"A Christmas Prince"-- The "Best Worst Movie from Netflix"

[Skara_Brae]

I watched it last night, due entirely to this thread. My husband and I had fun naming the various tropes just before they happened.

My favorite part is right after the proposal, where she’s all, “Wait! What about my career?” And he tactfully refrains from pointing out how much she sucks at her “career” and that she’s working in her dad’s pizza joint.

[ThelmaLou]

@Skara_Brae

I watched it last night, due entirely to this thread. My husband and I had fun naming the various tropes just before they happened.

My favorite part is right after the proposal, where she’s all, “Wait! What about my career?” And he tactfully refrains from pointing out how much she sucks at her “career” and that she’s working in her dad’s pizza joint.

I loved it when he said, we’ll move your dad’s pizza place to <I’ve already forgotten the name of the country>.

[Spice_Weasel]

I need to see this movie.

[Telemark]

I’ll just leave this here: https://twitter.com/netflix/status/940051734650503168

[Tom_Tildrum]

@elfkin477

I have not seen it, but today Netflix tweeted "To the 53 people who’ve watched A Christmas Prince every day for the past 18 days: Who hurt you?“

Hmm.

I was really kind of surprised that someone at Netflix thought it would be a good idea to mock its most devoted customers for apparently falling in love with one of Netflix’s own movies, especially at Christmas.

[El_Kabong]

Just leaning in to mention that if “A Christmas Prince” pushes the right buttons, Hallmark’s “Christmas Next Door” (premiered tonight) is likely to as well. Another instant classic of holiday propaganda, IMHO.

[Skara_Brae]

I feel like I need to apologize to “A Christmas Prince.” This movie apparently turned my husband on to the joy of cheesy Christmas movies, so we watched quite a few over the weekend. Comparatively, it’s really not that bad. We watched “A Christmas Kiss,” “Christmas Kiss II,” “The Christmas Inheritence,” “Christmas in the Smokies,” “Naughty and Nice,” and a couple others. The worst was some horrible one with Denise Richards (so completely botoxed she could could barely move her face). That was the only one I turned off halfway though.

At least neither protagonist in ACP was engaged, or in a serious relationship with another (usually horrible) person. I was surprised how often that was a common plot point.

[gigi]

@Skara_Brae

At least neither protagonist in ACP was engaged, or in a serious relationship with another (usually horrible) person. I was surprised how often that was a common plot point.

Right! Our hero or heroine is a lovely person and we wonder – was this other person your only choice??

The Denise Richards one might have been an UP! Production. We’ve got them ranked as:

Hallmark/Hallmark Movies and Mysteries
.
Lifetime
.
.
UP! (Director asks crew member: we need to film a scene inside a house, can we borrow your sparsely furnished apartment?)
.
.
.
.
Ion rerunning UP! Xmas movies

[Maus_Magill]

I sometimes picture the writers of these Christmas movies as sitting in the writing room with D&D style charts and dice.

“Let’s see an <rolls dice> Advertising Executive and a <rolls dice> Farmer who’s a <rolls dice> widower meet when her <rolls dice> assistant <rolls dice> inherits the <rolls dice> land next door.”

[Spice_Weasel]

@Maus_Magill

I sometimes picture the writers of these Christmas movies as sitting in the writing room with D&D style charts and dice.

“Let’s see an <rolls dice> Advertising Executive and a <rolls dice> Farmer who’s a <rolls dice> widower meet when her <rolls dice> assistant <rolls dice> inherits the <rolls dice> land next door.”

It’s actually not so far off from the truth with certain subgenres of romance. For Harlequin novels, for example, there is an approved list of professions for the men and an approved list for the women. Men have to be so tall and so on and so forth. They won’t even look at your MS if your protags don’t fit all the regulations.

[Morbo]

@Skara_Brae

I feel like I need to apologize to “A Christmas Prince.” This movie apparently turned my husband on to the joy of cheesy Christmas movies, so we watched quite a few over the weekend. Comparatively, it’s really not that bad. We watched “A Christmas Kiss,” “Christmas Kiss II,” “The Christmas Inheritence,” “Christmas in the Smokies,” “Naughty and Nice,” and a couple others. The worst was some horrible one with Denise Richards (so completely botoxed she could could barely move her face). That was the only one I turned off halfway though.

At least neither protagonist in ACP was engaged, or in a serious relationship with another (usually horrible) person. I was surprised how often that was a common plot point.

I wish there were a way for Netflix to warn me of the overly Churchy ones. We had to turn off “Christmas In The Smokies” after the dude who played the Southern General in Wargames pointed at a Nativity Scene and started talking about Jesus.

