“Ever Since I Was a Little Kid, I Always Dreamt of Being a Writer. After I Realized Being a Princess Wasn’t Going to Work Out for Me.”
I’ve got to admit, I almost passed on A Prince in Paradise. It had been sitting on my DVR for over a year when I finally sat down to watch it, and many of the Hallmark and Great American Family romance movies I’d watched had been disappointments. But I decided to give it a chance and I’m so glad I did.
Olivia Perkins (Rhiannon Fish) is a famous romance author. However, when she gets dumped by her long-term boyfriend, Kyle (Juan Fernando Monge), she develops a major case of writer’s block. It’s her best friend, Katie (Cara McCarthy), who convinces her to take the vacation she’d booked as a surprise for Kyle, so the two set off for a small island.
Meanwhile, Prince Alexander (Mitchell Bourke) is on the same island. His late father started a conservation foundation there, and Alexander has gone to attend a fundraiser. He and Olivia had briefly crossed paths in New York, and they find themselves getting to know each other better on the island. Where might this lead?
If you are looking for something original, you’ll be disappointed. This movie has so many tropes it’s easy to lose count. But the movie does it right. It never dwells on any of them any longer than they absolutely need to before they move on to the next plot point (and trope). Yet it never feels rushed. The writers did a great job of keeping us invested while hitting familiar notes. And they did it without too much clunky dialogue.
And here’s the thing – I was having a blast watching these two characters fall in love. From the start, you can’t help but root for them. The characters are friendly and charming, and they are having so much fun, you want to spend time watching them together.
This is a direct testament to the acting. The leads have chemistry, and the supporting cast is just as wonderful. I can’t think of a bad performance or note.
I will say I don’t know that I bought the breaking of tradition. I feel like the traditions for royal families are so ingrained that it would take more than we saw here. But that’s my only true criticism. And I’m willing to let it go because I enjoyed the rest of the movie so much.
Yes, this was a low budget made for TV movie, but they kept that as hidden as they could. Unlike many of the movies I’ve watched where it was obvious, in this case, it was easy to get lost in the story. I can’t think of a moment that didn’t work or something that was obviously done for the sake of the budget. That’s saying something.
A note about the title. IMDB lists this as A Royal in Paradise. Everywhere else, I’m seeing it listed as A Prince in Paradise. Either way, this is a movie worth watching.
Next time you see A Prince in Paradise is going to air on TV, don’t hesitate to watch it. You’ll soon be caught up in its charms.
I love a good royal romance movie. Adding this to my list!
ReplyDeleteI watched this one last week too and I enjoyed it. Another good one I watched was Royal Matchmaker on Hallmark. I'm not usually a fan of the royal romcoms, but both of these were good. :)
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