Customer Reviews

Snow/Snow 2: Brain Freeze

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

[I would rate the set as a 3.5 if possible]

There have been other versions of the Santa-meets-spouse scenario before (like Santa Clause 2 (Widescreen Edition)), but Snow is still worth checking out. Tom Cavanagh, a goofy Santa going under the alias Nick Snowden, lost his reindeer. This leads him on a journey to meet Sandy (Ashley Williams), a cheerful manager at a local zoo. Granted, the acting and the characters are all too good to be true. This may not necessarily become a Christmas classic. However, the mix of cast and characters produces some funny scenes. Particularly Hector, the 8-year-old kid who becomes Santa's sidekick. Sometimes he seems more world-wise than anybody else in the film.

Like Snow, Snow 2: Brain Freeze is a cute Christmas movie. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite recapture the magic of the first. Santa, a.k.a. Nick Snowden (Tom Cavanagh) loses his memory. This takes some of the charm and goofiness from his original character. Also, there are a few other changes for the worse. Hector, the wisecracking sidekick is MIA in this film. Also, Sandy changed her hair color, which was just odd (I thought she looked better blond). Snow 2: Brain Freeze really only takes off late into the film. It gets better near the end, but by then it's too late. It's still decent, but fans of Snow are likely to be a bit disappointed.

I saw these movies on ABC Family during "25 Days of Christmas". They are very cute, and they take a different spin on the Santa Claus tale. I would definitely recommend these movies for someone looking for nice, family-friendly holiday movies.

My family loves to watch these movies every Christmas! Snow and Snow 2: Brain Freeze are hilarious! Tom Cavanagh did a great job acting the part of Nick Snowden. These movies are worth the watch. :)

We like Christmas movies. These were pretty good that I would recommend but are not a 5 star like The Christmas Choir. It was nice to get both movies "Snow" and "Snow 2" as a package together on the same DVD.

Until the television series ED, that quirky bit of goodness, is released on DVD, one has to settle for his other shows, if you're looking for stuff featuring Tom Cavanagh. Thankfully his two made-for-TV flicks, SNOW and its sequel SNOW 2: BRAIN FREEZE, are watchable enough, especially when the holidays come around. Still, you have to take these flicks with a grain of salt. The characters are perhaps too determinedly cheerful and there's a lot of cheesy stuff going down. I'm torn between giving a rating of 3 stars out of 5, or 3.5.

In the mold of Steve Guttenberg from SINGLE SANTA SEEKS MRS. CLAUS and MEET THE SANTAS, Nick Snowden is a good-natured but unusual guy. Nick wears clothes with the price tags still attached, stores arctic moss conveniently in his pocket (this to feed any reindeer he runs into), and he seems to know the names of all the kids he meets. He bursts clumsily into Sandy Brooks's world - that is, the local zoo at San Ernesto, California - and I'm not sure how he does it but Nick, all fumbles and nervous chatter, somehow charms the dickens out of her.

The movie doesn't at all try to keep it a secret that Nick Snowden is the new Santa Claus, and that this is his first Christmas. Early in the movie, one of the magical reindeer is abducted and taken to the San Ernesto zoo, and that's where we're soon dubiously eyeing Nick's sloppy attempt at a rescue. But then he's caught by zookeeper Sandy, armed with her fabulous big smile and sweet personality. And Nick is hooked. "Jingle bells, she's something else," he breathes. And, yes, his exclamations go something like "Jingle bells!" and "Oh, good eggnog!" and "Good King Wenceslas!" It's, er, cute.

I'll be critical and admit that - other than the bits with Ashley Williams (who is appealing in every facet) - I thought that SNOW doesn't start out promisingly, what with the corny stuff being shoveled around by Tom Cavanagh's character, who is painfully awkward and socially inept. You either get used to this, or you get fed up. This being my man Tom Cavanagh and keeping in mind that it's targeted for Christmas audiences, I stayed tuned it and Nick Snowden - skinny, affable Santa that he is - soon began to grow on me. At this stage, I was already half in love with Ashley Williams and vigorously sneering at the crude big game hunter who keeps hitting on her.

I did try to like the eight-year-old kid, but he just got on my last nerve. Annoyingly precocious, meet that eight-year-old kid. There was a moment, in watching this movie, when I actually thought this kid was being played by a grown-up midget, and even Haley Joel Osment claims this kid is too precious.

It shouldn't be a surprise for anyone when Nick eventually gets talked into playing Santa Claus. That's one of the time-honored plot devices in this sort of movie. And Cavanagh does really well when he narrates the origin of Santa Claus to an enthralled group of kids. On the minus side, you have to roll with the special effects, which are suspect - the leaping, flying reindeer, the shimmery mirror, that sparkly blue glow beneath the door... give these a never mind. Because, even so, SNOW is a fun Christmas flick, ideal for the fam and especially the kids (who'll love Buddy the irrepressible reindeer). I think SNOW is a holiday picture worth returning to on future Decembers. Despite the flaws, Cavanagh and Williams make it work.

As a bonus, there's a 4-minute-long cast interview in which Cavanagh and Williams offer some thoughts about SNOW.

In SNOW 2: BRAIN FREEZE we catch up with the Snowdens, and it's a year later. Once again Christmas is just around the corner and Nick is feeling the pressure. Sandy has got big news and she's dying to tell him, but Nick is too distracted (the flying reindeer have gained some serious weight and Nick is panicking). And then Nick has an accident which costs him his memory, putting Christmas in jeopardy.

This sequel isn't as good as the first movie, but it does give us a chance to see how the Snowdens have been getting on. The amnesia element also works in that it gives the romance a jump start. Sandy is warned (by a magical authority) not to reveal to Nick his true identity, as this may result in disaster. Rather, Nick has to arrive at it by himself. And so we find Sandy tiptoeing around that issue even as she again fends off the advances of Buck, the annoying has-been big game hunter. Buck, by the way, becomes an even bigger tool in this movie and directly jeopardizes Christmas. A new conceit is introduced in the form of the Santa Claus How-To manual which comes with its own magical private tutor. Another annoying kid shows up, although I probably need to ease off on the grinch juice. Cavanagh's quirkiness and Williams's warmth again make it all watchable, but it bugs me that it took this long for Sandy to try to travel via magic mirror. Nick is a swell guy, sure, but it must still get lonely living in the North Pole, just her and her hubby.

I really enjoyed the first show of Snow and when I saw that I could get both movies on one DVD that was awesome.

Both of this movies are fantastic. The story line is refreshingly different. The cast in these movie was perfectly chosen. The characters are all very funny. Though my favorite part about Christmas is tradition, I like the way these movies does not follow the same old folk tale. These are both definitely movies for the whole family and you can not beat the 2 for 1 deal.

CAN'T BEAT THE SELECTION, PRICE AND HELPFULLNESS AT AMAZON. WILL ALWAYS BE A FAITHFUL SHOPPER, KNOWING MY PERSONAL INFO IS SAFE AND SECURE.

Snow / Snow 2: Brain Freeze are both really cute family fun Christmas Films. Really enjoyed them both!!! Even my older daughter age 28 enjoyed these two movies.

My family collects Christmas movies, every year starting around November we start searching for the next "new" movie. We choose Snow/Snow2 because it was family friendly and entertaining, plus the price for the two DVD's was great!