Christmas in the Clouds (2001)

69% of critics liked it
(35 reviews)
50% of users liked it
(2,722 ratings)

Ray (Tim Vahle) has just returned from college to run a Native-American ski lodge. A laid-back place where employees' children play in the lobby and the handyman has a habit of macking on guests, the lodge isn't exactly four-star travel guide material. So when Ray learns that a travel guide… More Ray (Tim Vahle) has just returned from college to run a Native-American ski lodge. A laid-back place where employees' children play in the lobby and the handyman has a habit of macking on guests, the lodge isn't exactly four-star travel guide material. So when Ray learns that a travel guide representative is coming to make an inspection, he makes an executive decision to make the lodge a professional place of business. In addition to keeping his father, who happens to be the hotel's former manager, out of his way, he also has to contend with his somewhat eccentric staff, which includes an emotional vegetarian chef (Graham Greene) who takes a certain pleasure in informing his diners of the names he has given the animals they're eating. Despite Ray's exhaustive preparations, something, of course, goes wrong: something that, in this case, turns out to be a case of mistaken identity: when Tina, a comely Mohawk woman, shows up at the lodge, Ray assumes her to be the representative, and sets about giving her the royal treatment while the actual representative (M. Emmet Walsh) is ignored and must contend with a hefty dose of hotel mismanagement. Christmas in the Clouds was an audience favorite at the 2002 Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 34 min.
Directed By: Kate Montgomery
Written By: Kate Montgomery
Genres: Kids & Family, Romance, Comedy

In Theaters: Nov 4, 2005 Limited
On DVD: Nov 7, 2006
Studio: Slowhand Cinema

Critic Reviews

Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
The path of true love may not be smooth but it is predictable in Christmas in the Clouds, a wisp of a movie set in a Utah ski resort run by a Native American tribe.
Mark Holcomb, Village Voice
Kate Montgomery's agreeably schmaltzy rom-com tempers its near terminal folksiness with stereotype-tweaking irony.
John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press
While you may have seen the story before, the offbeat characters and the movie location make you feel like you're treading new ground.
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post
While Vahle and Tosca are the most attractive people onscreen, they are the least interesting characters.
, Houston Chronicle
A spin on familiar material, it's aimed at those who like their movies on the warm side.
Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Although nearly every aspect of the plot is predictable, Christmas in the Clouds produces a delightful surprise: a warm glow that you take home with you.
Josh Hurst, Christianity Today
The plot is just too pedestrian, the writing just too limp, and most of the characters just too boring for this to be anything more than a modestly entertaining diversion.
Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide's Movie Guide
It's hard not to hope things work out for everyone, even though you know perfectly they will.
Robert W. Butler, Kansas City Star
There are few highs and lows. And after a while all this middle-of-the road blandness wears out its welcome.
Kevin Biggers, FilmStew.com
While it's understandable some might appreciate Christmas in the Clouds merely for what it attempts to be, it's inexplicable to extol the film on that basis alone.
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
... a welcome alternative to big studio family films filled with squealing kids, body functions and pratfalls.
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone, TheMovieChicks.com
Sweet, charming, romantic, and likeable.
Paul Doro, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Amiable and frivolous, Christmas in the Clouds works mostly because of an appealing cast and an attractive setting.
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times
Not quite laugh-out-loud funny, but pleasant.
William Arnold, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A good-natured indie that's been kicking around the festival circuit since 2001, and is finally getting a much-deserved distribution.
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul), St. Paul Pioneer Press
Christmas in the Clouds won't knock your socks off, but it's so old-fashioned and low-key that it sticks out from the holiday movie pack.
Kimberley Jones, Austin Chronicle
This is a Hallmark movie with high production values -- and so what? It's gently funny and genuinely good-hearted.
Jeff Vice, Deseret News, Salt Lake City
This all-too-predictable comedy-drama of misunderstandings, which was featured in the 2001 Sundance Film Festival and has been in limbo up until now, is not much different from a typical television movie made for the Lifetime cable channel.

Read all 18 critic reviews

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Cast

            Timothy Vahle as Ray Clouds on Fire

            Mariana Tosca  as Tina Littlehawk

            Sam Vlahos as Joe Clouds on Fire

            Graham Greene (II) as Earl

            M. Emmet Walsh as Stu O'Malley

            Sheila Tousey as Mary

            Rosalind Ayres as Mabel

            Jonathan Joss as Phil

            Rita Coolidge as Ramona

            Lois Red Elk as Grammy

            Wes Studi as Wes

            Shirley Cheechoo as Betty

            Georgina Lightning as Louise

            Kanina Moeller as Annie

            Kaesi Belen Soto as Katie

            Larry Chesspooch as Floyd

            Heather Rae as Buffy

            Carla Plante as Muffy

            Patrick Shining Elk as Bingo MC

            Steve Sandalis as Buffalo Thunder

            Jeff Pehrson as Snake

            Mindy Lawson as Eileen

            Mace Melonas as Danny

            Brian Wescott as Barney

            Randall Carlisle as Newscaster

            Anthony Hsieh as Tony

            Millie Chou as Millie

            Phillip Blanchett as Singing Cook

            Joetta Bitsui as Miss Sky Mountain

            Warrior Mouse as Warrior Mouse
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