elizabethaloe

There are quite a few Hallmark movies I enjoy because the actors have chemistry good chemistry, the scenery and set design are pretty, and the storyline varies away from the normal "city girl leave high stress job and goes back to hometown, gets talked into planning a festivity, and falls for the handsome widower who may or may not be her high school boyfriend." Don't get me wrong-these movies can be very enjoyable on a lonely, rainy Sunday. I often catch myself immersed in one or two thinking love truly does exist. But then there Re the Hallmark movies like this one, A Winter Princess, where 8 just shake my head at the absurdity. Not only is the set boring, but the actors are incredibly boring and lack any kind of chemistry. The script is typical and incredibly predictable. Princess from small european country pretends to be a commoner. Natalie Hall, while cute, just couldn't quite get herself into the part. She wasn't completely wrong For the part, but her facial expressions and mannerisms were very distracting. She just didn't have any chemistry with lead Chris McNally and together, they were so blah. I almost wanted her to run off with the prince of Denmark because they had better chemistry. Sometimes the background set can rescue a movie but not this time. It was like the film got a small budget and then when shooting started, got to spend only half. So basically, if you're a die hard Hallmark Fan, you might like this on as a background movie while you make cookies or scroll the internet on your iPad. You don't have to watch the whole thing to get the plot.

Let me start by saying I'm NOT a fan of musicals or Glee. As a matter of fact, I can't stand them unless its a musical with good music like Rock of Ages or Mamma Mia. Anyhow, this movie blew me away. I haven't been this captivated by music in a movie and the characters in so long. I loved Minnie Driver's performance and her voice is amazing. She sings a rendition of Going Back by Carol King that is just beautiful. The kids are so talented, too. I see big things for Aneurin Barnard. I really recommend this film if you like those British indies like The Full Monty, Billy Elliot, and Brassed Off, I also recommend it if you are a fan of David Bowie, ELO, The Beach Boys, the Byrds and Nick Drake. The soundtrack is excellent and I listen to it a lot. I don't review movies all that often, but this one was so worth it to me. I'm surprised at some the meh reviews because its way better than that.