Let It Snow (1999 film)

Last updated
Let It Snow
Directed by Adam Marcus
Written by Kipp Marcus
Produced byKipp Marcus
StarringKipp Marcus
Alice Dylan
Bernadette Peters
Larry Pine
Henry Simmons
Judith Malina
Miriam Shor
CinematographyBen Weinstein
Edited by Joe Klotz
Music bySean McCourt
Production
companies
Girl & Boy Productions
Marcus Bros.
Distributed by Artistic License
Curb Entertainment
Monarch Home Video
Release date
  • June 8, 2001 (2001-06-08)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$4,020

Let It Snow (also known as Snow Days) is a 1999 American romantic comedy film directed by Adam Marcus and written and produced by Kipp Marcus. The film stars Marcus, Alice Dylan, Bernadette Peters, Larry Pine, Henry Simmons, Judith Malina, and Miriam Shor. The story involves a young man who finds love during "snow days" time off from high school, but spends years finding his true self. He is haunted by the family "curse"—as told to him by his grandmother—that the men in the family are doomed.

Contents

The film was released by Artistic License on June 8, 2001 to mixed reviews.

Plot

James Ellis (Kipp Marcus) meets and falls in love with Sarah (Alice Dylan) during time off for snow days while in high school. James, however, has commitment issues, and Sarah eventually winds up engaged to Peter (Peter Giles). His grandmother (Judith Malina) had warned him about the family curse, that the "men always leave and the women go crazy", which causes James to be reluctant to commit. Over the next few years, James searches for his true self, ending up at "The CIA" – the Culinary Institute of America.

His eccentric mother Elise (Bernadette Peters), still upset that her husband left her and James, is on an endless search for her inner self and has commitment issues of her own. She spends her time with a series of lovers who don't speak English, in the "International House of Boyfriends".

Ultimately James overcomes the family curse and wins Sarah.

Cast

Production

Development

Brothers Adam and Kipp Marcus comprise the writing, producing and directing team behind this independent film, and Kipp also appears as the male lead. Kipp asked movie studios for their short-ends (unused film) at a cheap price to have enough film to shoot in 35mm.

Casting

Peters and Marcus on set Let It Snow.jpg
Peters and Marcus on set

Kipp had wanted Bernadette Peters for the role of his mother, Elise, but when her agent said that she was too busy, he sent her the entire script via fax. After meeting with Kipp she accepted the part. [1]

Filming

Part of the movie was filmed at the Marcus' mother's house in Westport, Connecticut.

Critical response

The Variety reviewer Lael Loewenstein wrote: "Smarter and more appealing than many other recent romantic comedies." Elvis Mitchell in The New York Times wrote: "The film's naïveté makes up for its rampant predictability." [2]

Accolades

At the AFI Fest, 1999, Let It Snow won awards for Best New Writing (Kipp Marcus) and Best Editing (Joe Klotz). At the Deauville Film Festival, it received a nomination for Grand Special Prize, 2000. The film was an "Official Selection" at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernadette Peters</span> American actress and singer (born 1948)

Bernadette Peters is an American actress and singer. Over a career spanning more than six decades, she has starred in musical theatre, television and film, performed in solo concerts and released recordings. She is a critically acclaimed Broadway performer, having received seven nominations for Tony Awards, winning two, and nine Drama Desk Award nominations, winning three. Four of the Broadway cast albums on which she has starred have won Grammy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judith Malina</span> German-born American actress (1926–2015)

Judith Malina was a German-born American actress, director and writer. With her husband Julian Beck, Malina co-founded The Living Theatre, a radical political theatre troupe that rose to prominence in New York City and Paris during the 1950s and 1960s.

Grandmama (<i>The Addams Family</i>) Fictional character in the Addams family fiction

Grandmama is a fictional character in the Addams Family television and film series. First appearing in the works of cartoonist Charles Addams, she is a supporting character in the film, television, and stage adaptations.

<i>The Hunger</i> (1983 film) 1983 British supernatural horror film directed by Tony Scott

The Hunger is a 1983 British erotic horror film directed by Tony Scott in his directorial debut, starring Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie and Susan Sarandon. The film is a loose adaptation of the 1981 novel of the same name by Whitley Strieber, with a screenplay by Ivan Davis and Michael Thomas. Its plot concerns a love triangle between a doctor who specialises in sleep and ageing research (Sarandon) and a vampire couple. The film's special effects were handled by make-up effects artist Dick Smith.

<i>Dylan</i> (1973 album) 1973 studio album by Bob Dylan

Dylan is the thirteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, which is made up of outtakes he recorded for earlier albums. Columbia Records compiled it with no input from Dylan and released it on November 16, 1973. The album followed the artist's departure from Columbia for Asylum Records, and the announcement of his first major tour since 1966. In Europe the album was re-released in January 1991 with the title Dylan .

