‘JINGLE BELL PRINCESS’: A SWEET HAPPENSTANCE ROMANCE FROM GAC
Putting familiar faces in roles of likable characters is what this GAC title does. The plot is a bit derived, but when you have this cute of a story, no one truly minds. Jingle Bell Princess introduces us to Amelia (Merritt Patterson), a princess about to leave the East Coast, after a speaking engagement. But then their return flight is temporarily stranded due to weather. Through a series of events, Amelia becomes stuck in a small New England town hit by an old-fashion East Coast snowstorm.
While there, she’s taken in by a family which includes Sam Cutler (Trevor Donovan) and his daughter, Sophie (Charlie Boyle). During their time together, they have lessons to learn and the chance to walk away with hope.
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‘JINGLE BELL PRINCESS’: A SWEET HAPPENSTANCE ROMANCE FROM GAC #CHRISTMASMOVIES #MERRITTPATTERSON #TREVORDONOVAN #GAC #STORIESWELLTOLD Share on XOne of the few titles I did watch from the new GAC network, for a first-year round of Christmas movies, the network does a good job. The production of Jingle Bell Princess isn’t quite up to par with competitors, but is charming. The background is often too “busy” (with color or décor) for a scene, but the acting is pretty solid and what helps is the established TV movie faces. Trevor Donovan plays in two Christmas movies in 2021 (and he plays a dad in both!), and is no stranger to the TV land of Christmas trees. This also isn’t the first time Merritt Patterson has played in a royal romance; this time she adopts an accent and is the royalty rather than the one falling for them.
The movie moves at a good clip like any 80-some minute flick and has more than one sweet moment between the characters. What I do like about the script is that while it does fall into the normal I-have-a-secret trope, the uncovering of the secret doesn’t lead to the same reaction, and I admire this. We don’t need some dramatic reveal to “complete” the story. Instead this one has the fairy tale feeling, but also allows for some more realism in how the story shakes out.
There’s an awkward transition or two (meaning how we get to the next scene doesn’t always have good explanation), but mostly, this is good. Those who like Christmas romance movies will enjoy Jingle Bell Princess. There’s some genuinely good romantic moments, plus there’s a cute puppy, and that alone will make many happy.
Content: nothing to note. This is a normal TV-G/PG television film.
Photos: GAC
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