A Royal Montana Christmas - Hallmark Movie Review
for those wondering, yes, yes, yes
I am aware that the second season of Ranma 1/2 has started on netflix...
ABSOLUTELY i'm watching it...
ABSOLUTELY i'm going to review it, actually i've already started 🫣 i basically already have the review done but i think i'm going to wait until the end of season to be fair
I wasssss working on a Sims 4 Adventure Awaits review (well trailer review and my thoughts cause NO I do not buy these pack on launch, I wait for sales and encourage any other simmer to do the same) but it was taking longer than expected and the more i wrote it the more I was losing interest so I ended up scraping it 😅
so i decided to pivot and review a hallmark christmas movie!
totally 180, i know lol
A Royal Montana Christmas!
I don't know if i've ever admitted it here but i LOVE hallmark movies! i love romance movies, romance novels, harlequin romance comics/manga, love songs AND I love, LOVE the christmas holiday season!
So the christmas hallmark movies are so right up my alley! My mom and I make sure to tune in every year! My dad sometimes join us too, it's hilarious! we love predicting what's coming up next, the decisions of the characters, it's just a really great time!
anyways enough with the preliminaries and on to the main event!
I'm not going to be too harsh when reviewing any hallmark movie (yeah I'll probably do more than one. There's one on Crave that I think needs more attention) because let's be honest, they're hallmark movies with basic writing, noticeable green screen and you know what? that's okay! they're formulaic and predictable and that's what makes them what they are and we love them for it
This particular story, A Royal Montana Christmas, follows the hallmark princess/prince/royal trope and while i'm not a hallmark expert i'll do my best to explain this trope as i understand it
❄️ obviously we have a prince/princess that want to escape their place life or feel bound to it and wants to experience the outside world
❄️ they meet someone from the outside world that shows/teaches them new things, shows them around town and/or invites them into their lives
❄️ eventually they start to fall in love with each other. They exchange little looks, said words and maybe some close encounters experiences will happen around this time. Family and friends still start to take notice as well
❄️ an obstacle will arise that will bring the couple even closer
❄️ usually there's an elegant event or occasion where they will have to dress up in royal attire or just ballroom clothes
❄️ and then what usually follows is a huge, blown out of proportion misunderstanding or the royalty card gets revealed or the family comes and makes a big
about nothing and this understanding will separate the couple for awhile
❄️ the prince/princess or sometimes even the other person will think things through, come to the realization of what's important and then they'll come back to each other, apologize and finally kiss and then credits
there maybe a few things i'm missing there but those are the major beats
this movie...
is no different lol
The movie follows Princess Victoria (because of COURSE her name is Victoria). She is played by actress Fiona Gubelmann
doing a horrible job trying to nail that English accent. Now i'm not an expert but i don't think you need to be in order to tell that this isn't good. at the very least, it's distracting
it's really distracting when she's giving speeches or talking loudly in a group
anyway, the movie follows Victoria as she takes a break from her royal duties to find out more about herself, relive some past memories and in doing so that leads her back to Pines Ranch and to the handsome, cowboy Huntley played by Warren Christie
i was already sold on this movie because again it's a hallmark, romance christmas movie, it also has the royalty trope which is my favourite trope because it give it this "fairy tale" style vibe and i am sucker for that (i blame my love of Disney for that)
but all that to say, another thing that sold me on this was him!
or at least who I thought he originally...was? lol
I thought he was Wes Brown
another favourite hallmark male lead and a recent favourite of mine. I saw him in another hallmark movie earlier this year called Over the Moon in Love and kinda fell in love with him 😍
though I will never betray my first hallmark love, Brant Daugherty
he is as equally hilarious as he is gorgeous
ahem...where was i
Huntley! honestly i got over the fact pretty quickly that he wasn't played by Mr. Brown because during the movie i was kinda digging Warren! He wasn't a bad lead at all! and i actually really believed his chemistry Fiona's Victoria.
Now the movie follows exactly like how I explained before, when Victoria gets to Pines Ranch and meets Huntley, they learning about each other while catching feelings. Victoria learns more about herself, as she does rancher tasks, she helps Huntley start back up the christmas dance agin. She confesses she's a princess as she feels her and Huntley get closer, they attend the dance together, the christmas dance is a success, they confess they're feelings, she turns him down, she goes back home, Huntley is heart broken, Victoria decides where her heart really lies, steps down from the throne (kindaaa...) Victoria runs back to Huntley, they get together and live happily ever after.
