Chalet Girl

Chalet Girl is probably the most formulaic film you’ll see all year. Nineteen year old Kim (Felicity Jones) finds herself taking a job abroad, where she makes friends, finds love, loses love, finds love again (shock!) whilst overcoming a family tragedy and proving to herself that life must go on. Therefore, it’s testament to director Phil Traill that despite the sign posted plot the whole things a bit of a blast. If theres one thing the UK loves and that’s a class war. So here was have Jones as a Chalet girl in Austria waiting on Bill Nighy’s outrageously rich and posh family. There’s a few barbed quips swapped, but Traill is smart enough to keep these scenes to a minimum and concentrate more on Kim’s attempts to earn money for her father (Bill Bailey) back in the UK and her coy interest in Nighy’s son Jonny (a bland Ed Westwick). The screenplay is routine stuff and you can place safe bets on what particular plot device will happen next, but writer Tom Williams has infused the film with some decent one-liners and sardonic wit which Jones delivers with deadpan excellence, including the film’s best line “The irony’s free. It’s the sarcasm you’re paying for. Ironically…”. Most of the characters are stereotypes but they still provide the requisite laughs, especially Bailey and his hopelessness in the kitchen. This is clearly a case of characters over characterisation, but the cast appear to be having a great time, no doubt helped by the stunning Austrian location. Jones is fine in the lead role and Nighy is so much easier to watch in something like this, leaving his usual twitchiness behind. It’s safe to say that the name, poster (which, frankly, is abysmal) and trailer for this film will have most of the male population running for miles, but for the target audience this ticks all the boxes and is enduring enough for further viewings come DVD time.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
It’s standard stuff, but a perfect example of how to make a particular genre of film for it’s particular audience. Rating: 7/10