Movie: The Royal Nanny
Starring: Rachel Skarsten, Dan Jeannotte, Greta Scacchi
Network: Hallmark Channel
Rating (out of 5 stars): ⭐⭐⭐1/2
Synopsis: MI5 agent Claire goes undercover as the royal nanny, and must overcome the challenges of her assignment, like resisting the charms of Prince Colin while keeping the family safe at Christmas.
⚠🛑 Disclaimer: This review may contain movie spoilers
Review:
This one I go back and forth on. Some elements were good and unique and then some elements just fell flat. It was a different Hallmark movie which they tend to be trying to do more and more now. There's nothing wrong with that if it works well. For this one, I'm not sure what they were trying to achieve. Was it a romance? A mystery? It didn't really fall into either category albeit it tended to fall more on the mystery side as you had plotting, kidnapping and secret agents. Frankly not alot of romance at all. At the end of the day for me the lead cast was great, the children in this movie were amazing, the plot was original albeit I got confused a little bit, and I was entertained.
The good
Rachel Skarsten - I loved Rachel Skarsten in this role. She was a secret agent who was beautiful, strong, intelligent and could kick butt when she needed to.That girl knew how to use that umbrella. I think she was truly one of the highlights of the movie for me.
Children - The children in this movie were absolutely charming. I especially really liked the young prince. I found them funny, intriguing and just so adorable. I enjoyed their interactions with each other as well as their bond with Prince Colin and nanny Claire.
Dan Jeannotte - I liked Jeannotte's portrayal of Prince Colin. He was a great, unconventional prince who had a special bond with his niece and nephew. He was funny, protective and an overall good guy.
Plot - The plot was quick and unique. There was the added element of intrigue and mystery by adding the nanny as a secret agent. Loved the mini training session from Scary Poppins and all of the little hi-jinx that occurred.
The not so good
Plot - Yes I know I just said that the plot was a good element. But it also does fall into the not so good category. At times I found everything so confusing. So much dialogue and things going on that it was hard to keep track of who was who, what they were trying to do etc. I did get very confused at times with all the secret agent ramble.
Romance - There was very little romance and very little romantic chemistry. There was a decent non-romantic chemistry between Skarsten and Jeannotte but I didn't really feel much romantically. They had a good banter but I just wasn't feeling a romantic vibe at the end.
Questions/Observations
Is Scary Poppins a secret agent too? Are all of her nanny's agents? I'm not sure what the ending was kind of implying here. Did they all work for the government?
Where do I get an umbrella like that? I never knew a simply umbrella could take out so many people and just knock them flat on their back. Wow. That's a good umbrella. Imagine what it could do if it had an automatic push button open feature!
Did Kevin McAllister from "Home Alone" help with the plan to get the prince free from his captors? Marbles and empty boxes work wonders don't they?
Final Thoughts
Overall this movie was a step away from your typical royal movie trope. It had a little more mystery than romance but was a good change. Solid lead actors, great supporting cast and a little kidnapping make this one enjoyable to watch at least once.
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