Don't Believe the Hype

Crappy film

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Man this movie is funny. It's dated but that adds to the charm. The wall sized computer, inappropriate comments in the work place, $1,700 stretching a long way, and the killer station wagon. The story is pretty straight forward. A man, after inheriting a hotel, quits his sucky job, packs up his family and moves to a rural setting only to find out that the hotel is a dump. He and his family overcome several comical obstacles to prevail in the end. There is plenty of physical comedy and goofy humor. Its a good family comedy that answers questions like Why the strainer in the tub? Whats a Stanrubles plumbarmacy? and What to yell when your skiing out of control. I was lucky enough to find it on DVD at Wallmart for $10.

We still watch this movie often and still laugh a lot at it. It's one of our favorites. We still often joke about the name on the snowmobile. Does anyone know where the hotel scene was shot and if the hotel still stands? Was it built for the movie? Was it in the Crested Butte area? We visited Crested Butte today, and yes, it looks quite a bit different from the movie. I also wonder if the scenes at the bank were shot in this area or in a studio. I agree with other posts that Harry Morgan was superb. The look on his face when he talked about getting the skiers in where it was warm was absolutely priceless. Keenan Wynn was a great conniving heavy in his role, and Mary Wickes perfect as his secretary.

"Snowball Express" from the Disney Studios isn't quite as dated as some of their output from this era. There are no hippies or hot-rodders, just dull-as-dishwater Dean Jones inheriting a ramshackle hotel/ski-resort from a deceased relative. When Jones and family pull into a sleepy Colorado town, the folks who give them directions--looking like extras from "Deliverance"--are curiously vague about the hotel (we expect it to look like a one-room shanty), but actually the accommodations are very nice. Jones' teenage daughter has a sour look on her face throughout (which doesn't prevent one of the local yahoos from leering at her), and of course clumsy pop Dean Jones is a regular stumblebum on the slopes, leading to a lot of pratfalls in the slush. Perhaps this square scenario might've benefited from some magical whimsy, for this script is a frozen stiff. * from ****

I have a well-worn, copied from tv version of this movie that I watch again and again. The cast is wonderful and the ski and snow-mobile scenes leave me laughing till I cry. Harry Morgan gives (in my opinion) one of his best performances and Dean Jones is in fine form with other Disney regulars making this an exceptional family movie. Could we please see a release in the near future?? Families need movies like these!