Snow Cake (2006)

66% of critics liked it
(61 reviews)
84% of users liked it
(13,066 ratings)

An ex-convict is mysteriously drawn to two intriguing women after becoming involved in a car accident while passing through a sleepy Ontario town in director Marc Evans' enigmatic drama. Invited into the home of high-functioning autistic Linda (Sigourney Weaver) after getting into a car accident… More An ex-convict is mysteriously drawn to two intriguing women after becoming involved in a car accident while passing through a sleepy Ontario town in director Marc Evans' enigmatic drama. Invited into the home of high-functioning autistic Linda (Sigourney Weaver) after getting into a car accident that involved Linda's daughter, ex-con Alex Hughes (Alan Rickman) does his best to gracefully accept Linda's selfless generosity. His situation grows increasingly complicated, however, when Alex finds the seductive allure of town sexpot Maggie (Carrie-Anne Moss) too powerful to resist. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 52 min.
Directed By: Marc Evans
Written By: Angela Pell
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Sep 8, 2006 Wide
On DVD: Apr 5, 2005
Studio: IFC First Take

Critic Reviews

V.A. Musetto, New York Post
A heartfelt but utterly predictable indie drama.
Claudia Puig, USA Today
Weaver makes Linda her own, alternating between off-putting brashness, engaging honesty and bursts of spontaneous, childlike behavior.
Derek Elley, Variety
Lack of dramatic intensity is all the more surprising considering the emotional clout of helmer Marc Evans' two best movies, the chilling Resurrection Man and scarefest My Little Eye.
Ty Burr, Boston Globe
Overly forced, a shade too whimsical, but filling a void other words and other movies haven't the nerve or errant taste to confront.
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
This slow-burning character drama never gets as emotionally involving, or persuasive, as the moviemakers intend it to.
Carina Chocano, Los Angeles Times
Modest but well wrought and witty, Snow Cake is full of unexpected moments and clever observations and, despite a sparse quality, makes a good case for the idea that you're never too late, or too far gone, to connect with or understand others.
Heather Huntington, ReelzChannel.com
Often with the feel of a stage play, Snow Cake is a delicate little drama that shows real understanding of its characters.
Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media
Autistic woman shows grieving adults how to live.
Jules Brenner, Filmcritic.com
a worthy effort toward bringing an increasingly prevalent disorder to filmgoers' attention
Prairie Miller, Long Island Press
Compassionately delves into the immense frustration, heartbreak and even intermittent comic relief of life with autism, while touching on the sometimes emotionally crippling condition of just being alive, for the rest of us.
Jason Ferguson, Orlando Weekly
Snow Cake never entertains too much pathos nor does it become overly concerned with making Weaver's character even slightly sympathetic; her uncensored forthrightness is as refreshingly humane as it is hilarious.
Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile
Everyone and everything is surprising in this arresting film whose heart is as warm as its setting is cold
Ted Murphy, Murphy's Movie Reviews
in the end, it's as viable as its titular confection: pretty to look at but cold.
John Hartl, Seattle Times
It's essentially a vehicle for a dedicated cast, but occasionally it's more than that.
Paula Nechak, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Three very intelligent actors -- Rickman, Moss and Sigourney Weaver -- elevate what could have been cloying into something better than the script's idiosyncratic bent.
Jules Brenner, Cinema Signals
Director Marc Evans, working from Angela Pell's screenplay, pulls it off in a limited way but with emotional sensitivity and a solid cast.

