Snowbound

"Sugarbound" would have made an equally appropriate title here, because snow isn't the only thing the cast is struggling to escape from in this otherwise quite gripping true story. Neil Patrick Harris, still sporting the baby-faced looks first seen in Doogie Howser MD, and Kelli Williams play the young couple, who, with their baby, get stranded in a terrifying blizzard while on the way to a funeral. Being the festive season, the police are slow to react, so the couple are soon facing a life-and-death struggle. The two leads are niceness personified, as are co-stars Michael Gross and Susan Clark, who play Harris's parents. Director Christian Duguay, best known for his Scanners sequels, injects a bit of grittiness into the proceedings and the snowbound scenes are faithfully re-created, but everyone's efforts are let down by the syrupy script.