Un principe sotto l'albero

Cute, fluffy. Some fun moments. Music is pretty good. I kept wanting Prince Colin's assistant Wimpy to say "I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today."

As all these films have basically the same script the chemistry between the leads makes or breaks the enjoyment and here it was good Megan definitely gives of a girl next door vibe and every European prince should be a genuine British actor. Loved when the grandma said she'd googled who he was as this is always the hole in the plot of these films.

Though not one of Hallmark's best, 'A Royal Queens Christmas' is a sweet love story nonetheless. The movie draws on a very popular plot device: deception and mistaken identity. Here, they use the classic 'incognito royals': the royal (almost always a prince) pretends to be a 'commoner' and ends up falling in love with one of them, they find out, they break-up, they make-up and live happily ever after. The story here is your classic version of this. That is, it is quite ordinary and predictable as far as plots go. Still, the movie does have a feeling of warmth and charm to it that I suspect many will enjoy. The story follows Dee Dee (played by Megan Park), a single woman who is currently working at her cousin's bakery after completing her service in the military while she figures out what her next career move will be. While delivering some baked goods, she runs into Colin (played by Julian Morris) in a hotel lobby, crushing the pastries she was supposed to deliver. To make up for the mess, Colin offers to step in for her dad as the pianist for the local children's choir, which she is directing, and who are rehearsing for the local community Christmas show. Little does she know that Collin is the Crowned Prince of Exeter. And so, our story begins as we watch the two spend time together exploring the city and rehearsing for the Christmas concert while at the same time discovering the feelings they have for each other. For the first 30 minutes or so, the story is quite engaging. I found myself pulled in by the narrative. However, this breaks down about halfway through as a result of some clunky scenes and dialogue, which by this point, is rather dull. The writers could have done a better job of developing Dee Dee's backstory. This comes up briefly in the scenes with her mother but lacks depth. Instead, much of the writers' energy is spent on the Crowned Prince's backstory, an easier story to write, I suspect. The acting, overall, is pretty good. Park had a decent performance, I thought. As others have pointed out, the consistency of her New York accent is an issue at times. Morris's performance is the best part of the movie. It is believable, convincing. He has a regal, yet pleasant and friendly vibe to his portrayal of the Crowned Prince, which I found appealing to watch on-screen. The chemistry between the two is not bad (though not great either). Simply put: it is good enough. I thought Dee Dee's parents were fun to watch (played by Tony Nappo and Ramona Milano). I enjoyed the loveable Italian-American family vibe in this one. There is also some nice piano playing in a couple of scenes along with some fairytale-like Christmas scenery and decorations. There is plenty of Christmas spirit and festive cheer. All in all, it is a decent Hallmark Christmas movie that provides, at times, some sweet holiday entertainment. Fans of Hallmark's royal Christmas movies will no doubt enjoy.

Positives: I've always enjoyed Julian Morris and he is very nice to look at, too! Megan Park did well as the leading lady, and I thought she and the actors playing her family had nice chemistry together.

The story dragged a bit, but the scenes with the kids were all very sweet. Morris and Park were a nice team with her as the director and him as the pianist!

NOW for my pet peeve - for the love of God, can someone PLEASE teach actors how to conduct properly?! I can teach someone to conduct a simple 3 or 4 pattern in a matter of minutes. It is incredibly frustrating to see such laughable conducting for a supposed trained musician, and this movie is not Hallmark's first offense!

This movie is about what you'd expect for a "royal" movie where the prince tries to hide his identity. In this case, he is a supremely talented piano player who is shamed into subbing as the pianist for a children's choir performance and rehearsals after he smashes pastry samples DeeDee is carrying. Somehow, there are several days of the typical Christmas activities tied into it for the kids. Meanwhile, his mom and dad, the King and Queen, are pushing him to marry a Duchess. If you sit down and write a plot outline for the rest of the movie before watching it you are bound to be almost perfectly correct.

At one point, DeeDee reveals she was once in the armed services. This could have been an interesting subplot, but it barely comes up again.

The story is thin and recycled. The relationship is OK, but nothing outstanding. There's a small bit about their separate ornaments which again could have been expanded more.

This would probably be a decent movie if you had never seen a Christmas romance before, at least not a "royal" one.