CHALET GIRL (2011)

Genre: Comedy/Romance
Director: Phil Traill
Cast: Felicity Jones, Ed Westwick, Bill Nighy, Brooke Shields, Tasmin Egerton, Bill Bailey, Sophia Bush, Nicholas Braun, Georgia King, Ken Duken
RunTime: 1 hr 36 mins
Released By: Shaw
Rating: PG (Some Sexual References)
Official Website: http://chaletgirlfilm.wordpress.com/

Opening Day: 15 September 2011

Synopsis: Pretty tomboy Kim (Felicity Jones) used to be a champion skateboarder, but now she flips burgers to support herself and her dad. Opportunity comes knocking when she flukes a winter-long catering job in one of the plushest ski chalets in the Alps. At first, Kim is baffled by this bizarre new world of posh people, vintage champagne, epic mountains and waist deep powder. Then Kim discovers snowboarding, and her natural talent soon sees her training for the end-of-season competition, with a chance to win major prize money. But before she can become a champion again, Kim needs to overcome her deepest fears.

Movie Review:

Chalet Girl is a typical boy meets girl, girl meets boy, boy falls in love with girl, girl falls in love with boy kind of story, with some twists and turns in between. Hence, the plot really can’t be the strongest selling point. So then, what is?

Felicity Jones plays tomboy Kim, who used to be an accomplished skateboarder, but disappeared from the scene following an accident that killed her mother. Jones’ performance and the depth of emotions she displayed in the representation of the struggles she went through as an accomplished skateboarder, to a girl who flip burgers to barely make the living, and then to the stage where she picks up the courage to pursue her dreams once again, was truly a pleasure to watch. Her emotional display is truly a visual manifestation of Kim’s deepest thoughts and emotions, and was captivating to watch.

On the other hand, Ed Westwick is no longer the bad boy Chuck Bass (Gossip Girls) that he is best known with. This time, he went for a change and plays Mr. Nice (and rich) Guy who seeks to please his parents. Nothing too spectacular about his presence, but definitely a visual pleasure and had an eye-candy appeal to those who have always been following Gossip Girls. The huge contrast of his role in the Chalet Girl as compared to Chuck Bass does get some people interested on his rendition of a nice guy role. Well, watch it and judge for yourself! Other than the abovementioned, kudos to these two who trained themselves so vigorously for snowboarding and skiing respectively!

The remaining cast of the movie made a good set up for the British humour. Unlike the typical American humour, you either get it or you don’t. The jokes are slightly more subtle, though there are still instances which are blatantly funny. What else other than a great laugh?

Surprisingly, this movie turns out to have an alluring appeal on the local audiences like us because of the scenic filming locations. For us who have never been to the Alps, the scenes will probably blow you away. The ski resort filming location was in Sankt Anton am Arlberg, in Tyrol, western Austria. The skiing and snowboarding scenes were well captured, complemented by the magnificent art of nature. It not only brings your attention to the sport, it also takes you on a tour of the Alps. Though it’s not a first-hand experience, but it’s truly captivating!

Overall, the movie is quite an enjoyable one. Though the ‘twist’ and ‘turn’ may seem too intentional and awkward, it was still acceptable. The unsatisfying ending is also made to stand out less by showing the bloopers during the film making.

Movie Rating:

(Not too sappy or over-the-top for a rom-com. It may not be the best in its league, but it’s surely a feel good one)

Review by Tho Shu Ling