A Christmas Prince is a 2017 Netflix original film that follows an aspiring journalist named Amber Moore (Rose McIver) who goes undercover as a private tutor to get the inside scoop on the inner workings of the Aldovian royal family. In the process she ends up falling for the mysterious Prince Richard (Ben Lamb), all while struggling to maintain her false identity.

The movie is supposedly one of Netflix’s most popular Christmas titles, having spawned a number of sequels including A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding (2018) and A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby (2019). The film itself, however, is extremely cliche. It better resembles low-budget Hallmark or Lifetime special than some of the higher value productions Netflix is known for. In fact, budget appears to be a major issue for A Christmas Prince with the majority of its costumes, makeup, and graphics ultimately falling flat in comparison to some of Netflix’s other films. Its one redeemable quality is its beautiful castle setting, which appears to have taken the majority’s share of the film’s finances.

Other than the poor visuals, the movie itself lacks substance. The acting is mediocre at best with very little actual chemistry between the two main leads. Not to mention the plot, which is painfully boring and almost predictable, even if you aren’t too familiar with the “Hallmark Christmas Prince” subgenre. Simply put, you’re better off looking for a better film to waste your time on.  But, if you aren’t bothered by flat characters or purely plot-driven narratives, then A Christmas Prince does work well as a good ol’ mind-numbing entertainment. If you have a Netflix subscription and are looking to turn your brain off for an hour and half, I’d recommend giving it a try. Overall, though the movie is only a 4/10 in my book.