Streaming Service: Netflix
Movie Name/Year: The Princess Switch 3:
Romancing the Star (2021)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family
Length: 106 minutes
Rating: TV-PG
Production/Distribution: Motion Picture Corporation
of America (MPCA), Netflix
Director: Mike Rohl
Writer: Robin Bernheim, Megan Metzger
Actors: Vanessa Hudgens, Remy Hii, Sam Palladio, Nick Sagar, Amanda
Donohoe, Florence Hall, Ricky Norwood, Suanne Braun, Mark Fleischmann, Will
Kemp, Hazel Beattie, Maia Karelyn Swandi, Eden Gough, Jayda Eyles
Blurb from IMDb: When a priceless relic is
stolen, Queen Margaret and Princess Stacy enlist the help of Margaret's cousin
Fiona teams with a man from her past to retrieve it, with romance and resulting
in a very unexpected switch.
Selina’s Point of View:
I was not looking
forward to
The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star. Although I found
the first of the series to be a cute, if basic, Christmas watch – the second flick
did not impress me. After that, I didn’t even have mediocre hopes for this one,
and I was right.
The
Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star was awful.
After sitting
through a completely unnecessary recap of the first two films, there was a bit
of narration and then a nearly 2-hour display of some of the worst, campiest,
acting any of the people involved has ever put forth.
Now, granted, the
typical Christmas movies aren’t exactly known for the acting. People just don’t
watch for that. They’re watching for the magic and the happy ending. They want
to see something that boosts the hope that there’s good in the world. That,
even if everything is the worst, something about Christmas will help make things
better. I understand that. It’s kind of what I want from a holiday film, as
well. Even without taking the acting into account, though, I don’t think
The
Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star delivers on that.
There are some parts
trying to force the audience into forgiving, and rooting for, the villain of
the last flick. The movie created a ‘poor me’ background for her and rests on
the belief that we’ll instantly sympathize. It’s not that successful.
However, I will
say that there is no part of me that understands why every film I watch takes
the side of a neglectful parent. Almost any media that has a parent return to
their child’s life as an adult, looking for forgiveness, will side with the
idea that the parent deserves that forgiveness.
Let me tell you
how I see it.
The creators of
these movies insist that a child, one that has been abused or neglected during
their formative years, is responsible for forgiving a grown-ass adult for hurting
them in a way that changes their life’s trajectory. No. You do not owe forgiveness
to someone that’s hurt you. Regardless of who they are. Do what makes you
healthiest. Even, or maybe especially, during the holidays. If you feel like no
one supports your choice – I do.
That’s
all beside the point.
Even
without that part of the story, I was not impressed with The Princess Switch
3: Romancing the Star. I officially hate this series.
Cat’s Point of View:
Ok, so we all knew
what to expect with
A Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star. We’ve done
this twice already, so 3rd time’s the charm, right? This third installment of holiday-themed
royal doppelganger shell games rounds out a solid trilogy. Just when you think
that everyone has switched places in as many ways as they possibly could by #2,
A Princess Switch 3 asks us to hold its bubbly to take us on another
improbably crazy romp through picture-perfect Christmas landscapes. The 3rd
installment also takes the ‘cape’ and turns it into a caper.
I know, I know… I
couldn’t resist. I digress…
I’ll be honest.
A
Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star did offer something new, as it delved
into the backstory of the look-alike cousin introduced in the 2nd movie. I was,
admittedly, curious as to what made her tick. Was there more to her than her
seemingly vapid exterior? This flick provides a nice and tidy answer to such
questions, and then some.
It’s clear that
the cast has a lot of fun making these movies. The same creative team has
returned for both sequels, after all. In fact, Vanessa Hudgens (
Polar, The Knight
Before Christmas, Bad Boys for Life) has been a producer for this new film,
as well as the first sequel. That’s a solid indication of either a labor of
love or faith in the franchise.
Tuning in for
this 3rd installment felt warm and familiar. Nick Sagar (
Queen of the South,
Shadowhunters, Run the World) and Sam Palladino (
Strange Magic,
Nashville, Rebel) mesh well alongside their versions of Hudgens’ trifecta
of characters.
I really had no
illusions that this would step out of the box, and I was pretty sure I had the
plot pegged from early in the production. Remy Hii (
Marco Polo, 2:22,
Spider-Man: Far from Home) was a welcome addition to the ensemble. I
appreciated that he was given more layers than your typical character that gets
thrown into a series a few sequels in.
While
predictable, this film was entertaining. I’ve been sick for the past couple of
weeks, so it was refreshing to watch
A Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star.
I could just turn off my brain and settle in with my hot honeyed tea.
While this fantasy
confection remains loaded with the typical recipe of Christmas clichés, if you
enjoyed the first 2 movies, you’ll likely fall in love with this third
installment. Of course, if the first two weren’t your own cup of proverbial
tea, that should inform your viewing decision as well.
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 42%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 46%
Metascore – None
Metacritic User Score – None
IMDB Score – 5.5/10
Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 1/5
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3.5/5
P.S. Short in-character dance scenes
during the credits.
Movie Trailer:
No comments:
Post a Comment