My last movie review was for the 1983 adaptation of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Revisiting the film after so many years, I learned the production was more of a “very special episode” of a television show than a movie. Wanting to revisit more movies of Christmas past, I remembered how much I liked the 2017 made-for-TV project, Christmas Princess! In the early days of 18 Cinema Lane, I mentioned how Christmas Princess was my favorite film of 2017. I recall enjoying the movie more than Hallmark’s offerings that year. But like any film from the past, perspectives can change. A movie once loved may not hold up when viewed twice. However, a film that was labeled as “bad” may not seem so bad the second time around. Not having seen Christmas Princess in six years, I wanted to review the film to see if any of my opinions on it have changed!

Things I liked about the film:

The acting: A well-acted scene in Christmas Princess is when Donaly, portrayed by Nicole Muñoz, comes face-to-face with her biological mother, Roberta, portrayed by Kaaren de Zilva. Remembered by Donaly as a bitter woman, Roberta still carries a chip on her shoulder. Anytime she speaks to Donaly, Roberta has a passive aggressive tone in her voice. She also has a pessimistic attitude and uses that attitude to try to belittle Donaly. In Roberta’s presence, Donaly appears small. There’s a grimace on her face, troubled at what Roberta might tell her. But when Roberta asks about Donaly’s siblings, Abraham and Emily, Donaly slowly gains confidence. As she’s recalling Emily’s trip to Madrid, Donaly displays a sense of sincerity, refusing to let Roberta dull her sparkle. Smiling while reflecting on this trip, Donaly’s tone of voice makes her sound sure of herself.

Zak Santiago will be familiar to Signed, Sealed, Delivered fans as Ramon Rodriguez. A frequent patron of the local grille restaurant, Ramon is a ray of sunshine, carrying himself with a cheerful attitude and a smile almost always on his face. Portraying Ignacio Marquez, the husband of Sara Marquez and father of Donaly, Abraham, and Emily, Zak displays a different persona. This time, Zak carries his character with a more serious attitude. Yet, a kind and caring personality shines through. During a conversation between Ignacio and Donaly, Donaly confesses a fear she’s been working to overcome. After hearing Donaly’s explanation, Ignacio gently tells his daughter why he was hesitant to let Donaly try out for the Rose Court in the first place. He also reassures Donaly how it’s ok to take care of those you love, but how important it is to trust those same people. Zak’s performance in Christmas Princess compared to his performances in the Signed, Sealed, Delivered series provides a great example of how versatile his acting talents are!

Process of the Rose Court: An honored tradition of the Tournament of Roses is the Rose Court. During the Rose Parade, the Rose Court receive their own special float, waving to every viewer in Pasadena and to those watching the parade at home. When the Rose Court float appears, the parade’s announcers will typically provide a brief explanation of how the young ladies on the float became a member of the Rose Court. Donaly’s journey in Christmas Princess gives a thorough explanation of how one becomes a Rose Princess. From a series of interviews to a montage of community service, the role of a Rose Princess, shown in the movie, means more than just sitting pretty on a parade float. This thorough look at the Rose Court process is educational to viewers who are not familiar with the Rose Parade or the Rose Court.

The wardrobe: In movies with a more contemporary story, I typically don’t talk about the wardrobe. But in Christmas Princess, there was one detail I missed when I first saw the movie. There are times when Donaly and even her friend, Chloe, wear attire that is either red or contains a flower pattern. In a scene where Donaly receives an email about the Rose Court, Donaly wears a red denim jacket. Not only is her phone case red, the following scene shows Donaly wearing red shoes. At the beginning of the film, Donaly and Chloe attend their first day of senior year. While Chloe wears an outfit with a floral design, Donaly’s blouse is covered in a pattern of flowers. These wardrobe choices were a clever and subtle way of complimenting the movie’s theme.

What I didn’t like about the film:

Roberta seeking out Donaly: One of the conflicts in Christmas Princess is Donaly facing her traumatic past. A reason why Donaly’s past was traumatic was the result of her biological mother, Roberta. While I thought Roberta’s confrontation with Donaly was a well-acted scene, Roberta’s attempts to find Donaly don’t make sense. Toward the beginning of the film, Roberta shows up at a rummage sale Donaly’s youth group is sponsoring. There’s no explanation provided how Roberta knew Donaly was a part of that specific youth group or how she found out about the rummage sale in the first place. Later in the movie, Roberta looks up the Rose Court finalists, including Donaly, on the Rose Court’s website. How would Roberta get the idea that Donaly was even trying out for the Rose Court when, in a previous scene, she was standing several feet away from Sara Marquez’s car, where, while sitting inside the car, Donaly received the email she’d made it to the next round of try-outs? To me, it would have made more sense if Roberta had learned about Donaly’s Rose Princess crowning in a newspaper article.

The “friends upset at protagonist for not spending more time with them” cliché: The “friends upset at protagonist for not spending more time with them” cliché is typically found in stories for younger audience members. With this cliché, something will happen that inflates the protagonist’s ego, causing the protagonist’s friends to feel abandoned. In Christmas Princess, Donaly’s friends, Chloe and Trent, are frustrated by Donaly’s busy schedule, partly caused by her Rose Court responsibilities. Even though this cliché had a brief appearance in the movie, its inclusion in the script made Chloe and Trent look hypocritical. Both of Donaly’s friends were supportive of Donaly’s decision to try-out for the Rose Court. Chloe even attended the Rose Court crowning when Donaly was selected. It should also be noted how Chloe also tried out for the Rose Court. She and Donaly attended the same Rose Court seminar, where they learned about what it would take to become a Rose Princess.

The “it’s not what you think” cliché: When I discussed the top ten worst cliches from Hallmark movies, I brought up the “it’s not what you think” cliché. This cliché shows a character taking what they saw or heard out of context, making them assume the worst out of a situation. One day, while shopping, Sara Marquez becomes injured in a car accident. At home, Donaly overhears Ignacio talking on the phone about Sara’s injury. After Donaly hears Ignacio saying how he doesn’t know what to do about the children, she assumes she and her siblings will be kicked out of their home. Donaly evens packs a suitcase in case she and her siblings are forced to leave. The utilization of the “it’s not what you think” cliché was better in Christmas Princess than other made-for-TV productions. But with Christmas Princess already containing a few conflicts in the script, from Roberta’s confrontation to feelings of self-doubt, I don’t think the inclusion of this cliché was necessary.

My overall impression:

Back in March, I wrote about the Touched by an Angel episode, “Perfect Little Angel”. In that review, I talked about how the script prioritized Tracy’s journey to the pageant, which prevented the story from adopting several pageant related tropes and cliches. Similarly, Christmas Princess revolves around Donaly’s journey to the Rose Court. Because of this creative decision, several Christmas related cliches and tropes were avoided. Even though Christmas Princess shows secular elements of the holiday, such as gift giving and Christmas trees, these things are not a central focus like in other Christmas films. To me, the 2017 movie is one of the better made-for-TV Christmas titles. It features a more unique story that provides an interesting perspective on the holiday. What also helps are the strength of the various creative elements, such as the acting performances and the wardrobe. While there are some cliches in the story that I don’t think are necessary, the movie has more positives than negatives. Six years later, I’d say Christmas Princess still hold up pretty well!

Overall score: 7.7-7.8 out of 10

Have you seen Christmas Princess? Are there any Christmas movies from 2017 you’d like to see me review? Please tell me in the comment section below!

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen