Natale a Castlebury Hall

It was predictable but nevertheless a fairly good movie. The worse part of the movie was the actor playing Milo. He couldn't have been worse in his over acting and bad casting for the part. Much in the genre of 'A Crown for Christmas '.

Yes this story is absolutely ridiculous. In fact, I thought it went even beyond most of the other stories of this type. But that doesn't mean it isn't fun to watch.

Jules and her niece and nephew have had a heartbreaking struggle in the loss of her sister and their parents. But we get to see the wonder of children living the fairy tale at Christmas. Leilah de Meza is totally cute as the little girl who doesn't care that her grandpa is a duke. She even overlooks his grumpiness and just loves him.

There are some silly but fun scenes as the common folk meet the stiff royalty and sometimes try to loosen them up.

Only thing that spoils it is the man playing Milo...he is far too old for the part. There are numerous young actors that could have played this part better.

There are slight offerings from cable channels (Ion, Freeform, BET) and then there are deluges (Hallmark, Lifetime) when it comes to Christmas movies. And I've seen EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM (it takes me until March to view them on the DVR). Although I don't have the time to comment on all of them, I certainly have enough experience under my belt to review this pleasant, unassuming entry from 2011. It stars Katie McGrath (Supergirl) and a slight Sam Heughan (before he became rugged and buff for Outlander).

To acknowledge the elephants in the room: -Yes, the American accents of the non-Americans playing Americans do noticeably slip. -Yes, it's a fairy tale and redundant; nothing new here. -Yes, Katie McGrath smiles way too much. -Yes, the brashness of Americans is overplayed to create an unsubtle chasm on cultural differences for the sake of the plot.

However, I found the movie to be quite charming, with flawless chemistry between the two leads. At least 90% of the Christmas movies I view are awful and forgettable (sorry, Hallmark). But this offering takes a tired formula and refreshes it with real life situations (an aunt raising an orphan niece and nephew) and kids who actually ACT LIKE KIDS, not sickly sweet and/or perfect angels (thank you, Michael Damian). In short, acknowledge the flaws, but enjoy the performances and the stunning, breathtaking scenery.

The biggest problem I found was that a 24 year old man was cast to play a "teenager" and older brother to a seven year old whose parents were likely in their early 30's. If they took the time to cast a young child for the little girl, why couldn't they do the same for the son? The actor is so out of place, it ruins the movie. His face doesn't match with his words and actions. Katie McGrath is only four years older that the actor. It seems so fake when she is talking to him as an adult to a child.

Also, some of the mannerisms of the character of Jules Daly do not match. She does not seem to be the kind of person who would put her elbows on the table at a formal dinner in a castle, or grab sandwiches from a tray and run out of a room. These things are an annoyance because it looks like she does them because it calls for her to do it as an actress, not because the character would do these things.

Overall, I found it very hard to stay focused on the movie.