A Cinderella Christmas Ball

Clearly, Danica McKellar is the official Chris royal movie actress at GAC Family. This is her second consecutive movie in that genre for the fledgling network.

In part, a cliched and formulaic movie (right down to ridiculous-looking palace guards and everyone in the supposedly European country speaking with pronounced English accents - like always in these movies), McKellar's Chelsea is looking for information about her mother, who journeyed to the same small country Chelsea is now in. It's that search that provides a few twists in what otherwise would be a fairly mundane movie with a cardboard cutout male lead: you know, the prince and his royal destiny, expected to propose to a childhood friend (or similar) and all of that.

As an aside, McKellar looks great. Maybe she'll take on a different role in her 2025 GAC Family Christmas movie...just for something different.

Danica McKellar chose wisely in following the lead of her friend Candace Cameron Bure in ditching the Hallmark Channel and defecting to Great American Family. Because GAF is still breaking into the market, I might not even have been aware that this movie had been made if Danica hadn't appeared on FOX NEWS SATURDAY NIGHT WITH JIMMY FAILLA to talk about it. Even though the summary of the movie sounded like at least a dozen Hallmark Cookie Cutter Christmas movies of "American middle class girl meets European Crown Prince" (including at least 3 that Danica did), the fact that this was GAF warranted a look.

While still a bit formulaic and predictable, there were enough twists in this one to keep you guessing and keep it interesting. Chelsea, a dance teacher from Chicago who was raised by adoptive parents after losing her single biological mother at the age of 5, comes across an old photo of her mother taken in the small European Kingdom of Havenshire, with faint clues as to who her biological father might be. She flies there to follow the clues and runs into a few obstacles. While killing time by visiting a dance school, she gives tips to a young student and happens to be seen by members of the royal palace staff who recruit her into giving lessons to the Crown Prince. From there, the search for her biological father fades into the background while the formulaic chemistry slowly develops between her and the prince. But it's the quest to find her father that gives the movie the twists that keeps you guessing and interested.

I'll leave it at that. It elevates this movie a couple of notches above a Hallmark Cookie Cutter movie, and elevates GAF a notch above its competitor channel.

Edit: Forgot to add that the character of Chelsea was born in 1987 so assuming the story takes place in the present, she's supposed to be 37. Danica easily passed for 37 even though her biographies here on IMDb and on Wikipedia say she hits the big 5-0 two days after this coming New Year. Looking great, Danica!

Danica McKellar movies never surprise me and being wonderful and something you want to see again and again to me that makes a great movie No surprise here she makes this long distance trip to find family. While she is making friends in the small community, she's also making a few waves, but no one gets hurt. A little romance may join in at some point. You'll have the beauty of the scenic area to enjoy as well and I am really wanting a part two I'm not gonna say why but you will figure it out real quick if you watch the movie. She does end up finding family, but I won't say who there's so many people within their storyline that plays such sweet roles..

My family loved this film. A classic Cinderella tale with an added twist. Danica McKellar and Oliver Rice have a touching ease and chemistry. The story moves at a pace and is very funny in places. Danica's scenes with butler Mark Caven being particularly hilarious. There are some very touching moments and Danica McKellar shows her full range as an actress. The dancing is beautiful and if I have any complaint I wanted more. I also really like the warmth from Sarah Orenstein as the Queen. I enjoyed the script with a unique twist on the Cinderella story, the direction and design. If you want to lose yourself in a classic Cinderella story for Christmas this is great choice. Sweet but won't send you to the dentist.

I'm not a fan of Royal movies. And Cinderella stories are a dime a dozen at Christmas. McKellar has done a few. So, were it not for my obsession to watch every Christmas movie premiere, I would have passed on this one.

It checked so many of the boxes and yet it had at least one thing that kept my interest as a viewer. Who was her father? That search which integrated learning her mother's past was just enough to raise this movie to a decent level. As another reviewer said, there are a couple of moments that bring some tears. How can you not when she watches that video?

The key mystery had at least a couple of possibles. I wasn't at all sure, but I think I was leaning towards the right one.

There are so many ways all the cliches can be overdone and this movie straddles that line but I think stays just inside it.

The acting at the dialogue gets muddled a little by the cliches. It is hard to accept the acting as good when the circumstances are so unbelievable. The story finds a way to make the one that is possibly the most unrealistic be a little believable at least.

McKellar and Oliver Rice have decent chemistry but again the unbelievable circumstances mute that a little. There is a little bit of playfulness between them despite waiting for some stickler to bring it all crashing down. I very much like that the queen is mostly reasonable. She must uphold some tradition but she isn't constantly being a stick in the mud.