Chalet Girl (12A)

Film

Comedy

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Time Out rating:

<strong>Rating: </strong>3/5

User ratings:

<strong>Rating: </strong>4/5
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Time Out says

Tue Mar 15 2011

This loud, silly and surprisingly fun British comedy would be tough to bear without Felicity Jones or Bill Nighy and their easy-going charm and shoulder-shrugging approach to the wonky material in their hands. As it is, ‘Chalet Girl’ works well as the sort of throwaway, mainstream British farce rarely seen on our screens. Jones gamely plays against type as Kim, a teen server in a fast-food joint who lives with her unemployed father (Bill Bailey) and takes a job as a hostess – or chalet girl – at an upscale Austrian skiing resort to pay the bills.

Once on the slopes, she’s launched into a world of privileged lunacy, a magnified version of the King’s Road at 5,000 feet. Only Kim has a secret tool in her box: she used to be a skateboarding champion until her mum’s death – cueing the film’s biggest bum note – threw her life off balance. Will she rediscover her talent and show the poshos what for? Or will she fall for chinless wonder Jonny (Ed Westwick of ‘Gossip Girl’), son of her employers and bait for teen girls in the audience?

Corny and proud of it, ‘Chalet Girl’ has no pretensions beyond inspiring laughs and gathering empathy for an endearing central character. It pulls it off by balancing wild characters and wilder events with a down-to-earth approach to Kim driven by Jones’s grounded and likeable performance. The dialogue is more sensible than the plotting, allowing us to forgive the film’s more serious trespasses. And who can resist the sight of Nighy, as Kim’s wealthy employer, strutting his stuff from a private jet with Brooke Shields on his arm?

Author: Dave Calhoun

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Release details

Rated:

12A

UK release:

Fri Mar 18 2011

Duration:

97 mins

Cast and crew

Director:

Phil Traill

Cast:

Bill Nighy, Brooke Shields, Tamsin Egerton, Bill Bailey, Felicity Jones

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Comments & ratings

Rated as: 4/5 (8 ratings)

  • I really like this movie, haha!! had very fun...

    Tanay Mondal Sat Jul 21 2012
    Rated as: 5/5
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  • this is a brilliant movie and will you be making Chalet Girl 2 hope you do lol :)

    kirsty Mon Jan 2 2012
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  • At the end of the movie, the behind the scenes show how much fun the actors seem to be having while filming. I can easily compare it to the happiness I get while watching. Plus I don't get the complaints in this movie. It's a feel-good one, why deprive yourself of the happy ambiance the movie is providing. I don't get it. Anyway it's worth it

    Moss Sat May 21 2011
    Rated as: 4/5
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  • forgot my stars

    ed Thu Apr 7 2011
    Rated as: 2/5
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  • I haven't seen a film so gleefulyl amateurish and cheapy crappo for sometime. I'm a big fan of British cinema but please, no more of these Bridget Jones-lite flicks OK? Ed Westwick has to be the worst romanitc foil ever. what an unremarkable drip. Can't see the fuss over Felicity Jones character either (in this film). The script makes her a tiresome heroine who has little charm. Bill Nighy does his regulation, posh twit. And Bill Bailey looks stranded and embarrassed. Wack script (with maybe two good jokes) and very very predicatable plot. I don't mind this type of film, but there has to be some invention to gild the lilly... ARCHIPELAGO for CBEEBS...hahaha

    ed Thu Apr 7 2011
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  • Posted on Apr 01 2011 09:30 Lovely film and good fun - and couldn't we do with some of that at the moment? It's not going to win any oscars but it really is great escapism, predictable plot with fabulous scenery and some laugh-out loud moments. Felicity Jones is really likeable and it's one of those films you just have to be swept away with, park your cynicism at the door and enjoy. I even shed a tear as with Mother's Day approaching it made me really empathise with the character who has lost her mother, so poignancy too... But you root for our plucky heroine and leave the cinema with a big smile on your face!

    Jenny Fri Apr 1 2011
    Rated as: 3/5
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  • Lovely film and good fun - and couldn't we do with some of that at the moment? It's not going to win any oscars but it really is great escapism, predictable plot with fabulous scenery and some laugh-out loud moments. Felicity Jones is really likeable and it's one of those films you just have to be swept away with, park your cynicism at the door and enjoy. I even shed a tear as with Mother's Day approaching it made me really empathise with the character who has lost her mother, so poignancy too... But you root for our plucky heroine and leave the cinema with a big smile on your face!

    Jenny Fri Apr 1 2011
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  • Pleasantly enjoyable fluff. That's all. 6/10

    scrumpyjack Thu Mar 24 2011
    Rated as: 3/5
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  • Even the stuttering buffoon Bill Nighy couldnt spoil this little gem. Felicity Jones has a easy on the eye comedic charm which is quite delightful. This young girl is going places. Billy Bailey is woeful miscast as her dad but he's only got a small part ... and a big plate of beans. If it's bright and breezy fun you want ... look no further.

    ARCHGATE Fri Mar 18 2011
    Rated as: 4/5
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  • I saw this movie a couple of weeks ago in a local cinema (yes, sometimes we do get to see some movies over here on the continent first or at least before they are shown in the UK!). I went mainly because I was impressed by Miss Felicity Jones' performance in Northanger Abbey (shown on Dutch National Television quite some time ago) and quite enjoyed this movie. The snowboarding scenes in the snow in Tirol were quite well done as well. Worth a visit as far as I am concerned.

    DutchMovieFan Tue Mar 15 2011
    Rated as: 3/5
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