The first movie that I was aware had filmed in my hometown was the Nickelodeon cult classic Snow Day, released to multiplexes in early 2000. We had only moved to Edmonton about nine months before so we had missed the filming and I wasn’t yet familiar enough with the city to recognize any of the on-screen locations. Nonetheless, we were treated to a fun-filled fantasy which was all the more valuable since I was never fortunate to actually experience school-closures as a result of excessive snowfall.
I hadn’t thought of, nor seen Snow Day in years and was shocked to learn that not only had the film been remade for the Paramount + streaming service, but this remake had been rendered as a musical! Colour me curious…
This new edition recycles the basic plot and characters from the original with Syracuse, New York blessed (or cursed if you’re an adult) with a snow day. Awkward teen Hal Brandston (Ky Baldwin) takes advantage of the occasion to finally confess his love to the girl of his dreams, Claire Bonner (Shelby Simmons) with the help of best friend Lane (Fabi Aguirre) who secretly pines for Hal. Meanwhile, Hal’s younger sister Natalie (Michaela Russell) is on a mission to extend one snow day into two by halting the progress of the child-hating “Snowplowman” (Nickelodeon mainstay Jerry Trainor) with the help of friends Eli and Wayne (Logan Aultman and Dominic Mariche respectively) .
That’s pretty much it. There’s a subplot where Hal and Natalie’s younger brother basically forces their parents to play with him by handcuffing them together, but this is easily the weakest part of the film as any competent caregivers with a decent pair of bolt cutters would’ve freed themselves within minutes and grounded this little brat until it was time for the next remake to be produced.
Never in a zillion years would I have selected Snow Day as a property ripe for musical adaptation, but here we are. The numbers are rendered with the usual sheen and enthusiasm of the post-High School Musical era with the only real standout being Trainor’s rendition of “These Kids” where he stops the show and his plow to pontificate on his hatred for any Syracuse citizen under 18.
The whole movie is produced competently enough with the young cast gamely playing along with the whole goofy affair. Russel ends up stealing most of her scenes as she dials up the precociousness up to eleven as Natalie who has rather selfish reasons for wanting to extend the snow day, apparently to avoid “Winter School” due to her failing grades (is that even a thing??). She’s one of those streetwise characters who would likely excel if they used a fraction of their mental faculties on school work that they expend on their schemes.
Snow Day ultimately plays as an amusing diversion for its target audience and as an odd nostalgia trip for the slightly older generations. The story is best enjoyed as fantasy and will likely remain that way as one wonders whether future generations will just end up taking class on Zoom on days with heavy snow.
6/10
Snow Day can be streamed worldwide on Paramount+. Check out the original while you’re at it.