Stay Warm with the Cult Classic “Out Cold”

For almost every holiday or season, I have a movie tradition that sort of kicks it off. One of the few I hadn’t found one for was winter itself. This winter, in particular, I was needing some themed escapism while my face regained feeling. Christmas pretty much takes all the good movies for winter, so what was left?

Somehow I missed it at the time, but the 2001 flick “Out Cold” was the perfect answer.

Out Cold is a goof-ball comedy along the lines of American Pie (but PG-13 raunchy) that has reached cult status over the years (though did little in the theater). It is expected these movies will have no plot, or the same plot as 100 other throwaway comedies. I was happily proven wrong.

You’ll immediately recognize a lot of the cast from today, including the bearded guy from The Hangover, and Pam’s old fiance from The Office. The film, set in Alaska, starts off with a great snowboarding extravaganza and revolves around a small ski lodge getting taken over by an evil corporation. The plot of every movie since 1981, but they handle it nicely.

The rest of the film has a mix of subtle humor with insane antics, surrounded by mountains of snow the entire time. The characters are likable, and the handling of the “love story” is fairly surprising.

For anyone in their late 20s or early 30s, the soundtrack is a straight rip of your CD collection from 8 years ago, featuring Eve 6, Jack Johnson, Foo Fighters, Jimmy Eat World, Sum 41…and most importantly Wang Chung.

Be sure to check it out this winter, especially with a group of friends if it’s cold outside. Add some Winter Ale and you’re almost guaranteed to have a smashing winter solstice.

Be sure to see the outtakes after the credits, they are one of the best parts of the movie. You didn’t think they landed all those amazing snowboarding scenes on the first try did you?

3 out of 4 stars