Duck: Christmas at the Chalet was a duck of a fun movie! The premise? Lex Riley (Teri Hatcher) went from TV fame to being a full-time parent, and is now returning to the public eye with her duck-worthy Insta reels. When she decides to join her adult son and ex-husband on a skiing vacation at a ducking fancy chalet hotel, a duck-up with the bookings means that if she wants a room she must work as a “chalet girl.” An attraction with the hotel owner Eric (William Devry) duck-velops …
Star: We enjoyed the duck out of this movie, not least because of Teri Hatcher’s performance.
Duck: Duck yes! Every time Hatcher is on screen as Lex Riley, the movie’s electric. Lex’s antics as both a chalet worker and up-and-coming Insta celeb put a spring in my plush. She gives a feather-fluffing performance, being by turns goofily comical, deeply vulnerable, and also duck-powered.
Star: Empowered, you mean?
Duck: Star, that’s what I said.
Star: Okay! One thing’s for ducking sure: IfHatcher’s Instagram reels truly existed, they’d tickle everyone’s beak-holes. And her chemistry with inn-owner Eric (DeVry) was more compelling than a duck-themed tango.
Duck: And watching anyone do tango in a duck costume is beyond compelling. I mean, the flipper-shoes!
Star: With the slapping noise, oh yes!
Duck: Dan Payne did a pond-gleamy job as misogynistic ex Charles, and Aleksandra Cross put a spring in my flippers as Lex’s new chalet colleague. Patti Allan’s performance as Eric’s mom Celine was more compelling than a goldfish burger with extra pickles. And I love a goldfish burger with extra pickles.
Star: Allan really was sublime in that role. Plus our beak-holes were also pleasantly warmed by the theming in Christmas at the Chalet. We loved this story of a mature female character who left her high-powered career to be a stay-at-home mom, and now, as she reinvents her career, still feels enriched by her experiences as a parent. And the fact that she takes the job at the chalet without snooting her beak about it, is beyond awesome.
Duck: Yes, bravo, Lifetime, for some great quacktivism around age in Christmas at the Chalet! As the movie develops, the mature Lex accepts that she’s worthy of a duck of great relationship, and throughout the movie, sees herself as blossoming afresh. Her attitude as she learns to ski with Eric (DeVry) is fun and electric, and negative, pond-suck narratives around Lex and Eric’s ages are fiercely avoided. That gets a hearty flippers-up from me!
Star: So although we’d like to have seen more diversity among the central characters in Christmas at the Chalet—there’s zero LGBTQIA+ representation here at all, for example, even though the setting was a quack-worthy opportunity—our good diversity rating is partly due to these mature central characters, not to mention the anti-ageist narratives around their romance.
Duck: And you know what I really enjoyed getting my beak around? The immigrant storyline of Eric and his family.
Star: Exactly! Great diversity and character richness in Christmas at the Chalet, for sure. Add in some really fun quactivism around class (bravo, Lifetime! Our culture needs this!) and you’ve got yourself a rating of four diversity ducks. Thank Cod for that!
Duck: Speaking of cod, I still haven’t found that cod-and-pondweed sandwich I was eating on Friday ….
Star: Is that why there’s a fishy smell coming from the basement?
Duck: No, that’s our neighbors’ new washing detergent.
Star: Oh dear me.
Duck: Anyway, friends, if you’d like to watch Christmas at the Chalet, we recommend it. Here’s where you can watch the film (at the time of writing):
Watch on Lifetime
Watch on Hulu
Watch on Google Play
Watch on Amazon Prime
Watch on Philo
Watch on YouTube
Watch on Fandango
Featured image by Star Tavares: The photo of Hatcher and DeVry is from a screenshot taken from the movie’s trailer on YouTube. I used Canva to create this graphic.
Romancey Pants 