Finishes Ahead of the Pack

Yes, the title is a bit of a groaner, but the movie is not. Other than the wonderful A ‘90s Christmas and  a couple of others, the Hallmark slate has been disappointing the last couple of weeks. Two were overly hyped and promoted which set me up for even more disappointment (though I should have known better.) Hallmark’s most popular stars are fine and dandy, but not if the story and script aren’t there. One was just another “Hallmark pretends to be the HGTV channel” reality show which I couldn’t even finish, and another I can’t comment on, because though I did finish it, I don’t remember a damn thing about it even after reading the summary. This one didn’t hold much promise. It was another Scandinavian one, the second of the season so far. It featured an Iditerod type race between our heroine and a cartoonishly evil villain who cheated her father out of the same race many years ago. (There was a cute reference to The Princess Bride about that-I won’t explain.) It’s the type of Hallmark that too often uses an exotic setting or an out-of-box plot-line as a crutch so they can skimp on good writing and character development and still put out an acceptable effort. Boy was I surprised!

Fresh and funny banter and dialogue were there from the get go. Kim Matula as the main character, Anya, put on a great performance of a likable character. Right there with her was Nichole Sakura who played her best friend Elyse, who was more than a human prop but also a fully realized character. She was given plenty of screen time, and a secondary romance of her own which was sweet and engaging. As usual lately with many Hallmarks, the primary romance was not the main focus, but thanks to the performances, dialogue, and the rapport, I was invested. The races were exciting mostly because of her rivalry with the evil dirty trickster and some dog crises. Anya even almost dies after almost falling off a cliff saving the bad guy’s dogs and sled. “I can’t beat you if you’re dead!” she shouts at him. When taunted and insulted by the bad guy, she gets off some sizzling comebacks and doesn’t turn the other cheek like a more demure heroine would do. Thank-you!

The movie would have been excellent set in Canada with fake snow (as usual), but there was plenty of Finnish (and Icelandic) landscape and scenery along with little nuggets about Finnish way of life. Ginger cookies and blue cheese are a thing. And the Finnish are comfortable sitting silently with a party of friends: No needless chatter is required to fill silence because in Finland, silence isn’t awkward. I think I’d like it in Finland. Going by the credits, other than 3 of the main actors, the rest of the cast is Scandinavian, which of course lent some authenticity, on top of all the other good things.