Charming British romantic comedy defies tired tropes

Charming British romantic comedy defies tired tropes

Browsing through your Netflix Instant Watch page, you will find a pleasant surprise in Phil Traill’s “Chalet Girl.” As someone who is addicted to romantic comedies and corny ABC Family movies, I quickly stumbled across “Chalet Girl,” but found a completely different and more charming quality to it.

The story follows a witty tomboy named Kim, played by the beautiful English actress Felicity Jones, who decides to get away from her dull job and life in England by working as a chalet girl in the Alps.

As a down-home Brit, she must learn to be “posh” as she works with richer…and more handsome clients. Sounds a little cliché, right?

However, Kim is still dealing with a tragedy from her past that adds a more realistic level to this film.

Her father, played by British comedian Bill Bailey, adds some “beans and toast” humor that can only be found on BBC, but also reflects Kim’s melancholy past very well in a slightly more serious role.

As a chalet girl, Kim is given lots of free time for herself. Missing her professional skateboarding years, she attempts to learn how to snowboard from her new happy-go-lucky Finnish friend, played by Ken Duken.

Between snowboarding, new friends, and a birthday party gone horribly wrong, Kim accumulates a debt that she must pay off in order to support herself and her dad back home. The only way she can get this money is to win a snowboarding competition. “Chalet Girl” follows her journey as an athlete with, of course, some romance and fun thrown in on the side.

The film is star studded with actors such as Bill Nighy, Brooke Shields, Nicholas Braun, Sophia Bush of “One Tree Hill” fame and Ed Westwick from “Gossip Girl.”

Although these experienced actors may play very stereotypical characters, they add their own layer to the film, if not with their acting then with their attractiveness.

So do not be fooled by the generic cover, movie trailer or the cliché storyline. “Chalet Girl” is an inspiring story, chock full of Brit humor on top of that rom-com feel that you know you just can’t resist.