Honestly there's really nothing particularly (gosh, I'm using this word a lot) special about this movie except for a couple things I noticed...
ONE.
The female and male lead start falling for each other SO fast! i mean it was crazy work!
LEGIT! 30mins into the movie the characters are already cheek to cheek (well back to back). The exchange looks is crazy!
Usually by this time, the FL (female lead) & ML (male lead) are still getting to know each other and don't really like each other that way just yet
not this movie! they wasted NO time!
the movie also spends A LOT of time with the two of them together! which isn't anything new but this movie was kinda a lot. I'm pretty sure 88% of this movie is JUST the two leads together
minor things, but again things I've never noticed or seen in a hallmark movie before
TWO.
During the middle of the movie, Victoria & Huntley come to realization that they met before at the ranch years ago (which kinda explains the instant attraction). It's here that Victoria reveals that she is in fact a Princess and Huntley...takes it pretty well actually. He doesn't really flinch away or get angry and say, "why didn't you tell me sooner" that kinda thing. He actually still pursues her and i'm like...
They agree to go to the dance together which is super cute and i love her dress
i mean this dress & with cowboy boots?! I LOVE IT! I really do!
What i found odd was the amount of skin showing?
I know this may seem odd especially nowadays but in hallmarks movies (at the least the ones I've seen, which I consider to be a lot) I don't remember them showing this much cleavage. There are even shots were she bends down to talk to the kids which shows a little more & I just think is a little too much
I also think another reason it's so distracting is because...as much as i love the dress...
I don't love it...on her 🫣
I just think it's too big! It feels like it's about 2 sizes too larger for her. That or she needs a better bra. Gosh they need me on these sets cause there is no way I would've approved this. I would of made alterations to the dress to be more fitting at the top or gone with different red dress.
the color would have to stay, it's perfect!
anyway small tangent there is now outta the way cause i'm getting to my favourite part about the movie
THREE.
During the dance Huntley takes Victoria outside to basically talk about the future and how he wants them to be together not caring how but Victoria rebuts by saying she would never wanna tear him away from his family (his family owns the ranch) and she could never forsake her duties and how she thinks he's a great guy and they had a great time together...
during this moment you can see the tears swelling up in Huntely's eyes & as he goes in for the kiss which is passionate and sweet, when he hugs her you see the tears running down his eyes
NOW THIS! This is what got me!
I found this rare for a hallmark movie and it was a first time seeing it myself! The male leads in hallmark movies are already more emotional and vulnerable than other male leads but this, this was on a different level and it really is what made the movie for me. We already felt Huntley's feelings and this moment just really solidify it
FOUR.
this point is an issue I have with the movie, and it's the ending! cause it feels very abrupt!
Actually…it feels abrupt because it is...which isn’t anything new in this kinds of movies but because of the build up and the emotional beats, i wanted a longer conclusion.
After the confession, rejection and kiss, Victoria goes back home, confronts her mom and sister get ready to give her speech. During the middle of her speech, she is reminded of Huntley when she sees a small wooden red horse (Huntley made her a bigger one at the ranch) and right after that pause...moment of reflection, it cuts back to the ranch where Huntley is walking in the barn and boom, who does he see there?
Well no other than Miss Victoria!
like what? did i have a stroke? where did the rest of the scene go?
no travel back to the ranch montage? no talk with the Queen to be like “oh i know myself better now and where my heart lies” ???
predictable but I think it would've worked better
When Victoria talks to Huntley he asks if she gave up her throne/duties which she explains she didn't, she just found someone else better suited for it, her sister…duh.
in which they make out for a little more, cuts to dinner in the ranch with both families and THE END.
so...
I think I like it, even with all the issues I have with it
It's the chemistry of the leads and the emotional scene that really make this hallmark christmas movie one to watch this season and yeah, I recommend it!
There maybe be one or two more hallmark movies I wanna review, Christmas Ever After (don't worry, this one isn't a fairy tale) a crown for christmas (there's the fairytale one...) and Mingle all the way (the hallmark movie that sold me on Brant Daugherty 🫠)
Thanks so much for taking your time to read this, I hope it was a fun and if you have a favourite hallmark movie, let me know! I truly am a sucker for them !
Merry Countdown to Christmas everyone!
🫧
