Retired ballerina Carrie (Brittany Underwood) is called upon to help put together a performance of ‘The Nutcracker’ starring prima ballerina Medea (Daniela Couso), who is escorted by Prince William (Jonathan Stoddard). Finding that Medea has her own ways of working, and her sights set on the Prince, Carrie unexpectedly lands in the middle of a love triangle. As the Prince starts devoting more of his time to Carrie than to Medea, tensions rise and the performance comes under threat.
‘A Royal Christmas Ballet’ is the final film in Great American Family’s Great American Christmas 2024 season and thankfully it’s a huge improvement on last night’s ‘Christmas in Scotland’. Leaning into a popular theme for holiday movies – a royal romancing an ordinary member of the public – the film hits every trope going but it does so with plenty of charm and panache. Carrie is swept off her feet by the arrival of William and she doesn’t know how to deal with her quickly emerging feelings. It’s clear to her that Medea has a thing for William, and despite trying not to put herself in the middle of them she ends up doing that anyway.
William on the other hand pretty much drops Medea to cope on her own while he’s off winning over Carrie. Regardless of how much meddling Medea does, she can’t stop William from being drawn back to Carrie. Outside of the love triangle there are actually some really nice ballet scenes, that add a touch of class to the overall film. The climax is worth the wait and it definitely pays off the build-up.
Brittany Underwood and Jonathan Stoddard teamed up for last year’s ‘A Royal Christmas Holiday’, and they bring their easy chemistry the screen once again in this film. Neither actor is veering far from the characters they played last time around but that doesn’t really matter. Underwood remains a vibrant presence on screen, bringing with her plenty of energy and heart. Stoddard has the British Prince performance down pat at this point and it’s fun to see him opposite Underwood again.
While it may not offer anything particularly new, ‘A Royal Christmas Ballet’ is plenty of fun and easy entertainment. Airing the Sunday before Christmas, that sounds absolutely perfect to me. It hits all the beats you expect, and it concludes in the way you want it to but beyond that, it’ll make you feel good for the holidays. Sometimes you don’t need to break the mould in order to deliver a solid slice of feel-good entertainment.
Cast: Brittany Underwood, Jonathan Stoddard, Daniela Couso, Monaye Moyes, Allen Guy Director: Fred Olen Ray Writer: Fred Olen Ray Certificate: Unrated Duration: 86 mins Released by: Great American Media Release date: 22nd December 2024
‘A Royal Christmas Ballet’ premieres Sunday 22nd December 2024 at 8/7c on Great American Family as part of Great American Christmas 2024. Find out more at: https://www.greatamericanfamily.com/movie/a-royal-christmas-ballet/
