There may be clouds in the title of writer/director Kate Montgomery's little gem, but there's nothing but sunshine onscreen. The Native American management and staff of a mountain hotel nervously await the arrival of a "mystery guest" who reviews and rates vacation resorts; another eagely anticipated stranger coming to visit is a pen pal who's never seen, or been seen by, her correspondent. Numerous other subplots, which Montgomery juggles with surprising cleanness and efficiency, deal with a vegetarian chef (played by Dances With Wolves' Graham Greene, who offers one of the three or four most falling-down funny sequences of movie year 2005), a crucial Bingo game, a snowstorm and a runaway rodent, plus as many mistaken-identity situations as can be found in all 12 episodes of that OTHER hotel-set comedy classic, John Cleese's Fawlty Towers...but without a drop of the latter's ferocious maliciousness; in fact, Montgomery may have made the LEAST mean-spirited movie of any genre in the last five years! The holiday theme, which is peripheral rather than central, appears to have severely limited this movie's theatrical shelf-life; hopefully word-of-mouth will transform it over the next few years into a treasured, must-see seasonal classic on the order of A Christmas Story, but Christmas in the Clouds also has all the charm, warmth and appeal that made My Big Fat Greek Wedding such a box office steath bomber in 2002. (It also has one of the same jokes, which I have no doubt is purely coincidental.) But given that the Christmas-themed movies of the last couple of years have included such hunks of cinematic fruitcake as Surviving Christmas and Christmas with the Kranks (which also featured M. Emmet Walsh) and the current, only slightly less indigestible major studio releases The Family Stone and The Ice Harvest--not to mention the usual array of highly-touted and often highly disappointing Oscar bait--Christmas in the Clouds is like the small, plainly-wrapped box hiding near the back of the Christmas tree that turns out to be the gift you wanted most of all.… Expand

Great picturesque movie, memorable, wacky characters and something for the whole family. Cheers.

This movie has it all--it's funny, poignant, and very well done. It's truly a feel-good movie with wonderful character development. If you get a chance to see it, don't miss it!

We have seen this film twice in 8 days. Yes its predicatble in some ways but in all the ways one likes a romantic comedy to be so, especially around the holidays. It is delightfully unique in other ways. The characters are strong, positive wonderful and real. They bring the Native American out of stereotype and into the modern reality with warmth and humor. This is a movie of small movments of the kind one experiences going home for holidays and of large moments in small lives. The cinema backdrop is alone worth seeing. Thewarmth of the film stays with you long after you leave the theater just like a happy vist "back home." Kid and parent friendly. Probably a sleeper destined to be a Christmas classic. Can't wait for the DVD.… Expand

One of the most enjoyable movies I have seen this year. The characters are ones that you can care about and if the plot is a classic comedic structure, the people living it seem real.

This is one of the most heartwarming, genuinely funny films I've seen in years. Forget about any less-than-stellar reviews from jaded, bitter-filmmaker-wannabes-turned-critics. "Christmas in the Clouds" is a movie that will make you laugh out loud and leave feeling glad that you invested 90 minutes of your life. In an age of bloated-budget Hollywood tripe, "Christmas in the Clouds" is a very refreshing change of pace. I can recommend it without hesitation. You owe it to yourself to check it out.… Expand

Congrat! Finally a MOVIE from a yank that ain't afraid to show genuine beauty - Y'all rock Montgomery! To the rat complaining about 05 release ... it's called B.U.S.I.N.E.S.S. darling, but don't tell Hollywood... Thanks, and bonjour from Beijing China! (ps) I am still waiting for the 20c copywrited street sell DVD in the PRC.

The main thing that critics, or so-called critics are missing is that this is the first film of its type to feature an all Native American cast in lead roles. Relax and go see this picture if it somehow manages to end up in a theater near you. It is fun and charming.