Snow Day

A sudden heavy snowfall shuts down a town in upstate New York, giving local students an unexpected day off. Natalie Brandston, a ten-year-old, leads her friends in a campaign to keep the schools closed, which brings them into conflict with Roger, the neighborhood snowplow driver, and his machine. Her older brother Hal has his own plans for the day: he wants to get close to Claire Bonner, the most popular girl at his high school. Their father, Tom Brandston, is a television meteorologist, and he spends the day competing with a rival forecaster over coverage of the storm.

Chris Koch directed the film, which came out in 2000 as the first of two features he directed, followed by A Guy Thing in 2003. Chris Viscardi and Will McRobb wrote the screenplay, and Albie Hecht and Julia Pistor produced. Mark Webber plays Hal, newcomer Zena Grey plays Natalie, Schuyler Fisk plays Lane Leonard, Chris Elliott plays Roger, and Chevy Chase and Jean Smart play the children's parents. The comedy was made for about 13 million dollars and took in roughly 62 million worldwide.

Its reception was modest. On IMDb, viewers rate it 5.2 out of 10 across some 15,000 votes, and on TMDB it sits at 5.1 out of 10 from around 229 votes. A critics' rating of 4.4 out of 10 from 67 reviews places it below even those middling audience scores.