The holiday season typically passes by in a flurry. With all the decorating, shopping, wrapping, baking, gathering and celebrating, it is easy for things to get lost in the shuffle. And now, with the abundance of Christmas movies being offered across all platforms and channels, many of those are getting lost in the mix, as well. While Hallmark is definitely the king of Kris Kringle programming, Netflix is quickly gaining traction with its slew of original “Season’s Streamings” released over the past few years, such as “Single All the Way,” “The Princess Switch” (as well as its two sequels), “Holiday in the Wild” (a personal favorite) and “Let It Snow.” The latter, a Yuletide-centric ensemble rom-com that weaves together the story of four groups of high school seniors one snowy Christmas Eve, hit the streamer in November 2019 to virtually no fanfare. Though it certainly isn’t any sort of awards-show contender, the film is a sweet addition to Netflix’s holiday lineup and one that shouldn’t be missed!
Directed by Luke Snellin and based upon the 2008 young adult novel “Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances” co-written by Maureen Johnson, John Green and Lauren Myracle, the movie is not to be confused with the 2013 Hallmark Channel flick starring Candace Cameron Bure and Jesse Hutch, nor the 2020 “haunted-ski-slope horror” film directed by Stanislav Kapralov, nor the 1999 Bernadette Peters vehicle, all of the same name. Apparently, “Let It Snow” is quite the popular holiday movie moniker!
The 2019 version is set in the fictional Laurel, Illinois, where “it doesn’t usually snow on Christmas Eve . . . but this year we’re lucky!” The idyllic hamlet, as described by pop star Stuart Bale (Shameik Moore), who the movie sees passing through town while on tour and becoming properly enamored, is “like the perfect holiday card” – though longtime resident Julie Reyes (Isabela Merced) is quick to point out that the…