Love Christmas with all my heart. Love the fun and nostalgia it brings, and cherish all the time spent with family and friends every year. Decided in 2019 to see some newly released (at that time) Christmas films to broaden my Christmas film horizons (namely those from Hallmark and Lifetime), this turned into a quest that is still ongoing. Feelings have been extremely mixed doing this and even when trying to take them for what they're meant to be some have been lacking (though there have been some surprisingly good ones too).
Didn't really care all that much at all for the first 'Christmas with a Prince' despite a few good things, but did see its first sequel 'Becoming Royal' for curiosity's sake to see if either of its sequels were better, on its same weak level or worse. The good news is that this is marginally better, with the same redeeming merits plus another redeeming quality (hence the higher rating). They are sadly outweighed by the bad things, which are pretty much the same as before and executed every bit as badly.
'Christmas with a Prince: Becoming Royal' isn't a complete loss. The scenery is lovely to look at. The music captures the festive spirit with great affection, although some of the placement was questionable.
There are a few amusing moments and a few very cute ones. Josh Dean's (giving the film's only good performance) character is refreshing and likeable and he is a charmer in it.
Unfortunately the scenery was not properly done justice, suggestive of somebody behind the camera that had too much to drink on a long night out. The direction is some of the most disorganised and leaden for any film seen recently and of all the recently seen Christmas films, clearly having no idea what to do with the story and the direction of the actors. The story is thin as a wafer and also lacking in charm and full of ridiculousness and excessive predictability.
Likewise, the script still has no tension or emotional connection and is ruined by an overload of the cheesiest of cheese and equally excessive difficult to stomach sentimentality. The chemistry between the actors, especially the two leads, is so disconnected and the story jumps around and is so dreary and predictable not to mention jawdrop inducing daft. None of the characters are worth identifying with and actually found myself irritated by them, especially Tasha like with everything to do with the security. The rest of the cast look uncomfortable, and either try too hard or don't try that much. Both leads are in both extremes, she in the former extreme and he in the latter one.
In summary, a slight improvement but very mediocre. 4/10.
