(Don't worry... I'll get to the sappy Christmas movies in a moment.)
It was cold and snowy during our visit (the trip home had us driving through a blizzard).
The one thing I remember about that journey — more than anything else — was the fact that we decided to forgo a number of possible activities (during non-game hours) to stay in our cozy hotel room and warm our hearts with the endless marathon of holiday movies on the Hallmark Channel.
I want to qualify this by saying that we don't have cable, satellite, or a cable-like streaming bundle available to consumers (and haven't for many years). So this was our chance to enjoy all the schmaltzy goodness Hallmark has to offer each December.
(One note: On our next visit to St. Cloud in 2018, the hotel had removed the Hallmark Channel. Coincidence? Or was it a strategic attempt by the local Chamber of Commerce to get lodgers out and spending money?)
It seems like everyone is copying the formula that has worked so well for the Hallmark Channel (and other linear TV outlets like Lifetime that are known for this sort of fare). I've reviewed a number of holiday movies made by Netflix (some produced by Hallmark partner MPCA) on this blog, but more are getting into the game.
In this "triple-feature review," I have three syrupy holiday movies to look at: "A Castle For Christmas" (Netflix), "The Princess Switch 3: Romancing The Star" (Netflix), and "A Candy Coated Christmas" (Discovery+).
"A Castle For Christmas"
"A Castle For Christmas" features 1980s icon Brooke Shields as a bestselling novelist named Sophie Brown — and Brown has just killed off a popular character in her book series.
Facing public backlash, Sophie decides to travel to a village in Scotland (home of her ancestral roots) and in rather short order sets her sites on purchasing a castle (where her father once served as a groundskeeper) from owner Myles (played by an overdone Cary Elwes), who is dealing with troubles of his own.
If this wasn't a sugary Christmas movie, you'd have to question the mental well-being of Ms. Brown. She's potentially thwarted her literary career by killing off a popular character, and she has made a sketchy financial deal for a dilapidated castle.
All of this is wrapped up with Sophie's recent divorce from her husband. In a more serious drama, we might be looking at the story of a successful person unraveling.
But there is nothing in the world of schmaltzy Christmas movies that can't be fixed by eggnog, a loyal dog, Christmas lights, and a knitting circle that meets at a local pub.
Keen-eyed followers of the "Netflix Christmas Universe" will spot a brief cameo from a couple of supporting players seen in "The Princess Switch" movies.
Overall, the movie hit all the key notes typical for this territory. I just never bought the idea that there was any sort of chemistry between Shields and Elwes.
"The Princess Switch 3: Romancing The Star"
I love "The Princess Switch" movies. In fact, I did a double review of the first two movies last year.
It's another year, and the team behind "The Princess Switch" is as prolific as ever dishing out Vanessa Hudgens's doppelgängers.
That result is "The Princess Switch 3: Romancing The Star," at it offers fans a chance to catch up on the exploits of baker-turned-princess Stacy DeNovo (Vanessa Hudgens), Queen Margaret Delacourt (Vanessa Hudgens), and Margaret's cousin Lady Fiona Pembroke (Vanessa Hudgens).
Honestly, I was a tad bit disappointed they didn't come up with a fourth doppelgänger (just to keep Hudgens on her toes).
In this entry, Lady Fiona really takes center stage.
As Princess Stacy and Queen Margaret are prepping to host an international Christmas festival in Montenero, the centerpiece decoration — known as the "Star of Peace" (a tree-topper on loan from the Vatican) — is stolen.
Stacy and Margaret call on Fiona (who is serving a "sentence" working at an orphanage due to her exploits in "The Princess Switch: Switched Again") to help steal it back.
The typical "Princess Switch" hijinks ensue. We get sets overloaded with Christmas decorations, the three doppelgängers posing as one another, cheesy dialogue, and a love interest for Fiona — ex-boyfriend Peter Maxwell (Remy Hii).
What I like about "The Princess Switch" movies is that they've veered beyond the standard schmaltzy romance stories into something far more fun and ridiculous (in the case of the most recent entry, a frosting-covered heist movie).
As a result, I've really enjoyed the evolution of "The Princess Switch" series, and can't wait to see what craziness ensues next.
"Candy Coated Christmas"
Shifting away from Netflix, I decided to include my thoughts on the new Food Network/Discovery+ production titled "Candy Coated Christmas."
Molly Gallant ("Last Man Standing's" Molly McCook) lives in Beverly Hills, and is a marketing specialist for her family's resort hotel chain. She is counting on seed money from her father for a baby products business she is planning to start with her friend Gracie (Jae Suh Park).
She is also preparing to jet to Hawaii for Christmas.
"Candy Coated Christmas" is a Hallmark-esque holiday movie. That means the best-laid plans for our successful, independent business woman have to go awry in some manner — only to be saved by a rough-around-the-edges hunk in a charming little burg.
In Molly's case, she learns her family's business is failing (due to a lack of bookings) and the only way she can get the money for her startup is to sell her mother's childhood home in the town of Peppermint Hollow, Washington.
Most people in Molly's situation would handle the sale via phone, text, and email. But — this being a schmaltzy Christmas movie — Molly has to fly to Peppermint Hollow to put things in motion.
We all know how this is going to go. She's flying to the flipping "Peppermint Capital of the World" for Pete's sake!!
The house is being rented by the Winters family (old family friends of her deceased mother).
Kim (Lee Garlington), her son Noah (Aaron O'Connell), and Dakota (Landry Townsend playing Kim's teen granddaughter and Noah's niece) are the tenants. They grow peppermint. They make things out of peppermint — including Kim's special formulation that soothes infants with just a few drops on a pacifier.
We all know how this is going to go down.
Molly is going to fall in love with the Winters family. In particular, she is going to fall in love with Noah — a kind, gentle, perfectly hunky man who looks like he stepped out of a Land's End catalog, but just so happens to be a genius MIT grad.
Ree Drummond of "The Pioneer Woman" plays local Peppermint Hollow baker Bee Tyler Essary (who dispenses delicious treats and sage business expertise).
I think "Candy Coated Christmas" could have benefitted from a bit more character/story development (yes, I know that sounds like a ridiculous comment). But I enjoyed it. Maybe Discovery+ will check in on things in Peppermint Hollow again next year.
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More than anything, I enjoyed listening to Bridget throw snowballs at the Santa-sized plot holes featured in each of these movies. It is sort of fun to just sit back and immerse yourself in the goofiness of it all — and scratch your head at all the leaps in logic that take place.
"A Castle For Christmas," "The Princess Switch 3," and "Candy Coated Christmas" will never be mistaken for high art. But the characters are endearing — and the outcomes are so sweet and sentimental — that you just wish your life was tied up neatly with that sort of sparkly bow.
Let's face it, we could all use more of that!
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