Monday, December 9, 2019

WINTER BREAK (2003) * ½


Milo (Rocky Balboa) Ventimiglia stars as a college grad with a big-time job waiting for him.  When the company gets sold, he finds himself unceremoniously unemployed.  Low on options, he gets shanghaied by his friends who whisk him off to a ski resort in Aspen.  There, he falls head over heels with Maggie Lawson, who naturally has a boyfriend.  They start up a friendship that quickly turns awkward because the two are obviously attracted to one another.

The cover makes Winter Break look like it’s going to be a teenage sex comedy.  The original title was Snow Job, which certainly sounds like it was going to be a throwback to the sex comedies of the ‘80s.  Unfortunately, it’s more of a coming of age story than a sex comedy, which is disappointing, especially considering there’s no sex or nudity anywhere to be found.  If anything could’ve broken up the monotony of Ventimiglia’s relationship woes, Eddie Kaye (American Pie) Thomas’ unfunny mugging, and the gratuitous slow-motion skiing montages, it’s a little gratuitous T & A.

The back and forth between Ventimiglia and Lawson gets boring pretty quickly.  There’s no drama in the will-they-or-won’t-they, because it’s already a foregone conclusion that they’ll end up together.  It doesn’t help that the performers have very little chemistry with one another.  

Ventimiglia makes for a bland lead.  Anna Faris has an extended cameo as his ex-girlfriend.  One can only imagine how much better the movie would’ve been if she stuck around.  The best part of the movie is seeing George Lazenby as the distinguished old skier who dispenses life lessons and love advice to the characters.  Still, if you have to watch George Lazenby ski, you can always watch On Her Majesty’s Secret Service instead of this crap.

AKA:  Snow Job.

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