Romantic fantasy masquerades as adventure film

Most of us, in the lives we’ve chosen to lead, are highly unlikely to find ourselves stranded on a mountaintop with Idris Elba. This is something with which we must all, in our own individual ways, find peace. But, for those still holding on to the dream, here comes “The Mountain Between Us,” a Harlequin-worthy romantic fantasy masquerading as an outdoor-adventure film — and an example of a very silly movie almost transformed by the skill of the two actors at its center.

Photojournalist Alex (Kate Winslet) and neurosurgeon Ben (Elba) are strangers at an Idaho airport as the movie begins; however, faster than you can say “Umm, what?,” their flights are canceled and they’re buckling up in a private chartered plane, flown by a folksy fellow (Beau Bridges) with an ominous cough and a casual attitude toward filing flight plans. (Why are they in such a hurry? Alex is getting married the next day — yes, I know — and Ben has Important Surgery in the morning.) And, just like that — crash! The pilot’s dead (but his cute dog isn’t), and Ben and Alex are stranded on a snowy mountain, with little food, no cell reception and no one knowing their whereabouts.

This is all more than a little contrived (really? a dog?), but this is just the first few minutes; “The Mountain Between Us” has much more in store. Let me just say that superheroes have nothing on Ben, who not only is a neurosurgeon who looks like Idris Elba but who knows how to build fires, find cutely romantic caves and cozy abandoned cabins, rig up makeshift IVs in medical emergencies, perform thrilling rescue missions and maintain impeccable grooming despite several weeks without a shower. And Alex? Well, she talks a lot (somebody needs to; he’s the strong/silent/brooding type). The dog is just a dog.