Christmas with a Prince

This movie has some good moments. Some of them are funny. Some are sweet. But there are also inconsistent moments. The story attempts to pull in some of the usual plot devices and sentimental moments, but it's not done smoothly. Still, some of them work. Sometimes, I think it is difficult to mix silly comedy with more serious elements especially the more negative ones. And some of the usual plot devices are way too predictable and transparent.

The acting was similar - some moments were a little rougher than others. This is especially true of Kaitlyn Leeb. Also the chemistry between Leeb and Nick Hounslow was lukewarm.

I'm disappointed in the character of Doctor Miller. In more than one scene, even near the beginning, she looks far more like a scared little girl than a actual Doctor who has persevered through more than 99%+ people ever do and I don't think this was the acting, I think it was intentional, perhaps as either written or directed.

While the basic storyline is compelling, the acting is awful...stiff, over-done...with lines and behavior not fitting a doctor, security detail, etc. My guess is that this was a low-budget production and the casting crew were forced to hire less experienced lead actors. Having said that, there's no "off-color" language, nudity, or situations that would offend sensitive viewers or young children. That, in itself, is refreshing!!

One of the many movies with a royal and a commoner. This one's, however, a little different because heroes knew each other already since they went to school together. Then there's the usual - prince comes from an unspecified Eastern European country (even the heroine speaks Russian for no apparent reason), and of course, an evil wannabe noble fiancé. Throw in a few kids with cancer and a royal gala, and you can imagine the result. Some dialogues are corny, characters are flat (the prince-obsessed nurse was really cringey rather than funny), and the acting isn't the best either (especially during dramatic scenes). Also never seen a doctor with such a short dress, and if it wasn't for some costumes and presents, one wouldn't even notice that it's supposed to be Christmastime. However, if you can look past the above-mentioned issues and expected clichés, it is actually a quite enjoyable movie. The only really terrible part was the party at the end.

So, the lighting was amazing and dialogue was "above average" for this kind of movie. The film suffered from attention to detail and rushed character arcs and development. Attention to detail: 1. Royal outfits. I feel like the royal outfits at the end of the movie were cheesy. The ribbons didn't look right, material looked cheap...I dunno it sort of ruined an aspect of the look. Unfortunately, when outfits like that don't look right, they end up coming across as very cheesy. 2. Doctor Smockter. Kaitlyn is a good actor and shows a lot of emotion through the movie. That being said, there apparently was zero training/prep for her to actually behave remotely like a doctor. The dialogue (though great for this kind of movie- and amazing in certain scenes) didn't even try to be technically accurate at all. Just the way she handle's the patient's charts in some scenes is comical. Someone should have done their job checking for professional accuracy. 3. There is one. Just one big musical number by guest country star Genevieve Fisher and they couldn't get the audio right on it. The sync between the video and audio is noticeably off to where it looks like she is lip syncing. WHY WOULD YOU GET AN AMAZING TALENTED SINGER THEN HAVE IT LOOK FAKE? Sorry, that is my musician side coming out. Kudos for getting a real artist. The guitarist was good too! ------ The Story & Characters The story and set up was plausible enough. I really ended up enjoying a lot of the interplay and character-moments between both the main cast as well as the supporting cast. The romance between supporting actors Josh Dean and the very beautiful Melinda Shankar was, in some aspects, more interesting and fun than the romance of the main two characters. I feel that the ending scene between the two was a bit "rushed". A lot of times movies like this will have side characters (like an older couple- usually a parent of the female lead's character and another) who have a side-romance, and it is so fake and choppy. This one was actually fun. Their action was great for both of their characters and in some scenes where Josh's character was "ultra campy" was obviously more the fault of a section of weak writing and not the actor's fault. The children in this movie are adorable. Children actors are really a "roll of the dice" when it comes to quality, and in this movie they did quite well. ------ My favorite scene: There is a scene at the end of the movie between Dr. Tasha Mason (Kaitlyn) and King Edward (Charles Shaughnessy). The dialogue was exceptional and the delivery incredible. It was because of the talent of Charles that I've added him to the list of male actors with incredible voices. Actors such as Idris Elba, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman and others. The lighting on him was amazing too...could have been like 5% better on Kaitlyn but that is very picky. Anyways, the lighting, his voice, the dialogue was just incredible and for a scene the movie transcended other films of this ilk and became something more. Something like a high quality movie. Something I would want to watch...and I did, re-watch that specific monologue quite a few times. Thank you for reading!

All the plastic surgery can't hide the age difference...And...Holy Teeth Whitener, Batman! Moral of the story, even an aging prince deserves love.