Winter's Dream

6.0/10 · 1,280 ratings20181h 24mWeirdness 4/10Bingo card

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The premise

Former pro skier, Kat, is asked to coach a younger skier, named Anna, and finds love with the girl's widowed father, Ty.

How unusual is it?

A fairly classic Hallmark setup with a quirk or two.

Who’s in it

You’ve seen this pairing before: Kristy Swanson and Dean Cain have made 2 Hallmark movies together.

Behind the camera

Show

Wait, what?

The quirks and curveballs that make this one a little weirder than your average Hallmark. No spoilers, promise.

  • The 'marshmallow stabbing' training technique where a student stabs marshmallows on the snow with ski poles to learn rhythm.
  • Ty's career highlight is creating 'dancing juice boxes' for an advertisement.
  • A child getting their tongue stuck to a frozen basketball pole is treated as a recurring, casual town emergency.

Every trope, all in one place

Here’s everything this one has going on, from the setting to the way it wraps up. Tap any of the 38 to find more movies that do the same thing.

How it all plays out

Already seen it, or just can’t wait? Open this up for the whole story, ending included.

Full story (spoilers)
Kat Miller is a former U.S. Ski Team member living in the quiet town of Bliss Valley, working at her father Jasper's ski shop, 'Heart of the Mountain.' Her professional career ended abruptly years ago when she 'choked' and crashed during the Olympic trials, a trauma that has kept her from coaching or competing. The town is currently struggling as the neighboring corporate resort, Epic Mountain, draws away all the tourists. Ty Decker, a high-strung New York advertising executive, arrives in Bliss Valley with his daughter Anna so she can train with the famous Maddy Morrison, Kat's former rival. Ty and Kat have a meet-cute when Kat helps him manage his skis while he is distracted by a work call about 'dancing juice boxes.' Anna finds Maddy’s coaching style harsh and discouraging. After Kat gives Anna a few simple pointers that immediately improve her skiing, Ty realizes Kat is the superior teacher. They strike a deal: Kat will provide Anna with private coaching, and in exchange, Ty will use his marketing expertise to help Bliss Valley's 50th annual Winterfest succeed. Kat uses eccentric training methods, such as having Anna stab marshmallows with her ski poles to practice timing and rhythm. As they spend time together, Ty and Kat develop a romantic connection, culminating in a business dinner that turns into a genuine date. Kat reveals the depth of her past failure, and Ty shares the difficulty of being a single father after the loss of his wife. Disaster strikes when the resort's dining room floods, threatening the festival's ability to host guests. Kat saves the event by suggesting they convert an old storage barn into a 'Ski Barn' for dining and dancing. On the day of the practice run, Anna falls while Maddy is watching and becomes paralyzed by fear, announcing she wants to quit the race and go home. Kat feels she has failed as a coach, but Ty manages to encourage Anna to face her fears. Anna decides to race at the last minute, using Kat’s visualization techniques to win the exhibition. The film ends with a representative from the Ski Federation announcing that Bliss Valley has been selected to host the Junior Nationals. Ty reveals to a surprised Kat that he can work from anywhere and has decided to move to Bliss Valley permanently to be with her.

Beat by beat

  1. Opening

    Ty and Anna arrive in Bliss Valley and Kat helps Ty with his skis while he's distracted by a conference call.

  2. Inciting incident

    Anna struggles with Maddy Morrison's harsh coaching, leading Ty to ask Kat for private lessons in exchange for marketing help.

  3. Midpoint

    Kat and Ty bond over a 'business' dinner where Kat reveals her trauma regarding her crash at the Olympic trials.

  4. Rising action

    The resort dining room floods, and Kat leads the community in transforming an old barn into a 'Ski Barn' to save Winterfest.

  5. Climax

    Anna falls during a practice run and nearly quits, but Kat and Ty help her find the courage to compete and win the exhibition race.

  6. Resolution

    Bliss Valley is awarded the Junior Nationals, and Ty announces he is moving to town to be with Kat.

38 tropes in one movie

We counted 38 distinct Hallmark tropes packed into this one — a genuine greatest-hits reel.

How it stacks up

Where this one’s rating lands against every other rated Hallmark movie.

Rating 6.0 vs every rated Hallmark moviemedian 6.4This movie · 6.0567

Higher-rated than 15% of every rated Hallmark movie. The median is 6.4.

Where this one fits

The corners of the catalog Winter's Dream belongs to — handy if you’re after more of the same.

Lines worth quoting

The lines that stuck with us — the ones you’ll be repeating after the credits roll.

  • “Nobody wants their aspiring champion to be coached by the girl who choked at Trials.”
    — Kat MillerExplaining why she doesn't coach anymore.
  • “I want you to stab as many marshmallows as you can with your poles!”
    — Kat MillerIntroducing her unique training method to Anna.
  • “Life gets difficult around the turns, and we've had to navigate some pretty tough turns the last few years.”
    — Ty DeckerEncouraging Anna before her big race.

Meet the characters

Who’s who before you press play. Nothing here gives the ending away.

  • Kat Miller

    Lead

    Ski Shop Employee / Former Pro Skier

    ResilientNervousTalentedCommunity-oriented
  • Ty Decker

    Love interest

    Advertising Executive

    Romantic interest

    OverprotectiveHardworkingSupportiveCity-dweller
  • Maddy Morrison

    Antagonist

    Gold Medalist / Ski Coach

    Former teammate and rival

    ArrogantIntenseCompetitive
  • Anna Decker

    Supporting

    Student / Aspiring Skier

    Ty's daughter and Kat's student

    DeterminedAnxiousAthletic
  • Jasper

    Supporting

    Ski Shop Owner

    Father

    WiseEncouragingTraditional

Questions people ask about Winter's Dream

Where can I watch Winter's Dream?

Winter's Dream is available via Philo, Hallmark+ Amazon Channel, and Hallmark+ Apple TV channel. Streaming options change often, so check current availability before settling in.

How long is Winter's Dream?

Winter's Dream runs about 1 hour and 24 minutes, and was released in 2018.

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