After having heard the about the epic failure that was 'A Christmas Prince', we at Movie'n'Co had to check the Netflix Original out for ourselves. We can safely say that our reactions fit perfectly with some of the other reviews you might've read online already.
Aside from watching the film for research purposes, I was secretly really looking forward to seeing the production just because it's less than a week to Christmas and I am, well and truly, feeling festive. That, plus having just completed a whole range of Christmas articles up for your perusal, I thought it was about time I had a bit of a Christmas film binge of my own.
Despite having read a few articles depicting just how bad 'A Christmas Prince' was before having seen the film, I like to think I remained totally unbiased given my love for all things Christmas, plus it's a Netflix Original, and given the successes that were 'Narcos' and 'Stranger Things', I didn't think the film in question could reach the lows it did.
It starts out like your typical TV Christmas film, the likes of which we're used to seeing on Channel 5 during the daytime, yes, that kind. The storyline opens with the stereotypical, controversial royal, Prince Richard of Aldovia (Ben Lamb), and the reporter assigned to investigating his backstory, Amber Moore (Rose McIver). We first meet the latter at an editing house where she works as an intern, desperate for her big break, she reluctantly agrees to spend Christmas in Aldovia on an assignment that could equally make or break her. You see, Prince Richard is due to takeover the Aldovian throne this Christmas, but given his apparent love for "women, wine and song", the world isn't ready to believe he'll actually go through with it all. Amber therefore, is tasked with finding out just what will happen to Aldovia if Richard doesn't take his rightful role.
Despite starting out well, upon arrival in Aldovia, Amber's aeroplane wasn't the only thing to plummet because it clearly took my expectations with it. Outside the airport, her taxi is stolen by a "selfish jerk", who later turns out to be the Prince, but more on that later. At the Palace, the budding reporter soon finds herself mistaken for Richard's younger sister, Princess Emily's ('Benidorm's Honor Kneafsey) American tutor. (Pray tell why a Princess, who is clearly from an English speaking nation, needs an American tutor to teach her the likes of Maths and English, because I'm really struggling to come up with an explanation). Skip a few scenes, and we finally meet the Prince, supposedly the same man that stole the taxi at the airport, but I really struggled to remember what he looked like. I'll be honest, the only real resemblance was the beard that made him look like Santa in his junior years, or, in Princess Emily's words, "a derelict Santa Claus", which doesn't really make sense, but okay then. Appearances aside however, majority of the events from then onwards appear awkward and haphazardly put together. To begin with, how does a conversation about Amber's roots switch to Emily spontaneously bursting into tears after accusing Amber of "wondering what happened" to her? Emily darling, I know you're only a child, but come on, Amber hadn't even glanced at your wheelchair once, so might I suggest you stop being overly dramatic. Don't even get me started on the insistence on "your Royal Highness". Richard epitomised it with "nobility who insist on using their titles" are compensating for something. As for Emily's "because you're different from everyone else here" in response to Amber's, "why are you so nice to me all of a sudden?", the only thing I'm left wondering, is how the little Princess knows that already, because if by different, she meant Amber's not who she says she is, then she might just be spot on - perhaps I'm not giving her enough credit?
With the progression of the film, comes Amber's realisation that Richard is nothing like the playboy the media chooses to portray him to be. The way the film just does away with his supposedly scandalous ways (flashback to the magazine covers at the beginning) just doesn't sit well with me however, 'no smoke without fire', anyone? It's not just one tabloid reporting on Richard's behaviour, there's a whole industry full of them, each depicting Prince Richard as anything less than holy, yet in person he's exactly the opposite, a bit of consistency if you would please Netflix.
One of the biggest things that irked me about 'A Christmas Prince' is just how quickly the timeline goes, and I truly believe that squeezing a lot into a meagre run time of 1hr 30mins has cost the film dearly. The forced relationship between Amber and Richard is just one instance. Not even half of the film had passed before Richard asked, "Is that what you really think of me?", like he really cares what the help thinks. Not once did Amber mention even the remotest of a romantic interest in the Prince, aside from briefly noticing how handsome he was at one point, but even then, that's not enough to justify her jealousy over catching the latter kissing his ex, Lady Sophia (Emma Louise Saunders). So put those claws away Amber Moore, it takes a lot more than just a snow fight to stake a claim on someone, and even extra for royalty. As if to ridicule the already mismatched relationship between the journalist and the Prince, is the whole scene where the former follows the latter as he rides off into the night. Not only does she not know him well enough to do that, but there's totally no real reason for it, I mean if she can't "figure out what's going on in his head" in the amount of time she spends with him each day, then she might want to put the whole journalism thing on the back burner. Now Richard, I'm no Prince, or even Royalty for that matter, but when someone goes out of their way to follow me whilst I go about my day, I'm bound to wonder if there's something else going on, and I'm sorry but "I'm curious" wouldn't be a good enough excuse for me, let alone a Prince like yourself. He let Amber get away a little too easily for me. The jump in conversation from the sorry excuse of an interrogation to "I want to show you something" is so ludicrous that someone ought to tell Netflix that romance doesn't just suddenly bloom in the presence of a fireplace, and two characters looking at each other in a supposedly longing manner. Even more out of place is what Richard decides to show Amber: a poem or riddle of sorts, they're not entirely sure, written by his late father and dedicated to his mother. So why Richard feels the need to show Amber, I've no idea, perhaps he thinks her experience as a tutor will make her better equipped to tackle it, who knows? To make matters worse, Amber stumbling across Richard's adoption papers, stealing them and not once stopping to consider whether the Prince may already be in the know about his true parentage just has trouble written all over it. I mean, come on, if he trusts her enough to spill something clearly very dear to him, then the least her lying self can do is show him what she found while snooping. The whole hunting cabin scene seemed like a poorly concealed bid to fill the plot.
As with all Christmas films, 'A Christmas Prince' was bound to end on a happy note however, and what could be happier or more joyous than a New Year's proposal?
Whilst I stand by the idea that 1hr 30mins simply wasn't enough time to tease out the details of what could have been an interesting Christmas film, I'd have been equally as satisfied with a slightly different ending. Instead of having Richard go through with the coronation and seek out Amber in New York City only a week later, he should've left it a few months at the very least; he'd be able to adjust, not only to his new title, but also a life sans promiscuity - something I still feel could've been dealt with in a better way. 'A Christmas Prince' is no doubt, a festive film that ticks all the boxes, but it misses the impetus: a Christmas film is about more than that! It's a real shame about the running time though, because I truly feel that given enough time, it might've just become the type of successful production we're used to seeing from Netflix.
A few thoughts...
With the review out of the way, here are just a few thoughts I had when watching.
- Where in the world is the fictional country of Aldovia?
- Why do all Aldovian's have false British accents?
- The whole coronation debacle reminded me of 'The Princess Diaries 2'.
- Amber tells her friends all of her findings over video call. What's stopping them from breaking the story on her behalf? They too, are unpaid interns, are they not?
- The taxi situation tries to play on the love at first sight we're used to seeing in cheesy Christmas films.
- A scandalous Royal finally settles down? - Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, anyone?
Note: 4
The best: The whole concept of the story.
The worst: The lack of relation between scenes. Action/Reaction? Not here.
