Um Amor Real de Natal

I stumbled across this movie while flipping through the channels. I have a like/dislike feeling towards Danica McKellar. Some of her movies I really love and others where I think she acts too girlishly for a woman her age.

This movie started off with a good premise, but her acting ruined it for me. I really liked the plot and the actor who played the Duke was fantastic. This was my first time watching Damon Runyon in a romantic movie and I thought he was quite good.

However, the movie became too cliche for me, but I stuck with it until the end. I really hoped it would get better , but even the leading man couldn't save it. I get the fairytale undertone but a grown woman jumping every time someone interrupted her and the Duke touching was overkill.

I have to add that while I have seen a few good movies on GAC, I still find the movies subpar the Hallmark and Lifetime. The budget on the GAC movies must be pretty tight. When the guests at the different parties in the movie wear the same clothes twice, that's a problem. See the lady in the green evening grown who gossips with Bella at both events. Do you really think a woman would be caught in the same dress more than once within a week. Please!

Really terrible movie. The acting was awful. The Duke was especially insipid. There was no plot as such and no major conflict either. Little chemistry between the couple. The only good thing about the movie was the Christmas decorations in the back. Even though there was some stupid thing about not having trees at Tangford House, there were a bunch of trees around the place in the second half of the movie. But that's ok, I enjoyed the overly done festive decorations in an otherwise miserable looking place. Not a lot of characters to relate to or like even. Quite low budget. Im really disappointed by this movie and felt the need to write a review so others don't waste their time with this. Christmas movies should make a person feel good. This movie with its subpar dialogues and below average acting was painful to sit through.

We like Danica McKellar ... a lot. Unfortunately she isn't getting the better scripts in these Christmas movies, and this is a prime example. The story is unusually drab, and the only real relationship tension is close to the end and makes the "Duke" look cold-hearted , particularly because he's just "kissed the girl".

Our "Duke", the presumptuously named Damon Runyan, and the other supposedly English characters only suggest one thing ... that Canadian actors are abject failures to affect a British accent. I mean, these accents are painful to listen to. I'd rather have Dick Van Dyke's Cockney travesty. LOL

Oddly, nine years ago Runyan played a rodeo cowboy in A Starry Christmas, a far superior movie and a far superior acting job. He paired with fellow Canadian George Canyon (a country singer) as his brother. The end of that movie didn't make any more sense than the end of this one, either. LOL.

... of course, it's mandatory for Canadian and American productions to not do any homework, making anything 'foreign' not even remotely correct or authentic. I think it's so ridiculous and insulting for the many thousands of British actors that Canadians were used to portray all Brits. Accents weren't terrible but still cringe. I know it's just a fun film, not a serious portrayal of a royal's life, but almost nothing about etiquette and how things go is anywhere near reality (including royal estates not being decorated in tacky plastic, even when in tacky America). Also, a duke isn't necessarily royal. Possible, though. Also, "You have Christmas trees growing on your property?!" is my new silliest line in a film. They're not called Christmas trees. They're pines or firs of whichever takes your fancy, but they only become Christmas trees when decorated in your home. And of course, my pet peeve with basically all American and surprisingly also Canadian Christmas films: we are able to operate on babies in utero these days, but somehow making artificial snow look real is impossible for these production companies.

Luckily, it does have some heart and even though it's of course predictable, it's also a fun angle.

While I liked the movie I can't say that I loved it. It needed more conflict... it needed a 'Bad Guy'. Danica did a great job but it sort of felt like something was missing.

I still think her best movie was Crown For Christmas. That one was amazing, and if you haven't seen it, you should watch it ASAP. It really captured the good old Christmas Magic.

The acting was all quite well done. And Danica ALWAYS looks incredible, in a red dress at any party/ball/dance she shows up at. It was fun to see her dance a little in this. Reminded me of how great she was with Gleb in her other movie.

If you're looking for a nice way to pass the time on a cold winter's evening, give A Royal Date For Christmas a shot. You won't regret it!