*31 Days of Christmas* The Princess Switch

Thanksgiving is over and the countdown to Christmas has officially begun (at least in my house). I don't limit myself to just reading cheesy Christmas romances during this time of year. Oh no. I also find myself binge watching Christmas movies on Netflix and the Hallmark Channel. And I thought, why not incorporate that into my blog as well. So I give you the 31 Days of Christmas (which will be much easier to accomplish with movies than books like I've tried to do in past years).

Next up us The Princess Switch. 

Watched on: Netflix

Duration: 1 hour, 41 minutes

Originally aired: 16 November 2018

Directed by: Mike Rohl

Starring: Vanessa Hudgens, Sam Palladio, & Nick Sagar

Please see IMDb for full cast and crew info.

Synopsis

One week before Christmas, Margaret, the gorgeous Duchess of Montenaro, switches places with Stacy, a "commoner" from Chicago, who looks exactly like her. With the assistance of a magical Santa's helper, Margaret falls in love with Stacy's handsome co-worker, while Stacy falls in love with Margaret's fiance, the dashing Prince.

Review

I have always enjoyed the prince and the pauper trope, and rarely miss an opportunity to watch a movie or show that is based on it. So when I saw this on Netflix, it was a shoe in for today's Christmas movie. 

Like any good prince/pauper duo, Margaret and Stacy couldn't be more different while looking exactly alike. Type-A baker Stacy never does anything that's not pre-scheduled while Duchess Margaret wants to be free, but feels bound by duty. It's really quite easy to see why each of them might fit better in the other's life, at least on a personal level. This doesn't translate into the ability to seamlessly make the switch, however. But each of them ends up getting a little bit of help keeping up the ruse, which frankly makes a lot more sense than the idea that two strangers could switch lives and NO ONE that they know would really notice. At least this way when they inevitably goof, there's someone in the know to help them out. And while it was plausible that the royal family wouldn't pick up on the switch, as they're not as intimately familiar with Duchess Margaret, I'm was really disappointed in Kevin, Stacy's best friend and sous chef, for not noticing how out of character "Stacy" was acting. 

This movie comes complete with not one, but two budding romances, an almost run-in between the main players, a changed prince, and a royal mother who just wants her son to be happy. And there's an added brief plug for another popular Netflix original movie featuring royalty. 

Ultimately, this movie hit all the right notes for both cheesy Christmas romance and the classic prince and the pauper trope while making both feel realistic and potentially attainable. I would definitely recommend spending a couple hours enjoying this movie at least once this holiday season. 

My Rating

Check Out My Other Christmas Movie Reviews

Review

Review

The Princess Switch starring Vanessa Hudgens, Sam Palladio, & Nick Sagar

The Holiday Calendar starring Kat Graham, Quincy Brown, and Ethan Peck
The Christmas Switch starring Natasha Henstridge, Brian Kraus, and Cedric Smith
48 Christmas Wishes starring Khiyla Aynne, Elizabeth Ellsworth, and Maya Franzoi
The Spirit of Christmas starring Thomas Beaudoin, Kati Salowsky, and Steven A. Miller
A Shoe Addict's Christmas starring Candace Cameron Bure, Luke Macfarlane, and Jean Smart
Mingle All the Way starring Jen Lilley, Brant Daugherty, and Lindsay Wagner
A Majestic Christmas starring Jerrika Hinton, Christian Vincent, and Adaya Ariana
Finding Santa starring Eric Winter, Jodie Sweetin, and Jay Brazeau

It's Christmas, Eve starring LeAnn Rimes, Tyler Hynes, and Gwynyth Walsh

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