My Summer Prince

Mandy Cooper (Taylor Cole) is a hard working assistant to New York PR guru Deidre Kelly (Lauren Holly). When Mandy asks for more responsibility, she is immediately put down by Deidre. Playboy Prince Colin (Jack Turner) is their new client. After another one of his hijinx in a small Idaho town, the royal fixer Penelope Sheridan (Marina Sirtis) is sent. Deidre comes down with chicken pox and Mandy has to take the place of her boss.

The Prince is an entitled brat. He's great as the client. As a romantic partner, there is much to be desired. He does have the pretty boy looks and the possibility of redemption. It would actually work better if Penelope is the guy. Colin is a poor little rich guy and he's not the type that I could root for. As for the lie, it seems to be an easy one to spin to Deidre. Just say the royal entourage wouldn't accept an assistant to lead. Being a PR person, one would expect her to be able to spin. It's not the worst thing to tell the truth to Colin either. He would probably find the lie hilarious if it's done early enough. He would be able to play along and get one over Penelope. Essentially, the problems aren't problems. The prince isn't done well. All girls want to be princesses. At least, that's what Hallmark is selling here and it's a bright, cotton candy confection. It's another way to eat sugar.

These royal movies are always unrealistic but at least this one had some deliberately funny moments.

This viewer never gives anything low ratings and negative reviews with pleasure or relish. Have always aimed to be encouraging and see the good in even the bad, and this philosophy has always applied to all my viewings of Hallmark's output. Hallmark have done good and more films in my view. They even did some good ones in 2016, one of the best ones being a Summer Nights film ('Summer Villa'). Hallmark have done a lot of royalty romance films and some of it have been quite nice.

'My Summer Prince' is one of the ones that didn't work, and in most areas. Didn't think it was that awful and a few (emphasis on few) good things can be seen here. It however has many significant debits that are found in a lot of Hallmark's royalty films and of the 2016 Summer Nights Hallmark films it is a contender for the worst, coming from someone who liked the previous two ('Summer Villa' and 'For Love and Honour', especially as said already the former) in that block for that year.

Am going to start with the good. There are two good performances. Jack Turner is the very definition of a Prince Charming, being charming and dashing with a charisma that always looks natural. The other standout is the much needed energetic yet dignified spark that is Marina Sirtis.

Did think that the scenery was still nice generally, despite the film in general looking cheap. The odd moment amuses.

However, a lot doesn't work. Have always been mixed on Taylor Cole, she has given good performances in other films but here she came over as rather bland and her attempts at acting and sounding younger than she was was too affected. The worst performance comes from Lauren Holly, whose increasingly irritating cartoon of a character felt out of place and overdone. Only Turner's character is likeable and his and Cole's chemistry is lukewarm at best and is too often low key. Development-wise, there isn't really any and instead one of those just there relationships.

Furthermore, 'My Summer Prince' doesn't even look good other than the scenery. Too over saturated, over-decorated and choppily edited. There is nothing memorable about the music and it could have been used a good deal less. A lot of the dialogue induces a lot of cringing in the seat, Cole and Turner's interactions in no way sounding like everyday conversation even in that circumstances and Holly's dialogue stinks from all the cheesiness that pours out of it. The story is very weak, over-familiar territory with even more over-familiar execution with very little charm, fun or much at stake. How it all ends is never in any doubt almost immediately.

Overall, very mediocre. 4/10.

I don't understand the hate this movie has gotten from other reviewers. This is a Hallmark movie, not an Oscar nominee. It marks off every detail on a rom-com checklist, and does it with a better-than-normal script. I literally laughed out loud more than once. I also believe it was perfectly cast. I recommend this one to any fan of Hallmark.

I LIKE the Hallmark Royal movies generally, but this one is just a Stinker. Location is the same tired place they shoot many of their movies....and the cast is just "meh" -So it's supposed to look realistic when a prince stays in a "resort" that looks like a 2 star hotel?? And allll those BOWS? Every holiday, Hallmark really likes using Bows to decorate with....Dollar store bows.... soooooo cheesy! Kind of like the dresses in the pseudo royal ballroom scenes. The dresses look like mediocre department store prom gowns, not like what you'd expect from a costume drama team.

The prince is cute, but a bit juvenile (maybe it's just the awful dialog). Taylor Cole is not really a good on screen match for him either...she seems older than him, and he's exceptionally immature. There really isn't any on screen chemistry I find the least bit believable. She did REALLY well opposite the guy in Christmas in Homestead!

The royal theme in this one is more cliché than some of the better ones. I loved the following because they had good cast, and beautiful locations: A Royal Christmas (they had the cute chemistry, good cast, beautiful location) , A Crown for Christmas (5 stars cast, chemistry, location), A Princess for Christmas (awesome chemistry, beautiful location). My Summer Prince does not even come close to these others.

I'm tired of Hallmark using the same Utah, and Pacific Northwest locations. I've even spotted repeat homes and locations used in movies., that just makes me feel tired of seeing the same old same old....The past year just hasn't been the best for Hallmark. More stinkers than good goodies. A movie doesn't have to be "saccharine sweet" to be good and wholesome. It insults my intelligence.

And pleaseeee....EVERY single Hallmark film seems to have one thing in common, and that's that there is ONE NEAR-MISS KISS (insert eye roll..because someone interrupted it) and then one final kiss to end the show. (Insert another eye roll) If kissing is so bad, then Hallmark better stick to The Duggar family Side-Hug. Ughhhh. In any case, this movie falls into the "stinker" pile