Read all 16 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Jens S

This is the story of a man meeting with the autistic mother of a hitchhiking girl who died in his car after an accident. Outstanding acting performances, especially by Rickman and Weaver, and very quiet but lovely sense of humor make for a very likable and satisfying experience.… More
This is the story of a man meeting with the autistic mother of a hitchhiking girl who died in his car after an accident. Outstanding acting performances, especially by Rickman and Weaver, and very quiet but lovely sense of humor make for a very likable and satisfying experience. Especially the scrabble game and the story of Mr. Fantastic is a very magical scene. Even though nothing terribly exciting happens after the initial shock, it is still fun and entertaining to follow those characters around for a while.
Cynthia S

Oh my goodness do I love a nice drama! Throw in Sigourney Weaver and Alan Rickman and I am in my glory!! Sigourney did a great job playing a sometimes crazy, sometimes silly Autistic woman. I really got a kick out of her. This was a very entertaining movie.
Randy T

"Dazlious!" The real beauty of this film is in the fleshed-out richness of the characters. It works because you're taken in by Vivienne's love of life, by Alex's debilitating guilt and by Maggie's subtle sexuality. Credit superb writing (Angela Pell)… More
"Dazlious!" The real beauty of this film is in the fleshed-out richness of the characters. It works because you're taken in by Vivienne's love of life, by Alex's debilitating guilt and by Maggie's subtle sexuality. Credit superb writing (Angela Pell) and performances (Emily Hampshire, Alan Rickman & Carrie-Anne Moss)
familiar s

Could have been better with a tight editing & a better casting. The actress playing Linda, an autistic, was a disastrous miscast, IMO.
♥˩ƳИИ &

Alan Rickman, Sigourney Weaver, Carrie-Anne Moss, Emily Hampshire, Callum Keith Rennie, James Allodi DIRECTED BY: Marc Evans A drama focused on the friendship between a high-functioning autistic woman (Weaver) and a man (Rickman) who is traumatized after a fatal car accident.… More
Alan Rickman, Sigourney Weaver, Carrie-Anne Moss, Emily Hampshire, Callum Keith Rennie, James Allodi DIRECTED BY: Marc Evans A drama focused on the friendship between a high-functioning autistic woman (Weaver) and a man (Rickman) who is traumatized after a fatal car accident. By far my favorite Alan Rickman movie. I absolutely loved this movie. Just adore it. Such a sweet, sad beautiful movie. Sigourney Weaver is fantastic in this movie. I didn't feel like the acting was being forced. She became the character and played it honestly. This movie is not about Autism. The mother just happens to be autistic. It's a story about the wounded and healing. Very raw and real. Probably one of the best films I have seen in a long time. Well that will stick with me like this one. Just fabulous performances by Weaver and Rickman. Moss was great too. If you haven't seen this film, put it at the top of your list. It is that great. I smiled, I laughed, and even got tears in my eyes. Just one of those films you come away with wearing a smile and feeling satisfied with. A Must See..
Cherry D

Linda: "Do people like you Alex?" Alex: "Not much, no." Linda: "I'm not surprised. It's because those glasses don't look right on your face."
Wahida K

Sometimes stopping is the most important part of the journey...
Film C

i love this movie its fantastic its such a sweet heart warming funny film with sigourney weaver doing a performance of a lifetime its a brilliant film and really worth a watch!! this movie has a great storyline andim surprised it wasnt really released in cinemas as i think this… More
i love this movie its fantastic its such a sweet heart warming funny film with sigourney weaver doing a performance of a lifetime its a brilliant film and really worth a watch!! this movie has a great storyline andim surprised it wasnt really released in cinemas as i think this would have done better! the storyline is brilliant with a brilliant cast which was acted brilliantly! Alan rickman is totally beleved in this movie andalthough itssad it does leave you smiling throughout the movie! when lan rickman is wonover by the girl asking for a lift he gets into a car crash that leaves her dead when he feels so torn up with guilt he goes and finds hr mother whop turs out to autistic he ends up stayig asnd we find out abou his dark past! brilliant movie completely worth a watch!
Josh L

Great performances, especially Alan Rickman, but Sigourney Weaver's character will certainly test some people and the movie is overly long at getting to its ending.
Craig S

