for me but still have to mention them.
First...what in the world is Craig inviting a friend to a wedding for. It's not just a one day affair but a week long event. Not something a platonic friend is really going to do. No wonder the girl thought something was up with their relationship. I would too. Awkward! I really felt for Lana as she really wasn't a bad person. She was genuine and really cared for Craig and his daughter for years and came thinking there was more. I felt awkward for her. Poor thing.
Second...the daughter. So what is she about 8-9? Not 100% sure here but I feel that she was on the older side. Anyway, I didn't buy into the "I'm so intrigued by these made up stories" attitude. I think she was a bit too eager for her age. Especially that kind of story as it was meant for a way younger child than the one it was being presented to. I'm sorry the daughter was cute but just some things going on here just didn't do it for me.
Anyway, the positives of this movie far out weigh any of the less stellar parts. I really enjoyed this movie and would recommend this on a cold winter day.
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