'Private Princess Christmas' Reviews: "some sweet moments, but a subpar romantic plot"

         On December 6, 2024, Hallmark Channel released 'Private Princess Christmas', which has recieved a mixed reception from critics. In the film, "After failing in her royal duties, Princess Violet is sent to an American leadership training program where she makes and unexpected connection with the stoic instructor, Captain Ryan." The ensemble cast includes Ali Skovbye, Derek Klena, Erica Durance, and Kheon Clarke. But what did the critics say?

        Maddy Casale of Decider says, Private Princess Christmas is the “parent figure sending daughter to a boot camp where she finds purpose and an unlikely bond with her Captain” aspect of Cadet Kelly with dashes of The Sound of Music and Falling for Christmas also mixed in." Continuing, "Also, apologies for being nitpicky, and I know Wingravia is fictional but they did say it was in Eastern Europe, so what’s up with the British accents? Wouldn’t something vaguely European and Slavic be more fitting? Then again, this movie isn’t too concerned with realism, so I guess we’ll have to give them a pass. I mean seriously, how did they cause a fire in an oven because Violet confused Fahrenheit and Celsius? I know it’s annoying to be the “um, actually!” person but I’ll do it anyway and say that if Violet was setting Celsius numbers on an American oven, she’d be baking things at less than 200 degrees Fahrenheit, so how would that end up burning anything? But hey, I guess where there’s a will, there’s a way. This isn’t to say that it was all bad! Ali Skovbye was at her best as Violet when sharing the screen with Shep, using her knowledge of ASL to communicate with the deaf veteran in moments that transcended a script or schmaltzy Christmas story to feel like genuine, touching scenes of human connection. Perhaps if the romantic plot was axed, the story would have had time to give Violet more of these moments, and maybe there’d even be time to make the other cadets more well-rounded. Unfortunately, a Hallmark holiday movie without a romance is like a queen without a crown or a princess without a mission (that is to say, apparently unthinkable) so the finished product does not fully reach its potential. SKIP IT. Private Princess Christmas has some sweet moments, but a subpar romantic plot, two-dimensional characters, and some extra cheesy moments end up dragging it down. However, if you want a good drinking game, then actually you maybe should stream it, just so you can get blitzed by taking a sip every time they say “festoon." 

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash