Yep, I actually managed to watch one of the films from my Festive Films list! Hopefully I’ll get to the others some time soon. For those who, like me, are a bit late to the game with Netflix’s Christmas movies, The Princess Switch is a 2018 film romantic comedy, staring Vanessa Hudgens. It’s a Prince and the Pauper tale, where two people who look very alike bump into each other and make the decision to switch places. Hudgens plays Stacy DeNovo, a baker from Chicago, and Lady Margaret Delacourt, Duchess of Montenaro, who is about to marry the Crown Prince of Belgravia, Prince Edward.
Let’s start with the things that make me go “what???” in these films (but that I’m quickly able to ignore). Why is it when Americans write something that needs ‘royalty’, they create a vaguely European country, with an Eastern European sounding name, a German Christmas market aesthetic, and…English??? Royalty??? This always baffles me! In The Princess Switch, they go to Belgravia, the competition Stacy and her best friend Kevin are in is in Wembley, and the whole Royal Family speak with impeccable, posh English accents. Including the Duchess of…a different country? Or a part of Belgravia? Or…I don’t even know. It gets confusing, plus add in the fact Belgravia is actually an area of London…
Okay so now my mini-rant is out of the way, the things I really liked. This film like all good Romance stories really does draw out those warm and fuzzy feels. The couples sort of dance around each other, and there’s some nudging from older people throughout, once they realise how well suited they are. Kevin is a great love interest, kind and sweet, but hesitant when he develops feelings for the woman he thinks is his best friend. Kevin is also a single dad, and it’s really nice to see his daughter worked in so well to the story, and offering a different type of friendship to both Stacy and Margaret.
Yes this film is cheesy. Yes it’s over the top. And I absolutely loved it for all that. It’s sickly sweet, but the Christmas aesthetic makes a really nice theme, and neither Kevin nor Edward are interested in changing the women they fall in love with – they love them for themselves! Honestly, if you’re looking for something completely feel-good over Christmas, you can’t go wrong with this film. And, bonus, there are now two sequels!
Unwrapping Words 