Holiday Gift Guide: Christmas in the Clouds

Article first published as DVD Review: Christmas in the Clouds on Blogcritics.

Just in time for the holiday season! On November 2 MTI Home Video re-realsed Christmas in the Clouds (first released in 2006.) A wonderful comedy about mistaken identity with a little romance. Christmas in the Clouds is set during the holiday season at a ski resort owned and operated by a Native American Nation who are colorful at best. Christmas in the Clouds was the first contemporary romantic comedy to feature an almost entirely American Indian cast,It won critical praise at the Sundance Film Festival. Not to mention was shot on location at the Sundance Resort in Utah which makes the scenery breathtaking.

Ray Clouds on Fire (Timothy Vahle, Walking Tall: Lone Justice) runs the place, and is stressed out because he has just received notice that a critic is coming to review the hotel. Meanwhile, his father Joe (Sam Vlahos, American History X) has invited his pen pal, Tina (Mariana Tosca,Equine Destiny) to come and visit. But Tina thinks that Ray is her pen pal, and Ray thinks that Tina is the critic. Nevertheless, they fall for each other. This scenario alone would be enough to make a great movie, but I haven’t mentioned the other characters that Montgomery has added for flavor, including the hotel’s chef (a hilarious Graham Greene,Twilight:New Moon, Dances With Wolves), who happens to be a devout vegan, the romance novel-obsessed concierge (Sheila Tousey,Law & Order: Special Victims Unit), and the mouse dressed like an Indian warrior.

The cast members give terrific performances. Timothy Vahle is a little stiff, but he’s likable nonetheless. And he has smoldering chemistry with the lovely Mariana Tosca. Character actor M. Emmett Walsh is also very good as the grumpy Stu, the real travel writer. Rosalind Ayres is also very good as Mabel, one of the hotel’s guests. The film also includes Wes Studi in a brief cameo. The film isn’t perfect, however. The film is a little unfocused at the beginning when it’s introducing the characters, and it lacks professionalism. But the film is so earnest and likable that despite whatever flaws it may have, it’s a real winner.

The DVD features all the basic special features such as a behind-the-scenes look. The features don’t really add to the film but at the same time take nothing away from it either.