Chalet Girl (2011)

78% of critics liked it
(40 reviews)
54% of users liked it
(6,652 ratings)

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… More 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 - and figure out what's going on with Jonny (Ed Westwick), her boss' handsome but apparently unavailable son. -- (C) IFC

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 37 min.
Directed By: Phil Traill
Written By: Tom Williams (XXV)
Genres: Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Oct 14, 2011 Limited
On DVD: Sep 9, 2011
Studio: IFC Films

Critic Reviews

Rachel Saltz, New York Times
Pleasant if timid...
Nick Schager, Village Voice
Hot Dog... The Movie and its disreputable ski-comedy ilk might have been a low point in cinema history, but at least their unbridled crassness had energy; Chalet Girl embraces similar '80s tropes for a lethargic you-go-girl fairy tale.
Leslie Felperin, Variety
A chirpy, tween-skewing, snowboarding-themed romantic comedy.
Brian Orndorf, BrianOrndorf.com
There's just not enough to hold attention, eventually succumbing entirely to convention in a particularly insipid finale. Who knows, maybe even teenage girls will be rolling their eyes at the predictability of it all.
David Fear, Time Out New York
Jones may be a charismatic comedian, but no amount of her skilled mugging, Britpop tunes or help from supporting stars can transform this derivative ugly duckling into a comic Anglophile swan.
Dale Rolfe, MovieFIX
Chalet Girl is what it says on the label - feel-good, unpretentious, snowbound fun.
Jim Schembri, The Age (Australia)
Undemanding, forgettable, formulaic teen rom-com.
Leigh Paatsch, Herald Sun (Australia)
Chalet Girl is a pedestrian affair that limply modernises the Cinderella fairytale for fun and profit.
Sandra Hall, Sydney Morning Herald
It's an unassuming film but a surprisingly beguiling one.
Belinda Hazleton, FILMINK (Australia)
Sure, it's predictable, implausible and clearly skewed toward a young female demographic, but it's also enjoyable escapist fun.
Margaret Pomeranz, At the Movies (Australia)
This is a very benign comedy that is elevated by the completely natural performance of Felicity Jones.
Andrew L. Urban, Urban Cinefile
With its down to earth heroine ... the film underplays the triumph of the spirit theme, while delivering a satisfying, textured experience
Louise Keller, Urban Cinefile
The scenery is gorgeous and although the plot is predictable, it's a pleasant interlude with some laughs and surprising observations
Stella Papamichael, Digital Spy
Chalet Girl comes as a breath of fresh, Alpine air in that it's a very British, no-nonsense story of a working class girl who falls for her posh employer.
Philip French, Guardian [UK]
It's all very third division école de Richard Curtis.
Alistair Harkness, Scotsman
A sort of goofy celebration of female self-empowerment, one in which the standard romcom goal of scoring a dreamy boyfriend takes a back seat to finding yourself through being good at something exciting.
Alex Zane, Sun Online
The humour is aimed at teens but Jones' likeable presence make this a pleasant watch.
Catherine Jones, Liverpool Echo
Felicity Jones confirms her reputation as one of our brightest talents in this comedy about a young woman's struggle to vanquish her inner demons.
Derek Malcolm, This is London
Pursues its way to its feelgood conclusion with just a little wit and a goodly lump of sentiment.

Read all 19 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Nicki M

Watched most of this, but just couldn't get into it. The story was just boring to me. Maybe the sports element was putting me off. Felicity Jones is okay, and Ed Westwick, though I didn't find him all that convincing. I guess the poor little rich boy thing was irritating… More
Watched most of this, but just couldn't get into it. The story was just boring to me. Maybe the sports element was putting me off. Felicity Jones is okay, and Ed Westwick, though I didn't find him all that convincing. I guess the poor little rich boy thing was irritating too here. Maybe just me. A lot of people seemed to have liked this one.
Andrew P

Its a shame so many will write this film off because of the genre. Chalet Girl ultimately was a bit raunchy, fun and heartwarming all at the same time. Brilliantly British in writing style and all the actors have a superb time on screen. It is a delight to watch, and will be forgotten… More
Its a shame so many will write this film off because of the genre. Chalet Girl ultimately was a bit raunchy, fun and heartwarming all at the same time. Brilliantly British in writing style and all the actors have a superb time on screen. It is a delight to watch, and will be forgotten in time. But enjoy it.