I’ve spent many a Christmas in Atlanta, and while I’m not there in person this year, I am there in spirit, in a way. Especially because I got to watch this new Christmas movie, Dashing Through the Snow, which is set in Atlanta and stars Atlanta icon Ludacris. Your hero and mine.
All of this is to say I was predisposed to liking this movie because Ludacris. But what is this movie about? Eddie Garrick (Ludacris) is a social worker who lives in Atlanta and hates Christmas. This Christmas, however, he’s spending the holiday with his nine-year-old daughter Charlotte (Madison Skye Validum, who you might remember from Best. Christmas. Ever!). Charlote loooooves Christmas. But Eddie would rather work through the holiday. Then they meet a strange man named Nick (Lil Rel Howery). You probably see where this is going.
But how does this rank on the Christmas scale?
Romance: 8/10. Ludacris (yeah, I’m just going to call him Ludacris throughout this review) and his wife Allison (Teyonah Parris) are separated. But it’s clear they’re working towards a reconciliation. Most of their conversations in this movie are over the phone, and it’s clear what Ludacris has to do to prove to Allison that he can be a good husband. He has to set work aside to focus on their family. And if this isn’t the classic Christmas romance story, then I don’t know what is. Plus, Allison invites Ludacris over for a festive night for peppermintinis. Cute. I want one.
Morality: 10/10. Here’s the kinda weird thing about this movie. Luda is a good guy from jump. He experienced a rough Christmas as a child, which has put him off the idea of Christmas for the rest of his life. But instead, he has dedicated his entire life to helping others. There’s a great message hidden in this movie about mental health and social work, and how when we see people in moments of great duress, we should should find them help rather than immediately resorting to calling the cops. Actually, I think this movie is secretly about abolishing the police. Which, if you think about it, makes a whole lot of sense for a Christmas movie set in Atlanta, a city that currently fighting against police brutality and Cop City.
Am I reaching? I don’t think so, but you’ll have to watch the movie to see for yourself.
In an interview with Us, Ludacris said that he thinks the movie is about “healing.” Luda told Us that the movie stresses the importance of “getting therapy and trying to understand and identify your post-traumatic stresses and things that you had as a kid.”
It’s hard to see any fault in this movie’s message. 10/10.
Music: 6/10. I don’t really remember any of the Christmas music, but I do remember a lot of old school hip hop. I know there was some Christmas music, though, so we’ll go with a medium score here. Sorry, I don’t make the rules.
Christmas Spirit: 10/10. Peppermintinis, y’all! I want one! Also Santa Claus is literally one of the main characters in this movie, so it doesn’t get much more Christmassy than that.
This movie is all about getting rid of old, traumatic Christmas memories and starting new Christmas traditions and finding memories and moments that make the holiday merry and bright again. I feel like this movie really understands what Christmas spirit is supposed to be about. No complaints here.
Also this movie has so many Christmas cookies
Warmth: 8/10. This movie is so warm and cozy like a Christmas hug. Even the lighting says “warmth.” But we all know at the heart of the Christmas movie, there’s always a child (and/or a pet) that fuels the Christmas fire. Unfortunately, that child in this movie is Madison Skye Validum. This is the second Christmas movie we’ve seen her in this season, and I mentioned in my review of Best. Christmas. Ever! that she was super annoying. She’s slightly less annoying in this one, but she’s still not a great actor. And I can’t look at her without thinking about how bad Best. Christmas. Ever! was. Yeah, I’m picking on a kid during the holidays. I’m cold AF.
Let’s just move on and see how this one scored.
42/50 = 84/B. We have a new high scorer for the holiday season. Good for Ludacris. Although I’m still unsure why this movie is called Dashing Through the Snow. It’s currently available to stream on Disney+.