Movie Review :: Hallmark Channel’s The Snow Must Go On

Hallmark Channel

Hallmark’s ‘Merry Thanksgiving’ weekend continues with The Snow Must Go On, and yes someone actually does say this line in the movie, putting a struggling Broadway actor in an unexpected situation when he returns home for the holidays.

Isaiah Heyward (Corey Cott) last appeared on Broadway almost 10 years ago. Since then, getting back on Broadway has been a challenge. To escape the grind of the city and re-evaluate his life, Isaiah visits his sister, Lilly-Anne (Samantha Kendrick), and teenage niece, Aurora (Kaelyn Yoon-MacRae), in upstate New York for the holidays. But his yuletide respite is interrupted when he learns Aurora’s high school may have to cancel their annual Christmas musical because they can’t find a director. With a nudge from Aurora and the school’s guidance counselor, Lilly-Anne Brigente (Heather Hemmens), Isaiah decides to save the Christmas show and jumps in as director. Isaiah’s situation gets a little more complicated when he learns that an influential Broadway producer’s daughter is in the school production, so Isaiah decides to cast himself as the lead in order to land a part in an upcoming Broadway show. But while the curtain rises on rehearsals and the Christmas Eve opening night fast approaches, Isaiah finds some Christmas surprises of his own, as he stumbles upon an unexpected romance with Lilly-Anne, creates an unanticipated bond with his students, reassesses his priorities and ultimately discovers that the greatest holiday gift is found when love, family, and friendship take center stage.

The Snow Must Go On is one of Hallmark’s most delightful holiday movies of the season, featuring actual Broadway actor Cott (Newsies, and brother of Casey Cott, also from Broadway and a little show called Riverdale) using his talents from the stage on the smaller scale of TV. Cott is also a Hallmark regular, but this role was tailor-made for him. The story gets a lot of its comedic elements from Isaiah’s failed attempts at getting back on Broadway, namely by creating, directing and starring in an Off (Off, Off) Broadway show titled ‘Frost/Blitzen’, a satirical-political take on what it’s like to be Santa’s reindeer (the title a riff on the Broadway show Frost/Nixon), to his attempt at getting cast in a new show by a high-powered producer. After the cattle call of casting is cancelled, he decides to return home to stay with his sister and niece, but finds himself thrust back into the business of show as the school’s drama teacher quits to run off with a lumberjack. More hi-jinx ensue as Isaiah is stunned by the utter lack of talent he has to deal with, but there are a few diamonds in the rough and Isaiah knows just how to polish them to perfection. The first of which is Miranda, a painfully shy girl with a magnificent voice … who also happens to be the daughter of the Broadway producer. With this information in hand, Isaiah decides to cast himself in the lead in the school play (the kids agree that he’s the best choice because he has actual talent) so his performance can act as the audition he missed out on. There is also a boy, a bit of a troubled soul who interrupts the auditions, whom Isaiah tries to force into singing in front of the group to make him see that it isn’t as easy as he seems to think it is. But after learning of his situation from guidance counselor Lilly-Anne, Isaiah decides to take a different approach, talk to the boy more as a friend, and then see if he can sing … which he can, so Stephen is cast much to the annoyance of the other kids who object to him not auditioning (unaware that he did sing for Isaiah) … and they just don’t like him for causing trouble around school. But a talk from Isaiah and Lilly-Anne about everyone being members of a team who need to work together soothes their ire and Stephen begins to fit in with everyone else, learning himself that it’s better to be part of a team than a lone wolf.

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Despite his experience, though, Isaiah learns that writing, producing and directing a high school musical in three weeks is much different than Broadway, but he is ably assisted by Lilly-Anne, and their natural chemistry — plus long hours working together on the script — helps them develop a relationship that does lead to a romantic spark, as seen when Lilly-Anne invites Isaiah on a picnic in the park, which is covered in snow, laying on a blanket, looking up at the lights, their hands naturally coming together. Isaiah finds his whole plan crashing down around him after they get word that Miranda’s mother can’t make the show on Christmas Eve, but she will be attending the dress rehearsal. This is Isaiah’s only chance to impress her, and he does. Unfortunately, Lilly-Anne overhears Cindy asking Isaiah to meet her in the city the next day for a proper audition … which is the day of the play. Needless to say, Lilly-Anne feels used and she warns him to tell the kids what he did before she does, and he does fall on the sword, disappointing all of them greatly. But he is happy now to let Miranda shine as the lead. Once at the audition, Isaiah becomes conflicted and instead advises Cindy to attend the show that night to see her daughter doing what she loves. But can Isaiah win back the confidence of the students, and more importantly, the trust he broke with Lilly-Anne?

