A Princess for Christmas - DVD

Movie: Real Christmas spirit really doesn't want to come to Jules (Katie McGrath) this year. After her sister and brother-in-law are killed in a car accident, bachelorette Jules has to take care of her niece Maddie (Leilah de Meza) and nephew Milo (Travis Turner). It's a task she's not really up to. To make matters worse, the fed-up nanny quits on the very day Jules loses her job at a used bookstore. Just when she thinks things can't get any worse, snobbish Paisley Winterbottom (Miles Richardson) shows up on her doorstep and invites Jules and the kids to Liechtenstein for Christmas. There lives Edward Duke of Castlebury (Roger Moore), Maddie and Milo's uncle, who had broken off contact with his son because he didn't think Jules' sister was worthy of him. But now the Duke wants to make amends for his mistake. Reluctantly, Jules accepts the invitation. When they arrive at the picturesque Castlebury Hall, the three of them discover that the old Duke doesn't like Christmas at all and that they're in for a barren, hypothermic celebration. Of course, Jules can't let that happen. With the help of Ashton (Sam Heughan), the Prince of Castlebury, she tries to persuade the Duke to host a colourful, merry Christmas after all - a difficult undertaking in which the young woman grows closer not only to her foster children, but also to Ashton...

A Princess for Christmas is a nice TV-level fairy tale that mixes kid-friendly humour, a little princess romance and Christmas feel-good flair into a neat whole. However, you shouldn't expect much depth, sophisticated dialogues or multi-layered characters. The film by the former pop star (Rock on) and soap actor (Shadows of Passion) is all cliché. This starts with the character constellation and ends with the sugary sweet finale.

The sympathetic actors such as Merlin Beauty Katie McGrath or Alt-Bond Roger Moore and the romantic filming locations in Romania, which had to hold out for the U.S. and Liechtenstein, provide a cozy atmosphere that fits just right for the Christmas season. However, the music, which is a bit too intrusive in some scenes, and the clear over-acting of some actors tarnish the nice overall impression a bit.

Nevertheless: if you like simply knitted TV romances in the better Rosamunde Pilcher or Nora Roberts style, you should also enjoy this modern fairy tale. Nice!

Picture + Sound: The quality of picture and sound is on a decent level, which, however, seems more like a TV production than a feature film. The picture has strong colors, in the sharpness and the contrasts, however, small weak points can be identified. In darker scenes, slight image noise is also noticeable. The sound remains unspectacular throughout and is mainly dominated by the dialogue and the sometimes a bit too intrusive music. It's not really mind-blowing, but it's perfectly adequate for a film like this. Therefore, the bottom line is still a: Good!

Extras: Except for a trailer for the film and other program tips from the provider, there is unfortunately no bonus material on the DVD.

Conclusion: A Princess for Christmas is simple family entertainment with kid-friendly humor, a little princess romance, and plenty of dramatic kitsch. It's not particularly original or sophisticated, but still spreads pleasant Christmas cheer with appealing entertainment value for all viewers who can pine unrestrainedly at TV romances. So it doesn't bother much that the DVD has no bonus material worth mentioning

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp