Entertaining and fun, “Jingle Bell Princess” is recommended!
Click here to watch “Jingle Bell Princess” on Amazon
TITLE: Jingle Bell Princess
FILM YEAR: 2021
DURATION: 85 Minutes
Based on the novel “His Jingle Bell Princess” by Barbara Dunlop
Directed by Don McBrearty
Teleplay by Blaine Chapetta
Screenplay by James D. Hughes
Executive Producer: Vince Balzano, Susie Belzberg, KAthy Ceroni, Trevor Donovan, Eric Jarboe, Amy Krell, Brad Krevoy, Don McBrearty, Amanda Phillips, Jimmy Townsend
Supervising Producer: W. Michael Beard, Kelly Martin, Michael Shepherd
Music by Michael Richard Plowman
Cinematography by Jonathan Yapp
Edited by Ryan Kovack
Casting by Jason Knight
Produced by David Anselmo
Starring:
Merritt Patterson as Princess Amelia
Trevor Donovan as Sam
Charlie Boyle as Sophie Cutler
Marnie McPhail as Annie Cutler
Lindsay Owen Pierre as Brock Montrose
Cherion Drakes as Melanie Montrose
Jaeda Owens as Libby Montrose
Peter Cockett as The King
Matthew Finlan as Marcel
Dan Willmott as Fred Harley/Santa
Through a series of mishaps, sophisticated Princess Amelia is stranded in the small town of Tucker, Maine. There she becomes an “ordinary” guest of the unsuspecting Cutler family.
With each year of watching holiday films, you’ll encounter a storyline revolving around a prince or princess falling for a common person. And for me, the first holiday film of 2022 that I watched to feature a princess is “Jingle Bell Princess” which aired on Great American Family (GAC).
The new network created by a former Hallmark Channel exec and a few Hallmark talent who followed him to the new channel which focuses on more conservative/traditional family storylines.
“Jingle Bell Princess” is directed by Don McBrearty (“Avonlea”, “ReGenesis”, “Murdoch Mysteries”) and a story inspired by Barbara Dunlops “His Jingle Bell Princess”), a teleplay by Blaine Chiapetta and a screenplay by James D. Hughes.
The film stars Merritt Patterson (“The Royals”, “Now”, “Unbroken: Path to Redemption”), Trevor Donovan (“Texas Rising”, “90210”, “NCIS”), Charlie Boyle and Marnie McPhail (“Star Trek: First Contact”, “The Edison Twins”, “The Greatest Game Ever Played”) and more.
The film revolves around Princess Amelia who was leaving to go back home to Europe but her plane ends up stopping in a small town in Tucker, Maine.
As the plane is to be grounded for two hours, she ends up going outside of the plane, walking in the snow and encounters a puppy owned by Fred Harley (portrayed by Dan Willmott), who runs a Christmas business and as she goes to see everyone celebrating Christmas, she forgets about the time and she ends up running into Sam (portrayed by Trevor Donovan).
As Amelia goes to the airport to look for her plane, she is informed that the plane has took off and left her in Tucker. And with a major snow storm, she has no way of going back home until the weather gets better.
Feeling bad for Amelia, the woman behind the airport counter, Annie Cutler, gives Amelia a chance to stay at her home for the time being.
And at the home, she meets Annie’s son, Sam (who she ran into earlier) and his daughter Sophie (portrayed by Charlie Boyle).
As Annie spends time with this American family and learns how free everyone is and how they love Christmas, spending time with the family warms her heart to an experience that she’s never had before.
For the most part, I found “Jingle Bell Princess” to be entertaining.
Typically, most holiday “prince” or “princess” films tend to showcase the luxury of those in royalty and the commoner person being shocked of their new surroundings.
But in this case, it’s the opposite. A princess not wanting to reveal she is a princess and learning about small town hospitality and how life is much more warmer than what she experiences back at home.
Actress Merritt Patterson has become a Christmas holiday favorite, nearly starring a holiday film each year and being a Hallmark holiday film regular since her first appearance in “A Royal Winter” back in 2017.
While Trevor Donovan has been doing holiday films since 2013, when first appeared in “A Snow Globe Christmas”.
So, both Merrit Patterson and Trevor Donovan are holiday regulars and they did an amazing job together. Their chemistry worked very well and I enjoyed this holiday film because it’s not so in your face when it comes to the “royalty” portrayal. It focused on Amelia discovering the people around her in this small town.
Entertaining and fun, “Jingle Bell Princess” is recommended!
Click here to watch “Jingle Bell Princess” on Amazon