Directed by: Marc Evans. Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Carrie-Anne Moss, Emily Hampshire. "Yesterday, he took my hands and danced with me. Every time, he does something new...how… More
Directed by: Marc Evans. Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Carrie-Anne Moss, Emily Hampshire. "Yesterday, he took my hands and danced with me. Every time, he does something new...how ever small, it's a brilliant feeling. I wish everyone could get to know someone like my little brother, he makes you look at things in a brand new way. Some people say that James won't ever do the things I do, but it doesn't matter, he'll just do different things. I love my little brother so much and one day I know he'll tell me he loves me to." The story follows a man named Alex, a man with a past and with such sadness. On his travels through Ontario to see an 'old friend', he stops of at a truck stop and is approached by a very vibrant young girl asking for a ride home. An tragic car accident occurs killing Vivienne instantly and Alex believes it is the best thing to travel to her hometown and meet her mother. Alex soon finds out that Vivienne's mother is highly autistic with her own way of living and he soon becomes attached with not only her, but the very 'friendly' neighbor. Angela Pell, first time screenwriter (and someone who has an autistic son herself) has really written a fantastic script. I think it really is one of the more difficult ideas to bring to film, especially when you want to do it right. Although it may have points aimed at pushing the sentimentality onto the audience, nothing is forced. Beautifully rich in character, unexpectedly witty and dry and carrying a warm and gentle heart at the core, it is not only a very good showcase of sub-character for what we all see as 'normal' people and the reminder for us to not forget to stop in life and find out who we truly are, but a very real and insightful look into autism. Not only does it not display autistic people as 'idiots', or even as outcasts, we are shown there own personal way of life and living and there completely unconventional way of dealing with the emotional and loss around every corner. Marc Evan's is a name I had seen before on a lot of low budget films that attempt to be 'mainstream', but I think he has really set a name for himself after this film...something more fitting in the independent scene. In style, he is quite limited, which might seem like a bad thing, but every simple choice he makes adds another level of genuinty to the story. From the sweetly poetic focuses on the simple things, to the right doses of genuine intensity and emotion...and the step-backs to let the actors shine, Marc really shows craftsmanship in something so simple. The performances are astonishing. Sigourney Weaver has always proved to be an essence on screen to beat, especially playing strong-willed characters, but this time around, she goes for something a little bit more challenging...playing an autistic woman. She delivers astonishingly well with her near pitch-perfect profoundness of the complexities of her characters mind, its a role screaming for an Oscar, but its unlikely she will get recognized. Carrie-Anne Moss works well on the little she is given but shows great presence and Emily Hampshire is so sweet and full of charisma. Even with a dozen strong performances, none stand close to Alan Rickman. He is the standout here and delivers one of his deepest and more fitting roles of his career. His typical dry and tone perfect humor is a brilliant match for the wit of the film and not only that, but he inhabits the roles underlying sadness and intricate layers and its really a showcase for his amazing talent. I think I have said everything I have wanted to say, there's no need to write a closing statement on my opinion. 86/100 "Have you ever had an orgasm, Alex?"..."It has been known"..."It sounds like an inferior version of what I feel when I have a mouthful of snow."
Nicki M

This was okay. Better than I expected, I did not think it was a movie I would even want to sit through especially. Alan Rickman and the actress who plays the daughter, (I am not sure who she is), were the highlight of this, both very convincing. Sigourney Weaver was kind of… More
This was okay. Better than I expected, I did not think it was a movie I would even want to sit through especially. Alan Rickman and the actress who plays the daughter, (I am not sure who she is), were the highlight of this, both very convincing. Sigourney Weaver was kind of irritating. My husband also said this and he is generally a fan, I'm not sure what it was about her. Yes, I realise she was meant to be autistic in it, but geez! It was a bit over the top. Average movie, maybe worth a weekly rental.
Luke B

Snow Cake handles the difficult task of dealing with highly emotional situations while keeping the emotions under the surface. Whether it be Weaver's fantastic and often hilarious portrayal of a woman with autism, or Alan Rickman's reserved Englishman, the tears and pain are… More
Snow Cake handles the difficult task of dealing with highly emotional situations while keeping the emotions under the surface. Whether it be Weaver's fantastic and often hilarious portrayal of a woman with autism, or Alan Rickman's reserved Englishman, the tears and pain are kept mostly in the past. Dealing with autism is a hard subject, even harder when you have to show the lack of emotion without seeming distant or detached. Amazingly both the writing and the acting helps to keep the film relevant. Weaver even has time to philosophize in her own special way, where death is inevitable, it is nobody's fault and nothing can be done about it. It's feel good in a bittersweet fashion. Rickman's own back story is powerful stuff, especially his meetings with the other participant in the accident that sets the film in motion. Sometimes the indie music and songs of Broken Social Scene intrude on what could be more thoughtful moments but generally the film is great.
Bannan i

