I can't think of one kid who doesn't like snow days, so that's probably why this movie did so well at theaters. I live in an area where we are lucky to get one snow day a year, and get snow at all maybe twice a year, and actually I do know what it is like to yearn for "the second snow day," which is the main plot point in Snow Day.

The movie starts off decently, showing the main character's obsession with the prettiest girl in school, the struggling career of his dad the weatherman, and the way his younger sister wishes for snow days. When the snow finally comes the movie nails the time when kids are up before school starts and they are huddled around the radio waiting to see if their specific school has been cancelled (with me we had the television and the radio playing).

Then Snow Day crumbles as if it were supported by legs of snow and was suddenly placed in the Sahara desert.

This is a Nickelodeon movie and just like most of the "original" television shows they create each year, Snow Day is sooooo stupid. There are so many dumb situations I can't remember them all. There's the principal who literally runs around the entire movie getting hit by snowballs that seem to come from nowhere. There's a snow fort that has magically been tunneled out with escape routes and everything in a matter of an hour. There's the evil Snowplow Man who's so nasty that the kids finally decide to retaliate and steal the Snowplow. And there's even an action scene where the main character is pursued on snowmobiles. And this is all in one day.

There are two coexisting plots going on throughout the film. One is the the main character's attempts to win the heart of the prettiest girl in school, the other being his younger sister's determination to stop the Snowplow Man and get the legendary second snow day.

The romantic part of the movie actually is pretty good, but still messed up. First off, the main character looks like he is hovering around later junior high or early high school, but the girl he is trying to get with seems rather... developed. Of course, there's actually a love triangle going on which is pretty obvious from the start, even though it isn't revealed until near the end. My main problem with this story arc is that it seems a little too grown up for a PG movie that obviously will only appeal to little kids.

Also, it clashes horribly with the cheesy nature of the second story arc, where the kids eventually duct tape the evil Snowplow Man (Chris Elliot) to a signpost and steal his Snowplow to "unplow" the streets. All the while, the little girl in charge of the rebellion is talking about how "anything is possible on a snow day," which is the cheesiest line in the movie, and also its theme. There is also a scene where the little girl gains confidence when her brother's toys start talking to her. Yes, I was very confused as to how this scene had any relevance.

The movie's leads are credited to Chevy Chase and Chris Elliot, but both have supporting roles. It's a shame to see that Chevy Chase is still poorly choosing his scripts, being that his last good movie was National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. He's a funny guy but he needs to get in a funny film. As for Chris Elliot, I don't have very high expectations, but he goes much lower in this movie, delivering his worst performance to date.

Snow Day is a stupid, stupid movie with dumb situations, bad acting, and completely unrealistic scenarios. Chevy Chase is not used anywhere close to his potential. Some little kids might like it as it plays basically as a cartoon, but they won't like the romantic element of the film. Snow Day should have been kept in the freezer.

Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.