SNOW DAY

SNOW DAY has a family-friendly premise and resolves most of its stories in a moral fashion. Hal’s efforts to find love have some enjoyable moments, and the movie includes a clever explanation of how snowflakes originate. But the separate stories do not combine very well, leaving the comedy uneven.

The larger concern is the example set for children. The movie’s young characters sometimes use dishonest or reckless methods, while the mother is overly focused on work and the father is an uninvolved dunce focused on his career. The content is mostly mild, but the role models make this a poor choice for little children.

You can watch it at home, where you can guide your older children and teenagers through its mixed messages.

A heavy snowfall closes schools in Syracuse, New York, giving one family an unexpected day together. TV weatherman Tom Brandston tries to expose a rival who has taken credit for predicting the storm.

Meanwhile, Tom’s wife attempts to manage work and their young son, teenage Hal hopes to win the attention of a popular girl, and younger sister Natalie launches another campaign against the local Snowplowman. The snow day brings all their separate goals into collision.

Two stars means SNOW DAY has a few clever and enjoyable pieces but does not come together as a satisfying whole.

Hal’s explanation of snowflakes is inventive, and his attempts to win a private moment with Claire provide some of the movie’s better comedy. The other storylines feel relatively uninspired, however. Tom’s effort to expose his rival is especially thin, and the filmmakers do not combine the separate plots effectively. The result is an uneven family comedy rather than a strong one.

SNOW DAY presents a romantic worldview centered on satisfying children’s emotional desires. Hal’s pursuit of the popular Claire receives especially sympathetic attention, while other characters’ desires and ambitions shape the story’s conflicts.

The film also includes mild pagan, false religious and moral content, including magical daydreaming and talk of “Destiny.” Its moral framework is mixed. Most plots end in a morally positive way, but the children’s behavior sometimes treats stealing, carelessness and kidnapping as acceptable tools for accomplishing their goals.

The family itself is not presented as a consistent model of wisdom. The mother’s workaholism and the father’s uninvolved foolishness leave children to navigate important situations with limited adult guidance. A biblical view welcomes innocent joy while also calling people to seek desires shaped by God rather than by popularity or self-interest: “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).

SNOW DAY has a few funny moments and generally moral resolutions, but its storytelling is uneven and its role models are not consistently healthy. For little children, choose something else. For older children and teenagers, watch at home so you can discuss the movie’s choices. WAIT FOR HOME.