Movie: Inventing the Christmas Prince
Starring: Tamera Mowry-Housley, Ronnie Rowe Jr.
Network: Hallmark Channel
Rating (out of 5 stars): ⭐⭐⭐
Synopsis: Shelby is about to quit her job as a rocket engineer when her daughter becomes convinced that her Scrooge-like boss, Evan, is the Christmas Prince; a story Shelby invented years ago.
⚠🛑 Disclaimer: This review may contain movie spoilers
Review:
Honestly this one is in the middle for me. I think it turned out to be just ok because I really was hoping and expecting this one to be great. I really enjoyed Tamera Mowry-Housley in the Santa Stakeout and was looking for something similar humour wise and didn't quite get it. I found it to be slow for the first hour and frankly I wasn't overly interested in the story. I also didn't get much of a love connection or love story as the focus was on the little girl and the fake prince. I just wanted more love story.
The plot
Shelby quits her job when her boss tries to make everyone work more over the holidays. Not sure how she thinks this is smart as she is a single mom but nevertheless she walks out. Thankfully Evan (Rowe Jr.) is in hot water with the big wigs at the company and can't lose more people so he can't let her quit. Shelby basically blackmails him by coming back to work but in turn making him pretend to be the Christmas Prince that she has told her daughter exists. He has to help make the daughters wishes come true while pretending to be this fake prince. They spend some moments together and then of course fall in love while Evan's rough exterior changes and he becomes a better person and boss.
So I wasn't feeling most of this plot really until the last 20-30 minutes of the movie. I was only half watching as it just didn't capture my attention. I can understand the concept of a little girl making up a story about a prince but I just can't get behind how this idea was blown way out of proportion by the mother. For me it was a bit over the top and should have been reeled in way before it got to the point of having to make the prince "real."
The Good
Isabel Birch - Hands down this little girl is what kept me watching this movie. She was beyond adorable and was a definite scene stealer.
Ending - The last bit of the movie was interesting. I enjoyed how it all came together where it showed Evan's "scrooge" heart warming up and showed some growth in his character. In particular I liked how he appeared at the dance but came in true prince style. He had been listening to all those wishes that were previously pushed aside and he made become a reality. What a special moment for that little girl and it was truly heart warming.
The prince costume was really bad but the sentiment was not lost and I really enjoyed this part.
The not so good
Boring - The first hour of this movie was so boring to me. I'm surprised I even managed to get through the second half. I was just in and out watching it as it just didn't hold my attention.
Chemistry - I felt little chemistry between the leads. Frankly she spent so much time hating him that I just didn't see where the shift came or how they even had time to develop feelings for each other. He spent most of his time with the little girl and yet somehow miraculously fell in love as well.
Safety - Is it just me or did anyone question some of the mom's choice. What about the safety of your child. She barely knew the guy. Yes he was her boss but she didn't know him, yet she invites him to appear at a girls sleepover party AND leaves her child with him for a tea party? Yeah...I would never have done that.
Evan - I have worked with many people who should never have been managers but Evan was the worst of all of them. How this guy ever got into the position of management with his inability to effectively lead and his complete disinterest in his fellow human beings is beyond me.
Questions
So Shelby had mentioned that this Christmas Prince thing was told to her by her parents, who were told by their parents etc. My question...did her parents and her grand parents go to the same length with her? Did she have her Christmas Prince grant wishes as well? I would have liked to have since these memories and how it came full circle for her own child.
Husband - So what happened to her husband? There was a really touching moment when she confronted Evan about not even wishing her well after signing her bereavement leave request. She was grieving but never mentioned what happened to the guy. Was he sick? Was there an accident? .
Final Thoughts
I found this movie to be just ok. It didn't really deliver anything that I was looking for in the typical Hallmark movie land. I was looking for a little more depth to the love story and a little less fake Prince antics. It's an acceptable movie to watch at least once and you can't help but love the ending.
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