BLIZZARD
Starring Brenda Blethyn, Whoopi Goldberg. Written by Agnes Bristow, Leif Bristow. Directed by LeVar Burton. (G) 99 min. Opens Dec 12.
The best career move Whoopi Goldberg ever made was realizing nobody wants to look at her. After voicing big-screen characters in The Lion King and the first Rugrats film, Goldberg decided her face isn't her best asset, and opted mostly for animated projects (regrettably, though, she's exported her mug to television for her NBC sitcom, Whoopi).
Blizzard is a traditional live-action Yuletide tale, decked with just enough CG garland for 21st-century multiplexes. Goldberg gives voice to a misfit reindeer named Blizzard, born of Blitzen and Delphi, two of Santa's heavies. Blizzard's a freak with bad hair and a smart mouth, which makes her an easy target for ridicule, and a fast source of irritation for Archimedes, the anal-retentive manager of Santa's Village.
The story is told in a Princess Bride/Edward Scissorhands flashback frame, a cheering tale related by Aunt Millie (Brenda Blethyn) to her heartbroken niece, Jess (Jennifer Pisana).
On top of Christmas myth, it involves a lonely girl (Zoe Warner) and her dream of being a figure-skater, which she does with the help of a crabby coach (Jan Triska). When she moves to the city, however, the cool chicks at the skating club mock her for wearing piss-coloured skates, and she needs Blizzard's friendship to find her confidence.
It's all very gooey, and the Babe-ish talking reindeer only works about half the time. But what could've been trite holiday pap is elevated by a solid cast of veteran character actors: Triska and Blethyn, plus Kevin Pollak as the rule-happy Archimedes and Christopher Plummer as a great avuncular Santa. First-time feature director LeVar Burton (he of Roots and Star Trek: The Next Generation fame) gives them plenty of license to be silly, but doesn't waste their talents on throwaway scenes.
The film was partially shot in Toronto, and it's amazing how peaceful and anachronistic the Cedarena ice rink north of Steeles looks. Santa's Village is equally quaint and cool, and although the film's too long and Goldberg's Blizzard is a bit of a prick, the overall tone is pretty and good-hearted. Like shortbread, Blizzard's a little too sweet, but also simple and satisfying -- a nice totem of old-fashioned Christmas sentiment. JM