In 2019 Netflix decided to get in on the LGBTQ+ action, releasing the delightful Let It Snow, another one of those Love Actually-style multi-narrative films following various interconnecting tales of romance over one wintery December day. When a snowstorm hits a little American midwestern town on Christmas Eve, a bunch of lovelorn high school students see their love lives and friendships collide in a series of improbable but highly entertaining narratives. Being about modern teens, there’s naturally a few subplots about queer characters and the trials and tribulations of being gay in a small town where everyone knows everyone’s business.
I find this one from director Luke Snellin to be a surprisingly excellent high school drama with great writing and strong performances from its young ensemble, showing echoes of John Hughes’ best work.
Shameik Moore is rising teen pop star Stuart, feeling isolated and lonely when he gets stuck on a train in the snow heading through the quaint wee town. Onboard he literally runs into Julie (Isabela Merced), a cool teen who isn’t phased by his pop idol status - she’s got problems of her own, stuck caring for her sickly mother while wrestling with whether to leave home to attend Columbia Law School. They strike up the sort of easy going instant friendship that only really happens in films like this, hanging out sledging, dancing to the Stones and firing zingers back and forth that could only have been written by a team of Hollywood screenwriters. It’s cute.
Elsewhere, waffle shop worker and supercool lesbian Dorrie (Liv Hewson) is having issues with her best bud Addie (Odeya Rush) who’s got boyfriend troubles and keeps blowing her off. At the same time, Dorrie keeps trying to get the attention of a cheerleader she recently hooked up with but is now giving her the cold shoulder. All this while trying to complete her shift at the waffle shop that just got a whole lot busier due to the snowstorm chaos.
Meanwhile, dorky but loveable Tobin (Mitchell Hope) struggles to pluck up the courage to tell childhood bestie Angie (Kiernan Shipka) that he’s head-over-heels in love with her during an eventful afternoon that involves beer theft, car chases and a glorious, if schmaltzy church-organ led duet of the Waterboys’ ‘Whole of the Moon.’
The thread that ties all this together is that of Tobin’s buddy Keon (Jacob Batalon), another waffle shop worker who planned to hold a big Christmas party at his empty gaff that night, but got scunnered when the storm cancelled his parents’ festive trip. So, he decides to throw the kegger at the waffle shop which his hippie stoner-type boss seems weirdly okay with. All these disparate tales - narrated by the always fantastic Joan Cusack, who also cameos as a town oddball - will come together at the Christmas waffle shop shindig. Will happy endings be had by all? Who’s to say?
Dorrie’s story is the most compelling of the lot. She hooked up with gorgeous cheerleader Kerry (Anna Akana) at a previous party and shared a magical night where they realised they just might be soulmates. However, Kerry’s now acting like she doesn’t know her and the penny drops that she’s not yet ‘out’ to her mega-popular clique buddies, leading to some hurtful ‘hot and cold’ behaviour, with passionate embraces in private but complete indifference in public. This sort of stuff is likely very relatable to many young people struggling to fully realise their own gender identities. I find it interesting in this case that it’s the protagonist Dorrie who’s the one that is ‘out and proud’, yet is still struggling. It’s a reminder that coming out is just the beginning for homosexual people who, just like the rest of us, may spend the rest of their lives struggling to find someone who loves them for who they are. Being a Netflix Christmas teen romcom, of course things work out just dandy, but Hewson’s endearing, lovelorn performance marks her out as one to watch.
The plotlines are all well-balanced and packed with humour and warmth. I’m surprised that, despite the film’s total predictability, I’m completely involved and invested in these characters. Half the battle in these films comes with the casting of exemplary, likeable young actors with great chemistry who make you care about these paper-thin characters and, fortunately, Let it Snow totally nails it.
The film also feels like a small step forward for representation too, with a racially diverse cast and a female queer plotline that doesn’t just feel tokenistic or cliched. I was dreading watching this one as, pushing 40, I’m starting to feel like an old fart and believing a film about Gen Z teens would hurt my soul. However, I’m pleasantly surprised that it turns out to be a thoroughly enjoyable if unchallenging film with a phenomenal soundtrack too. The kids are alright.
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