The Snow Must Go On is just a terrific Hallmark romantic comedy. The script by Scott Damian and Heather R. Provost really captures the life of an actor struggling to get on a Broadway stage, as well as the chaos that comes with mounting a school play. Many of the scenes are played for laughs, but there is still a real warmth underneath as Isaiah has to learn how to relate to the high schoolers — luckily he has his niece as his assistant — while also navigating his next move and unexpectedly finding a spark with Lilly-Anne. The entire story is charming, fun and uplifting by the end. Director Jeff Beesley, and the producers, have pulled out all the stops, going so far as to use a real Broadway-style theatre for a single flashback scene of Isaiah performing to a packed house that delivers a standing ovation. The scope of this movie is very impressive.

Of course it all succeeds or fails on the backs of the actors, and this one is stacked with some impressive talent. Cott, of course, is a natural, bringing all of his theatrical skills to the role, getting to show off his impressive vocals a few times. He handles all of the comedic moments with great skill while also making Isaiah’s feelings for Lilly-Anne feel totally authentic … and earned, to the point that, even though he got himself into a pickle, we still feel heartbroken when Lilly-Anne tells him exactly how she feels about his betrayal, not just to her but to the kids more than anything. Cott can handle the drama just as well as the comedy … and has anyone noticed his striking resemblance to Montgomery Clift? Heather Hemmens is also wonderful as Lilly-Anne. Her always calm demeanor really suggests that she is a guidance counselor, someone who needs to always remain neutral but caring with the students. She shows Lilly-Anne’s pride in working with Isaiah on finishing the script, and her feelings for him also feel totally authentic, their hand-holding in the park coming quite naturally. This is how you build a romance in a Hallmark movie. Hemmens also lets us feel Lilly-Anne’s anger toward Isaiah when she realizes what he’s done to further his own career at the expense of everyone else. It is a fully rounded performance, and she and Cott have such good chemistry together that we want them to show that all is forgiven at the end with that kiss. This time, it is fully earned.

Hallmark Channel

Kaelyn Yoon-MacRae is also wonderful as niece Aurora. She clearly loves her uncle, and is happy he’s finally decided to spend the holidays with them, especially since her mom has been struggling emotionally following her divorce (and blind to the attention she’s getting from neighbor Hal, which Isaiah sets out to rectify). Aurora is Isaiah’s only support once the truth is revealed, having already known his plan in advance, but she also has to show solidarity with the rest of the cast. She just brings a pure joy to the role. Emily Leung is also terrific as Miranda, making her shyness as painful as it seems, and when her voice soars she lifts everyone’s spirits. Leung works really well with Cott too as he becomes her mentor and true support system, convincing her that if this is what she wants to do, then it doesn’t matter what anyone else says or thinks. Axel Hansen is extremely good as Stephen, able to impart to the viewer that he is a bit of a troublemaker, but more misunderstood than just a juvenile delinquent. You can see him warm up to Isaiah when they finally talk one-on-one, and he totally surprises when he sings his first notes. Hansen also shows Stephen’s hurt, even though he’s in the background of the group, when his classmates begin to rebel over his casting, and then he easily integrates with the others to actually become part of the team, and a respected part of the team. It’s really a genuine and sweet performance.

Everyone in the cast does exemplary work, including Samantha Kendrick as sister Jess, Dan De Jaeger as neighbor Hal (both actors make us root for them to finally realize they are meant for each other), Stephanie Sy as Miranda’s mother Cindy, and all of the teen actors playing the high schoolers. Each performer gives their character their own personality, making them all feel like real individuals learning to work together to pull off this major school event.

If you’re looking for something to bring you some real joy for the holidays, you can’t go wrong with Hallmark’s The Snow Must Go On with its terrific story and wonderfully engaging cast, expertly directed by Jeff Beesley. It will make you laugh, and it will fill you with emotion, and best of all, it has a romantic angle and a resolution that feels real. This one is a wonderful holiday gift from the fine folks at Hallmark.

The Snow Must Go On has a run time of 1 hour 24 minutes, is rated TV G, and is streaming on Hallmark+.

Preview – The Snow Must Go On