Dec 2

Dec 2 A Christmas Prince

An aspiring journalist hopes for a scoop when she infiltrates a tabloid-prone royal family. But she soon discovers that the playboy prince is more than meets the (piercing blue) eye. Will her deception get her sent to the dungeon, or can she write her way into a Christmas coronation…and a royal romance?

A Christmas Prince 2.jpg — Christmas clichés:

Opens w/ City Scene
Career-Driven Woman
Deceased Parent
Mistaken Identities
Cute, Precocious Child
They Play Piano!
Charity Work
Ends w/ Kiss or Ring

Our Thoughts

Rarely have we paused a movie to debate if it’s hit a cliché. It takes Netflix’s first foray into original Xmas content, “A Christmas Prince,” for us to hit pause (multiple times) to loudly discuss if the plot devices reflect our refined definitions of holiday movie perfection.

We open to struggling Career-Driven journalist Amber Moore, who gets assigned to cover the Christmas coronation of the Aldovian wayward prince, Richard. Stumbling into the Mistaken Identity of the prankish princess’s tutor from Minnesota, Amber becomes “Martha” and quickly wins over the hard-shelled Cute, Precocious Child…and subsequently the prince.

Cue some Charity Work and a few They Play Piano! scenes, and the plot falls into place. Add in an upbeat soundtrack and some Ken-Burns-esque aerial panning shots of snow-covered mountains, and the movie hits its stride.

But the lack of Christmas is its downfall.

Background shots may include light-clad evergreens, hand-made ornaments prove to be important plot points, and many characters mention the season. Yet something is missing. The joy and lightness that should come from 8 Christmas Cliches never manifests.

It’s a recommended viewing: a tepid, somewhat-exuberant, recommended viewing.

Rob's Final Take: Merry
Welcome to the game, Netflix! You clearly understand the genre. But a movie set during Christmas is not a Christmas movie.

Jess's Final Take: Merry
Netflix checks enough boxes to be in regular seasonal rotation but not enough to elicit real emotion. I need to care more about the characters to call it Very Merry.