[GuanoLad]

@Maus_Magill

I sometimes picture the writers of these Christmas movies as sitting in the writing room with D&D style charts and dice.

“Let’s see an <rolls dice> Advertising Executive and a <rolls dice> Farmer who’s a <rolls dice> widower meet when her <rolls dice> assistant <rolls dice> inherits the <rolls dice> land next door.”

It’s Bollywood levels of formula. One of the frustrations writers and directors of these movies struggle with is how they are expected to fit to formula so rigidly. It may be a steady job, but it’s a deathly dull one if you have any imagination. My guess is they get used to it quickly, and get in a rhythm to churn them out one per month, like they’re Barbara Cartland.

[Spice_Weasel]

@GuanoLad

It’s Bollywood levels of formula. One of the frustrations writers and directors of these movies struggle with is how they are expected to fit to formula so rigidly. It may be a steady job, but it’s a deathly dull one if you have any imagination. My guess is they get used to it quickly, and get in a rhythm to churn them out one per month, like they’re Barbara Cartland.

As a romance writer, that’s one thing I don’t believe I could do. I couldn’t write for Harlequin either. I’m not saying I begrudge writers for doing it, but personally I could find no satisfaction in forcing my work to fit some sanitized formula. Tropes are indispensable, but clichés, not so much. Also I hate a lot of romantic comedies.

We’re probably gonna watch this tonight.

[Spice_Weasel]

Oh, that was so worth it.

SO many clichés in one movie. Underappreciated journalist goes undercover, dead mother (leukemia!), tragically misunderstood prince, disastrous tutor situation, disabled little sister, horses!, conniving villains, secret riddles, massive misunderstanding, adoption, oh they really outdid themselves.

I “liked” that just existing as a disabled person made the little sister brave somehow. And that she never appeared without twinkly/sad music. I see the writers are channeling the spirit of that great master, Dickens.

Incidentally, the Prince looks like comedian Mike Birbiglia, and if you just imagine it’s Mike Birbiglia in every scene, it’s even more entertaining.

While the dialog was godawful, the acting was surprisingly decent.

That film made me very, very happy.

[Spice_Weasel]

@Enright3

Ahem, that would be The 12 Dates of Christmas. My wife and I watched it last night. I’m pretty sure it’s going to win some MAJOR awards. It was very cute. It stars Amy Smart and Mark-Paul Gosselaar.

I just went to the Wikipedia page and this is hilariously lazy synopsizing.

Kate finds herself reliving Christmas Eve (including a blind date with a man named Miles) over and over again. She must discover how to break the cycle – should she attempt to win back her ex-boyfriend Jack, or should she pursue Miles, or something else?

It’s the ‘‘or something else’’? that gets me.

[Skara_Brae]

@Spice_Weasel

It’s the ‘‘or something else’’? that gets me.

Well, there were a few “dates” where she just blew everything off and hung around with her friends, or helped the homeless kid with the dog…

[Skara_Brae]

@Morbo

I wish there were a way for Netflix to warn me of the overly Churchy ones. We had to turn off “Christmas In The Smokies” after the dude who played the Southern General in Wargames pointed at a Nativity Scene and started talking about Jesus.

I also noticed that there seem to be no gay people in these movies. “The Christmas Kiss II” had a role that seemed to be the classic “gay best friend,” but instead he had a girlfriend just offscreen. No doubt they can’t risk offending anyone.

[Spice_Weasel]

Sorry, double post.

[Spice_Weasel]

@Skara_Brae

I also noticed that there seem to be no gay people in these movies. “The Christmas Kiss II” had a role that seemed to be the classic “gay best friend,” but instead he had a girlfriend just offscreen. No doubt they can’t risk offending anyone.

A Christmas Prince had a gay friend. At first it looked like he was just coded as gay, but at the end he proposed a triple date - with three men. Not that the friends contributed much to the film in any way.

[gigi]

@Maus_Magill

I sometimes picture the writers of these Christmas movies as sitting in the writing room with D&D style charts and dice.

“Let’s see an <rolls dice> Advertising Executive and a <rolls dice> Farmer who’s a <rolls dice> widower meet when her <rolls dice> assistant <rolls dice> inherits the <rolls dice> land next door.”

So funny. My father and I thought just last night, they must have a dartboard and darts to pick which “Christmas Traditions” to include in the movie they’re working on. We watched Christmas Connection which had it all – hot chocolate, ice skating, decorating, making cookies, …