First SnowMovie Reviews

"First Snow" poster

Gifts + Promos

Fandango Gift Card

Give the gift of movies with Fandango Bucks Gift Certificates! Design your own gift card, or choose from our collection.

Avengers Gift Cards

Superhero fans! Don’t miss out on these Limited Edition Avengers gift cards!

Need Help?
So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 58 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
16 Iffy for 16+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 83
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    First Snow is essentially a short story with a metaphysical twist, but Pearce puts his fears more up front than any actor I can think of. Read full review

  • 80
    The Hollywood Reporter | Sheri Linden

    The actors, all strong, give the lyrical but never artificial dialogue the ring of life. Pearce is riveting as a go-getter who finds himself trapped between a murky past and a future defined by ambition. Read full review

  • 75
    Philadelphia Inquirer | Carrie Rickey

    A haunting neo-noir about a man told by a palmist that his karma is about to run over his dogma. Read full review

  • 70
    L.A. Weekly | Ella Taylor

    First Snow has a fine sense of place and a small but terrific turn by veteran actress Jackie Burroughs. Read full review

  • 70
    The New York Times | Stephen Holden

    A noirish thriller that revels in ominous visual moods, deepened by Cliff Martinez's spare, shivering guitar score, this heartland "Appointment in Samarra" is a mind-teaser that speaks the flat, evasive language of its seedy characters. Read full review

  • 63
    Boston Globe | Wesley Morris

    It's a slow, moderately involving descent into the inevitable, with Pearce gamely trying to figure what's going on. Better him than me. Read full review

  • 50
    Washington Post | Desson Thomson

    A movie that clearly aims to be a cool, picturesque modern film noir becomes another moody banality. Read full review

  • 50
    San Francisco Chronicle | Ruthe Stein

    A neo-noir thriller long on atmosphere and short on production values. Read full review

  • 50
    Variety | Ronnie Scheib

    Engages but underwhelms. Read full review

  • 40
    Austin Chronicle | Marjorie Baumgarten

    First Snow tries hard but lacks originality. Read full review

View more reviews for First Snow on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 16+ Thoughtful, bleak thriller about fate and fear.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this psychological thriller -- which dwells on the possibilities of fate and free will in regards to a predicted death -- is meant for mature viewers. The movie's downer theme is presented in darkly shadowed, bleak compositions, with tension and threats of violence running high throughout the film. Men carry and use guns, and there's some fighting; the last sequence turns very bloody. A couple of brief sex scenes are romantic and hopeful. There's lots of drinking and cigarette smoking, and a central character is a heroin addict. The language is appropriately seedy, with frequent use of "f--k" and more.
  • Families can talk about the concept of fate. Would you want to know the future if you couldn't change it? Do you think Jimmy could have avoided his fate? Can you think of other movies or TV shows that have dealt with similar topics? Do you consider this film a psychological thriller? Why? What are the conventions of that subgenre?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Drug addict, conniving salesman, selfish backstabber: The film is full of cheats and deceivers trying their best to avoid responsibility. That said, Jimmy does try to make amends in the end.
What to watch for
  • violence false5 Violence: Violence escalates throughout the film: The first jolt comes when Jimmy has his palm read and the fortune teller goes into alarming convulsions. Jimmy later feels threatened by a bullet-riddled shooting-range target that's left in his mailbox. Jimmy believes he's going to die and reads various details as "signs" an argument with Deirdre turns ugly (she leaves the car and walks home in abandoned area); several guns are wielded in different scenes; some awkward fist-fighting and kicking; eventual showdown leaves two men bloody from a bullet shot at their heads; news of a terrible car crash.
  • sex false3 Sex: Brief, sometimes playful sex scenes between Jimmy and Deirdre (with pretty lighting and romantic close-ups); Deirdre wears a couple of tight tops; reference to "getting laid" kissing in a tub with naked backs visible.
  • language false5 Language: Plenty of "f--k"s (more than 50), plus "s--t," "goddamn," "a--hole," and "hell," as well as other colorful phrases ("Looks like people been pissing on your floors," "Got my nuts in a vise").
  • consumerism false3 Consumerism: Diet Coke, Coke, Sony, Corona beer, Timberwolves (NBA team), Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin posters, Wurlitzer jukeboxes.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false5 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Jimmy smokes cigarettes incessantly for first third of film, then gives it up; heavy drinking (beer, liquor, wine) at bars and in homes; Vince has visible drug paraphernalia (needles, pouches, spoons); a character offers marijuana as a "peace offering" prescription pills in a motel room; reference to "booze and those goddamn drugs."
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

Looking for more reviews? Movies.com Critics Say:

Dave White

2.0

Dave White Profile See Dave White's Profile

… a dull, dour version of My Name Is Earl. Read full review See Dave White's on MOVIENAME on Movies.com

Read more movie reviews at Movies.com

First Snow Movie Ratings + Reviews

Fans say

So-so 255 fan reviews

Critics say

So-so See all critic reviews

Facebook Movie Fans

Fan Fandango on Facebook