Review still not up yet? Oy.
E.J. B

I've never seen an autistic person before, so Sigourney Weaver's performance had some educational value to me. As contrived as the movie is, it's a nice, simple story about trying to find redemption.
Red L

I quite liked this movie. A tragedy brings together three very different people. Sigourney Weaver plays an autistic woman. I'm no expert on autism, but it looked quite realistic to me. Quite moving. As an aside, the movie seems to be a Canadian production - set in Wawa… More
I quite liked this movie. A tragedy brings together three very different people. Sigourney Weaver plays an autistic woman. I'm no expert on autism, but it looked quite realistic to me. Quite moving. As an aside, the movie seems to be a Canadian production - set in Wawa Ontario. This has little to do with the movie, but as a Canadian, it is cool.
Dean L

I watched it last night and was perplexed and I am intimate with the subject of autism. I Love Sigourney Weaver and Alan Rickman is always amazing. I spent the first part of the film trying to figure out if they were trying to have her portray someone living with autism or someone… More
I watched it last night and was perplexed and I am intimate with the subject of autism. I Love Sigourney Weaver and Alan Rickman is always amazing. I spent the first part of the film trying to figure out if they were trying to have her portray someone living with autism or someone living with some other sort of mental challenge. Perhaps that was the point though ("When you've met one person with autism you have met one person with autism") They packed a lot of different stuff in there that we have seen-Those people who just don't get it, those people that accept her as she is, those people who want to try and "fix" her, those people that think they get it because they have seen a movie or read one book...the list goes on. I know that the film made me uneasy and worried. I was not overly impressed with this as a movie. The script was really skeleton. The character development was hardly there. We get no background on the characters save for a whisper here and there. We do not really get much as to Sigorney's upbringing and nothing about her early supports/diagnosis/treatment. It was pretty much a simple 2-hour PSA on what the writer/director believes autism to look like at that age and how a person should be accepted for what they are. I had a bit of a problem as they portrayed a person who went to shiny objects as a ferret would to a glint of silver and the way that they portrayed her reaction regarding her daughter (I will not put a spoiler in here though this comes rather early). Regardless of what you think of the portrayal of autism the movie was pretty much put together with shoestring and gum and could barely tread water for it. "Hey, let's write a movie about someone living with autism. This is what it would look like right? OK...now we need a story. Ah...slap this on...it'll pass. Now we have made a socially conscious film." There were some very loving scenes between Rickman and Weaver and also...Carrie-Anne Moss was great, but still...they felt hollow. I did not buy the premise, because I did not buy the character, and because there was absolutely not a shred of meat to pick off that bone. I appreciate what they tried to do here, but I feel they missed the mark.
Gordon A

Respectful study of autism and grief with a very strong cast of believable characters.
Mark A

Incredible piece of acting by Sigourney Weaver, as Linda, an autistic woman whose daughter is killed while hitching a ride with Alex, played by Alan Rickman. Her reaction to the news of her daughter's death is strange by our standards, but is in keeping with her illness. Mr… More
Incredible piece of acting by Sigourney Weaver, as Linda, an autistic woman whose daughter is killed while hitching a ride with Alex, played by Alan Rickman. Her reaction to the news of her daughter's death is strange by our standards, but is in keeping with her illness. Mr Rickman is brilliant as the damaged man who has never healed from an earlier loss and feels an overwhelming sense of guilt over this most recent event. In trying to make things right with Linda, he becomes immersed in the life of the small town where she lives and finds a measure of release. Helping Alex with the healing process is Carrie-Anne Moss as Maggie, a neighbor that Linda dislikes. The dynamics of small town life are vividly and accurately portrayed. Great supporting cast, and scenery that evokes the insular nature of smeall town life while allowing us to see the beauty that keeps people from fleeing make this a beautiful film. Alex may not yet be whole, but by the end, we feel he has at least recovered a piece of his soul.
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]In "Snow Cake," Alex(Alan Rickman) is stopping at a truck stop on the way to Winnipeg when he is joined at his table by Vivienne(Emily Hampshire), a talkative young woman, and later in his car as a hitchhiker, even though Alex tells her that he has… More
[font=Century Gothic]In "Snow Cake," Alex(Alan Rickman) is stopping at a truck stop on the way to Winnipeg when he is joined at his table by Vivienne(Emily Hampshire), a talkative young woman, and later in his car as a hitchhiker, even though Alex tells her that he has killed a man.(I'm sorry but wasn't somebody supposed to warn her not to get in a car with a strange man?)[/font] [font=Century Gothic]Later, Alex makes a point to visit her mother(Sigourney Weaver) whose autism gives her a tenuous link to the real world. While originally only wanting to spend a brief time with her, Alex instead agrees to wait until Tuesday to leave in order to make arrangements and to put out the garbage...[/font] [font=Century Gothic]Blessed with a satisfyingly offbeat ending and fine performances(especially Sigourney Weaver), "Snow Cake" is a competent movie about redemption and forgiveness, avoiding the temptation to assign a character to be the villain.(For example, Alex has killed a man but is not evil.) Using the setting of a small town, a good case is made for everybody having their own unique way to celebrate life. At the same time, the movie is too long, which allows for a certain repetitiveness to creep in especially regarding Alex's past. More than one character says that he has to unburden himself.(Not so much for himself, but for the audience, it seems.)[/font] [font=Century Gothic]Note: Alan Rickman and Sigourney Weaver were also in "Galaxy Quest." Callum Keith Rennie and Carrie-Anne Moss were also in "Memento." Did I leave anybody out?[/font]
Panta O

Snow Cake is a 2006 independent drama film directed by Marc Evans and starring Alan Rickman, Sigourney Weaver, Carrie-Anne Moss, Emily Hampshire, and Callum Keith Rennie. It was released on September 8, 2006 in the UK. Very interesting drama about unusual friendship filmed in Wawa,… More
Snow Cake is a 2006 independent drama film directed by Marc Evans and starring Alan Rickman, Sigourney Weaver, Carrie-Anne Moss, Emily Hampshire, and Callum Keith Rennie. It was released on September 8, 2006 in the UK. Very interesting drama about unusual friendship filmed in Wawa, Ontario. Snow Cake is telling us a story of Linda, a woman with autism (Weaver), and Alex (Rickman) who is traumatized after a car accident involving him and Linda's daughter (Hampshire). The movie was screened and discussed at Autism Cymru 2nd international conference in May 2006 as well as the Edinburgh International Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, among others. It was the opening night screening for the Berlin Film Festival as well... It is carefully crafted and the screenwriter, Angela Pell, wrote the role of Alex Hughes with Rickman in mind. It was also Rickman who read the script and made sure Sigourney Weaver (with whom he had previously starred in Galaxy Quest) was contacted about the role of Linda. Both Rickman and Weaver were runners-up at the Seattle International Film Festival for the respective prizes of Best Actor and Best Actress. I have to say that my opinion is that Weaver was a weaker link in this movie with her "overacting" in some scenes... but , maybe, I am wrong... watch it and let me know your thoughts on it. During the course of making the movie, Sigourney Weaver (Linda) researched the subject of autism and was coached by Ros Blackburn, a woman with the condition who is also an author and speaker about autism and Asperger's syndrome. Alan Rickman chose not to research the subject of autism in order to make his character have an impact/shock when facing Linda which gave him an advantage in acting his character so much stronger. All praises for the director Marc Evans and his ability to make everything believable and not too tacky!