“A Christmas Prince,” released on November 19, is a new Christmas romance movie released by Netflix. Relatively speaking, the movie has been kind of a hit, considering it’s exactly like any other Christmas special you’ve seen on the Hallmark channel during the holiday season.
This movie, honestly, is just like any other Christmas romance movie that pops up during the holidays, but there is just something about “A Christmas Prince” that makes watching it so indescribably fun and sort of addicting. You watch it once and then a couple of days later, return to watch it again. Personally, I’ve seen it five times; which seems like a lot but when you watch this movie you’ll totally get it too, trust me.
This movie opens with Amber (played by “iZombie” actress Rose McIver) frustrated with having to again rewrite a colleague’s article about fashion as a lowly junior editor of a magazine. Then she receives an opportunity that could jump-start her journalism career: an assignment to cover the royal coronation of Prince Richard in Aldovia during the Christmastime. Arriving at the airport, she then has a bad run-in with a bearded guy who steals her taxi (I wonder who that could be?) before she decides to pose as the tutor of Emily, princess of Aldovia, in order to get her story after the scheduled press conference on the coronation was canceled.
Firstly, the fact that she’s a lowly junior editor is kind of laughable, as while I certainly don’t know all the ins and outs of the journalism industry, I imagine that a junior editor is a much more respectable position than the movie makes it out to be. Secondly, how can she just walk into the palace and assume the position of a tutor? Why don’t any of the staff ask to see identification or credentials? All the antics that allow Amber to worm her way into the palace and into the good graces of the Aldovian royalty is so comically ridiculous. It isn’t long before Amber meets Prince Richard, which turns out to be slightly awkward, yet cute because the guy who stole her taxi at the airport is the prince himself. Yup, you guessed it.
Then, Amber pretends to be Emily’s tutor while fighting the attraction to Richard while also getting information for her story. Emily, who suffers from spina bifida, tries to get Amber to leave by putting a mouse in her chair before beginning to warm up to her, as Amber treats her like a normal girl. While acting as a tutor, Amber begins to see Richard in a new light, from his passion to archery and snowball fights with Aldovian orphan children to being able to play the piano and seeing the love he has for his family. These things contradict the rumors surrounding him that claim he’s a womanizing playboy prince, leaving Amber pretty confused about who the real Prince Richard is.
Richard, on the other hand, must deal with his ex Lady Sophia, who is professing her love for him (and his upcoming title), and his slimy and arrogant cousin Simon, who is behind him in the line of succession. Amongst all this royal drama, Prince Richard is rather reluctant to be king as he prefers to be out of the spotlight and is frustrated with the gossip in the media surrounding him.
There are many cute moments between Amber and the prince, starting with her faltering after seeing his shaven face while taking Emily out to practice archery with him after a boring tutoring session. After Emily gets a bullseye, Amber tries with Richard helping with her form, and promptly shoots an arrow through a window. Another cute moment is after a dismal tutoring session where Amber and Emily decide to go sledding before getting into a snowball fight with Richard where they fall down together. Probably the most cliché romance movie moment between them is when Amber decides to follow Richard as he goes horseback riding, before getting thrown off her horse, lost in the woods and having a wolf almost attack her before Richard saves her.
Moving forward without too many spoilers, the Christmas coronation soon is upon the people of Aldovia and thanks to Amber finding out a secret of the royals, which Sophia finds after she ransacks Amber’s things, it commences with a lot more drama than everyone—with the exception of Simon and Lady Sophia—expected. But love prevails because this is a Christmas romance movie, so there is a happy ending for everybody, except Sophia and Simon, of course.
Speaking moreover on the entire movie, “A Christmas Prince” has such saccharine dialogue throughout the entire movie, and sometimes you can’t help but laugh at the cheesy dialogue and how it’s delivered. There is also a lot of quirks that you would only see in a Hallmark-type Christmas movie, like in the scene where Amber is getting her assignment, the magazine cover behind her boss literally just says “Pop Singer.” Amber’s notes throughout this movie are also a point of hilarity because they are pretty terrible notes for someone who wants to be a serious journalist.
“A Christmas Prince” is a sort of sleeper hit for Netflix; it really is just another Christmas romance movie that isn’t very good. But it’s also pretty fantastic and people on Twitter who’ve seen this movie completely get the struggle between the atrociousness and the excellency of this movie. Netflix itself has even gone to Twitter to troll a select few die-hard “A Christmas Prince” fans by revealing some of its ratings information, bringing the Netflix shaming to an all-time high.
Me: the Christmas prince is a terrible movie with no redeeming qualities
Me: I am a citizen of Aldovia, morning but respect for MY king Richard, I was born sledding in the aldovian hills, I too am an American tutor, sleigh his Aldovian HEART yasss Amber
— cate (@catheronie) December 11, 2017
Me: I only watch serious cinema. I have excellent taste.
Also me: #AChristmasPrince pic.twitter.com/gsxpGD2652— Molly 🖋️🐝 (@MollyHeslop1) December 11, 2017
Watching the @netflix original, #AChristmasPrince, about an American journalist who goes undercover to get the scoop on a handsome prince. Here are her notes: pic.twitter.com/euGPgCvOd7
— Emily Favreau (@emilyfavreau) November 27, 2017
https://twitter.com/shutupbrendance/status/936075229411074048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
To the 53 people who've watched A Christmas Prince every day for the past 18 days: Who hurt you?
— Netflix (@netflix) December 11, 2017
The fact of the matter is, “A Christmas Prince” is Netflix’s quintessential terrible/great Christmas romance movie and if you don’t watch it, you’re definitely missing out. Between the lone-wolf attack, Amber’s terrible notes and the sugary dialogue, this movie is so ridiculous it’s amazing. And if you watch it once, you’ll probably watch it a couple more times after that. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go watch “A Christmas Prince” for the sixth time.
