A Royal Date for Christmas

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I stumbled across this movie while flipping through the channels. I have a like/dislike feeling towards Danica McKellar. Some of her movies I really love and others where I think she acts too girlishly for a woman her age. This movie started off with a good premise, but her acting ruined it for me. I really liked the plot and the actor who played the Duke was fantastic. This was my first time watching Damon Runyon in a romantic movie and I thought he was quite good. However, the movie became too cliche for me, but I stuck with it until the end. I really hoped it would get better , but even the leading man couldn't save it. I get the fairytale undertone but a grown woman jumping every time someone interrupted her and the Duke touching was overkill. I have to add that while I have seen a few good movies on GAC, I still find the movies subpar the Hallmark and Lifetime. The budget on the GAC movies must be pretty tight. When the guests at the different parties in the movie wear the same clothes twice, that's a problem. See the lady in the green evening grown who gossips with Bella at both events. Do you really think a woman would be caught in the same dress more than once within a week. Please!

I love this movie! It goes easily in my top hallmark movies. Danica was right when she said that people will love this movie. Danica has been my favorite Hallmark actress for a long time. Her performance is always spot on. However, I have to say that the person who surprised me most in this movie was Damon Runyan. I have seen several of his movies. Some of them I don't like his character because he is the bad guy. I don't think bad guy when I look at him. He is also one that is usually a supporting character in the hallmark movies. I am happy he finally got another role in which he could shine. I loved One Starry Christmas and Magical Christmas Shoes, but this character was a new one for him. That accent, I could listen to all day. He came back to the top of my list for my favorite hallmark actors with this performance. Damon Runyan does not need to be a supporting character, his best work comes out when he is out front. I can't wait to see what he does next.

We like Danica McKellar ... a lot. Unfortunately she isn't getting the better scripts in these Christmas movies, and this is a prime example. The story is unusually drab, and the only real relationship tension is close to the end and makes the "Duke" look cold-hearted , particularly because he's just "kissed the girl". Our "Duke", the presumptuously named Damon Runyan, and the other supposedly English characters only suggest one thing ... that Canadian actors are abject failures to affect a British accent. I mean, these accents are painful to listen to. I'd rather have Dick Van Dyke's Cockney travesty. LOL Oddly, nine years ago Runyan played a rodeo cowboy in A Starry Christmas, a far superior movie and a far superior acting job. He paired with fellow Canadian George Canyon (a country singer) as his brother. The end of that movie didn't make any more sense than the end of this one, either. LOL.

6.7 stars. If I had randomly flipped the channel to this movie, then was asked a few key questions about it, my answers would not shock you. First question: what year do you think this film was made? My response would be: 2018. I'd be surprised to find out it was released 2023 and I'd swear it was released 5 years too late. I kid you not, 'A Royal Christmas Romance' is not patterned after anything in the past few years, but it's not original or new either. Second question: what do you think about the interrupted kisses? I'd say it's been overdone, yet another reason I have a hunch this movie should've been released years ago. They don't do those interruptions quite so often these days, for good reason. Right off the bat we can see it's obvious McKellar hasn't aged a day in the last 5 years, and the British gentleman, I've never seen him anyways. All that aside, I will rate 'A Royal Christmas Romance' on its merits, which must include the fact that it's dated, 5 years dated to be exact. If I had seen this in 2018, I would give it 7.5 stars for her performance alone, but it's nothing new, it's old hat. So for that I lower my rating to a 6.7 for lack of originality and keeping up with the current movie trends.

This movie I feel was very sweet! The Duke was very handsome but didn't act like he knew he was. His quiet, soft spoken tone coming from such a powerful man made the movie sweet. His plus one was innocent & cute & played her role very well. Every one in this movie made the movie sweet. I have no negative comments about this movie. Even though I love the romantic movies, I would love to see at least some of your movies focus on the reason we celebrate Christmas which is God gave His Only Son, Jesus for us! I can help you with that and no I'm not a movie writer but God did give me one movie.....

While I liked the movie I can't say that I loved it. It needed more conflict... it needed a 'Bad Guy'. Danica did a great job but it sort of felt like something was missing. I still think her best movie was Crown For Christmas. That one was amazing, and if you haven't seen it, you should watch it ASAP. It really captured the good old Christmas Magic. The acting was all quite well done. And Danica ALWAYS looks incredible, in a red dress at any party/ball/dance she shows up at. It was fun to see her dance a little in this. Reminded me of how great she was with Gleb in her other movie. If you're looking for a nice way to pass the time on a cold winter's evening, give A Royal Date For Christmas a shot. You won't regret it!

This movie exemplifies why I don't like Royal movies. There are too many of them. Once in a while one catches the Cinderella feeling and does it well. This wasn't it. Oh, Danica McKellar tried and she tried too hard. What she ended up with was a juvenile crush and juvenile behavior. "How about a selfie?" And I really didn't feel like she grew up as the movie progressed. The premise was a tad weak to begin with. It made sense for Stefen to look for replacement clothes but then he basically asked her to tag along with him for a week. He doesn't want publicity, especially negative and double especially not about his love life. Hanging around with a fairly attractive woman at every event he went to for a week is going to get just that kind of publicity. But nobody seemed to notice. That made no sense. And he asked her to hang around even when she wasn't being a plus one at an event. It was not like she was really helping with anything, except filling a romantic hole in Stefen's life. I couldn't figure out Connie. The words that came out of her mouth seemed to encourage Bella, but the look on her face didn't always match that.