Really liked the idea for the story and setting, which at this time was different for Hallmark and their festive efforts. Even if it still sounded formulaic, which is pretty much what one expects from Hallmark anyway. The title was quite cute, refraining too much from being too cheesy like film titles from Hallmark can be in game attempts to be cute and catchy. Have seen Rachel Boston and David Alpay in other things and liked them.

Just like here. While 'Ice Sculpture Christmas' is no classic, of Christmas and overall, it does its job very well and has a lot of charms. Of the Hallmark Christmas films, 'Ice Sculpture Christmas' is one of the better and more refreshing of theirs. The sculpture setting would be used again with them two years later with 'Christmas Festival of Ice', but 'Ice Sculpture Christmas' does the setting much better and is the far better film by quite some way.

'Ice Sculpture Christmas' doesn't succeed in every area. A lot more agreed could have been done with the business conflict subplot and the co-worker character is too cartoonish (a shame too that after the film made a big effort to do things differently to have a character so over the top cliched).

Some of the dialogue could have flowed more naturally and been less corny and some of the music is a little too intrusive (other Hallmark films did this far worse though).

However, 'Ice Sculpture Christmas' looks very nice. The scenery has a real charm to it and it's beautifully photographed. The music generally has a pleasant nostalgia and a lovely Christmassy quality. Boston and Alpay are both strong presences in the lead roles, wholly succeeding in making their characters not just have personality but also likeable ones at that. The supporting cast are well chosen and looked as if they were having fun. The characters, apart from the co-worker, are engaging and worth caring for, also feeling more than typical Hallmark cliches.

Another big selling point here was the chemistry between Boston and Alpay. It was immensely charming and there was nothing lukewarm or disconnected about it, there was no doubt that the two characters cared for each other and the relationship grew at neither a too fast or too slow pace. The direction didn't feel routine and was at ease and in control of the material. The script is light hearted and heart-warming, over-sentimentality being kept at bay. Did appreciate that there were less cliches (i.e. No other halves with unappealing character traits) and that there were attempts to do things differently. The ending is also not too pat, which is a common Hallmark problem but not here.

Overall, well done. 7/10.

This Christmas movie is about a chef who starts a dishwasher (Rachel Boston). She runs into a rich guy (David Alpay) she met a long time ago as a kid. They enter a competition for best ice sculpture and the ice sculpting is quite interesting to watch if you ever wondered how they are made or who makes them. They're a cute couple with their big eyes looking at each other with attraction.

There are some annoying parts of the story. When she gets angry with him for little it's a bit annoying. And referring to him as Princeton gets old fast. The way they enter the competition is kind of too fake. The back stabbing chef rival is quite a realistic thing though.

This is one of those Hallmark movies that is a little annoying but not the worst of the lot.

Callie (Rachel Boston) has always longed to be a successful chef, since childhood. Her father was the main handyman at a posh country club near their home and, each year, he would take his family to view their ice sculpting contest. One year, Callie was even given an extra block of ice to carve and was admired by a little boy, David. Now grown up, Callie has finished culinary school and recently landed a job as a dishwasher in the country club kitchen. It's a start. In fact, the job is a stepping stone to food preparation and each underling gets to view the top chef in action. The holiday season is starting and the sculpting contest is still going on. As luck would have it, Callie literally runs into a grown up David (David Alpay),now a very thriving businessman. His family has always been wealthy, Callie's middle class. Yet, David is charmed by this brief encounter and wants to get to know her better. In secret, he signs Callie up for the ice contest, something she was reluctant to do since her boss has won the last three events. But, its a go. With David helping as her partner and her boss gaining admiration for her underling who pitches in on the cooking line when needed, will Callie win a prize and become a sous chef? Not if the current and very mean sous chef can wreck the prospects! This is quite an usual film for Hallmark, as ice sculpting is not a well known skill. Who knew it went hand in hand with cooking, as chefs are often required to carve a figure as part of food presentation? Its not a likely subject for ten future films but this one is quite nice. The two leads do their jobs well and the supporting cast, plus fine scenery, costumes, direction and a sweet script move the flick along nicely. As still another offering in the growing repertoire of dear Hallmark holiday movies, fans of the genre should seek it out.