Once Upon a Holiday

Quite enjoyable.

A princess eludes her handlers to have some time for herself and meets a man who helps her in more ways than she originally imagines.

Worth a view!

Not sure why there is so much hate for this charming and pleasant Hallmark movie.

As long as you understand what you're going to see going into one of these made-for-TV movies, and overlook some of the obvious discrepancies, Once Upon a Holiday is a nice Christmas movie, featuring Briana Evigan as Katie a princess who finds herself on royal duty in New York City in the lead-up to December twenty-five, and Paul Campbell (who is always excellent) as Jack, your NYC Average Joe, who - rather precipitously - runs into Katie on a couple of occasions and shows her around the city, at first now knowing who she really is...and you probably have a pretty good idea of how the movie will end.

Absolutely a movie with plot holes and inconsistences, but it is saved by the performances of Campbell and Evigan, who have a warm and easy chemistry. Once Upon a Holiday is an above average Hallmark royal film.

I might have rated this at 7, but it's one of my wife's favorites, so that earns it an extra star. I don't tend to rate movies against other genres, but within their own. So my 10 in a Christmas romance doesn't mean I regard it in the same league as an excellent feature film, but against other films of its type. So in these Christmas romances, if I find something I like in a movie, it gets more than a 5, and progressively higher the more I find to recommend it.

The member who named their review with a nod to Roman Holiday amused me. This story isn't really close, but there is a tiny connection in theme, as a princess gets bored and frustrated with her regimented schedule and goes walkabout in Manhattan.

This story puts the lead characters together for most of the movie, and that helps sell how they become closer to each other. The secondary plot about the reporter chasing the story of the "Runaway Princess" adds some tension.

The leads are both likeable and the story holds my interest, so I can recommend the film.

It sounds like something Hallmark's done before: a young royal away from home during Christmas meets normal person and falls in love---but this one actually felt...right. Paul Campbell's light humor brings us a mildly-magical holiday movie we really can't resist. Simple jokes reflect back upon a golden heart, revealing all he wants is make sure she's where she needs to be. After all, she's the only happy Holiday he knows ;) It's an easy story, no breakups, no unnecessary drama, no tears, as it all wraps up neatly in a perfectly cozy Christmas way. And with Briana Evigan gracefully doing her part as a princess with a passion for photography. It'd be shame, though, if she never got her camera back. With all those blurred photos of random NY buildings..

I was utterly shocked. ha-ha! The leads are actually good actors (very good...) I've got a sneaking suspicion they were stage actors first and knew how to "read" the subtext of the script. The teleplay is realistic and not a living cartoon. There's a warmth about the story. I was quite impressed that The Princess was so understated and engaging. The Builder opted out of the slapstick motif. Great romantic chemistry between the leads. Very enjoyable!