The Sound of Christmas Music
Christmas is coming and things have taken a turn for the bad for Allie (Danica McKellar) as she gets fired from her job as a maid at a posh New York hotel. But as one door closes another one opens as whilst at the hotel she met the wealthy Maximillian (Rupert Penry-Jones) and thanks to his butler and her honesty she ends up going to work for him in his castle as the governess to his daughter Theodora (Ellie Botterill). It is not until Allie reaches the castle that she learns that Maximillian is in fact the King of Winshire and that makes Allie a princess, a real brat who gets through governesses at a rate of knots. But having raised her own siblings after her parents died Allie is made of stern stuff and not only works her magic on the young princess but also the widowed king. The trouble is that whilst Allie and Max grow close there is the Countess Celia (Alexandra Evans) who has her eyes on marrying the King.
Hallmark does "The Sound of Music" is the quickest way to describe "Crown for Christmas" as that is the most recognizable comparison although at the same time there are quite a few other similar movies which it could easily remind you of. As such it has to be said that "Crown for Christmas" is a very simple movie; good hearted New Yorker works wonders with a young Princess who acts up as she is missing her late mother and falls for her father, the King who of course is seeing someone more appropriate but is not who he really loves. I wish I could say there is a lot more to "Crown for Christmas" than this but even minor subplots don't cause it to stray from that familiar formula.
But as I often say, "Crown for Christmas" is made with a certain audience in mind and the familiarity is not an issue, in truth it is almost a comfort blanket. In fact the familiarity works alongside the fact that with this being a Hallmark Christmas movie it is all extremely clean and family friendly so you know there won't be anything offensive if you were to watch it with either young children or old grand parents. But at the same time it has to be said that the familiarity of it all means "Crown for Christmas" is fighting a losing battle to be memorable even with the lovelier than lovely Danica McKellar in the lead role who I am sure is a pull for anyone who remembers her as Winnie Cooper in "The Wonder Years" but not seen her in anything since.
What this all boils down to is that "Crown for Christmas" is a pleasant Christmas movie if you are looking for something to watch to nudge you in to the Christmas swing of things. But due to it being familiar in every aspect it isn't a movie which manages to stand out from the crowd or make you feel like you need to watch it over and again.
Tags: TV Christmas Movies, Christmas Movies
