The Reluctant Royal

Hallmark seems, with this movie, (and a few others recently) to have gotten back to what they did best before the whole Hallmark/Great American flap happened. The movie is fun, Andrew is is rare form and it was genuinely fun! Enjoy! The female lead is also very good. She seems to have jumped right into the Hallmark world and "nailed it". The scenery and even the old car What was it? A Triumph? (note the right hand drive!) add a level of believe ability that just adds to the quality of the movie. The only thing that irked me (just a bit) was the hair color application for Andrew...a little, I don't know... weird? Loved it! Keep it up Hallmark!

I did not like the tone of this story. The commoner coming in and saving the day might have been a nice story. And he does keep triumphing in almost everything he does including showing up an experienced horseman even though his only riding experience seems to only be riding a mechanical bull. That was a little too much.

The son of a Duke is automatically a Lord and I think has the title Marquess. Yet the cousin constantly insults him. Would he get away with that in front of a group?

The story goes about how you'd expect. The cousin who is the alternate heir becomes the villain. Two relationships develop. The potential romance is rushed because of everything else going on. The story makes a point of a potential problem there and also rushes dealing with it.

The acting is OK, but not great. The dialogue is mostly bland with maybe one or two good lines.

Like the movie, The Royal We, from the previous week on Hallmark, there is an epilogue where the three royal movies of March 2025 are tied together. It was clever in that one, but seemed forced and abrupt in this one.

With all the terrible news in the real world, it's time to just give yourself a bit of time to enjoy a happy, make believe story. This movie does that. First off, Andrew Walker is Andrew Walker. He almost always gives an extraordinary performance in these movies and he does it again here. The supporting cast...especially the elder Duke ...all give wonderful performances. The only minus with this movie is there is so much to cover, you wish the movie was longer. You wish you could spend more time with each of the characters and learn more about them. There just was too much to cover. But that aside...you root for them...you learn about them...you enjoy their company. So, sit back...let your imagination go...enjoy Andrew Walker...enjoy the story...enjoy the townspeople...enjoy the staff...enjoy the journey. You will find it time well spent.

This is by far the best movie of the year for HallMark (HM) ANDREW walker again does it again. He did an incredible job and his partner have excellent screen chemistry. The supporting cast were wonderful and I wish there was more time to develope them. I wouldn't mind see this as a series. HM is getting back to thier roots with this movie.

I like the location and the scenes of the country side was a nice touch. The villains as usual were to predictable for my only cretinism. Andrew Walker have developed into a very actor and gives HM almost a guarantee of a good movie. All in all a def 10 and look forward to more movies with this one of scripts and acting.

7.7 stars.

I anticipated this Hallmark would be a bit better than it turned out however, it still did not disappoint. I feel that the story is a bit slow at times, somehow the characters weren't as lively as expected, the the mood wasn't as exuberant as some other royal romances. That feeling of expectation, leading up to the final romantic encounter, it was somewhat absent. The leads don't have quite the chemistry that is generally considered the bread and butter of an exceptional romance. On the other hand, I actually laughed a few times-a very rare reaction to Hallmark romances.

However, the overall experience was fine. I would say this film falls a bit short of greatness in several different categories. It's one of those slightly above average Hallmark movies, perhaps a 7.1, but since I really like all the actors and their personalities grow on you after a while, it's elevated to a 7.7. Anything 7.5 through 7.7 I feel like watching again in 2-5 years, depending on my mood at the time. Generally, I rate based on my initial impression, "do I want to see this again in the next couple years, five years, or maybe revisit this one in ten years to never?" If the answer is five years, then my rating is generally 7.5 - 7.6. I think I might be in the mood for 'The Reluctant Royal' in 3 years-just a hunch. It's a strict system, because those unfortunate 7.4's I will probably never deign to watch again, but I must be true to the system or I'll be wasting precious time rewatching average films-time that should be allocated to new releases and favorites.