Il était une fois à Castlebury

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.

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.

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 '.

This is truly a modern fairy tale...and I watch it every Christmas season... The actors are believable and the scenery and locations are stunning.

The added bonus is Sam Heaughan as the Prince...I truly was agog....and it was rather cool to see a former James Bond...acting opposite a very strong front runner for the next James Bond...

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.