<i>Diary of a Mad Black Woman</i> 2005 film directed by Darren Grant

Diary of a Mad Black Woman is a 2005 American romantic comedy drama film directed by Darren Grant and written by Tyler Perry. Inspired by the play of the same name, it marks Perry's feature film debut and is the first entry in the Madea film franchise. Starring Perry alongside Kimberly Elise, Steve Harris, Shemar Moore, and Cicely Tyson, it tells the story of a woman who is thrown out of her house by her husband on their 18th wedding anniversary and subsequently moves in with her grandmother, and is the only film written, but not directed, by Perry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Violet Wilson</span> Fictional character from Coronation Street

Violet Wilson is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. She was portrayed by Jenny Platt making her first on-screen appearance on 8 October 2004 and remained until 29 February 2008. Platt returned for one episode on 24 April 2011, and returned again on 20 March 2024 for a short stint.

<i>Slaves of New York</i> 1989 film by James Ivory

Slaves of New York is a 1989 American comedy-drama Merchant Ivory Productions film. Directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant, it stars Bernadette Peters, Adam Coleman Howard, Chris Sarandon, Mary Beth Hurt, Mercedes Ruehl, Madeleine Potter, and Steve Buscemi.

Curley McDimple is a musical with music and lyrics by Robert Dahdah and book by Robert Dahdah and Mary Boylan. The play is a spoof of Depression-era Shirley Temple movies and was presented in a black and white design. This was one of two musicals in which Bernadette Peters appeared that spoofed some aspect of Hollywood—the other was Dames at Sea. "The Meanest Man in Town" is its best-known song.

Holiday in Your Heart is a 1997 drama, based on a story written by LeAnn Rimes and Tom Carter. This made-for-television movie co-stars Bernadette Peters as a country singer. The movie aired on ABC television on December 14, 1997.

<i>Prince Charming</i> (2001 film) 2001 film

Prince Charming is a 2001 television film. It is a comical fairy tale, relating the story of a prince who is cursed and transported to present-day New York City. The film stars Martin Short as a wizard squire of modest talents trying to keep his prince from harm, with Christina Applegate as a young woman skeptical of the prince's story, who nevertheless wins his love, and Bernadette Peters as an actress who inadvertently lifts a 500-year curse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peta Janossi</span> Soap opera character

Peta Janossi is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Home and Away, portrayed by Aleetza Wood. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 27 May 1999 and departed on 14 July 2000.

<i>What the Peeper Saw</i> 1972 film

What the Peeper Saw or Night Hair Child is a 1972 thriller film directed by James Kelley and Andrea Bianchi and starring Mark Lester, Britt Ekland, Hardy Krüger and Lilli Palmer.

Kipp Marcus is an American actor, screenwriter, producer, and digital media executive. He is best known for his role as the oldest brother Kip Cleaver on the revival television series The New Leave It To Beaver. He has also received critical acclaim for his screenwriting and acting in the film Let It Snow.

<i>Curse of Chucky</i> 2013 American slasher film by Don Mancini

Curse of Chucky is a 2013 American slasher film and the sixth installment of the Child's Play franchise. The film was written and directed by Don Mancini, who created the franchise and wrote the first six films. It stars Fiona Dourif, Danielle Bisutti, Brennan Elliott, Maitland McConnell, Chantal Quesnelle, Summer Howell, A Martinez, and Brad Dourif. The film grossed $3.8 million in DVD sales.

Maureen Peters was a historical novelist, under her own name and pseudonyms such as Veronica Black, Catherine Darby, Belinda Gray, Levanah Lloyd, Judith Rothman, Elizabeth Law and Sharon Whitby.

<i>Descendants 3</i> 2019 Disney Channel Original Movie directed by Kenny Ortega

Descendants 3 is an American musical fantasy television film, being the third installment in the Descendants series, following Descendants and Descendants 2, and the last one in the film trilogy focused on Mal and her friends. It is written by Sara Parriott and Josann McGibbon, and is directed by Kenny Ortega. The film premiered on Disney Channel on August 2, 2019, and in other territories worldwide starting on October 12, 2019. The film was followed by an animated television special, Descendants: The Royal Wedding, released in 2021.

<i>Violation</i> (film) 2020 horror film

Violation is a 2020 Canadian horror drama film directed and written by Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli. It is the feature film debut of the two directors, who have collaborated on several short films displayed at film festivals worldwide. The plot follows Miriam, who seeks revenge on her brother-in-law after a traumatic incident. The film stars Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Anna Maguire, Jesse LaVercombe, Obi Abili, Jasmin Geljo, and Cynthia Ashperger.

References

  1. "Let It Snow Press Kit". artlic.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2007.
  2. Mitchell, Elvis (June 8, 2001). "FILM IN REVIEW; 'Let It Snow'". New York Times.