Given how the characters appear upon introduction, I firmly believe that in the hands of a more progressive production company, this film would have been the love story of the prince & his valet. Since this is Hallmark Channel, well, that interpretation is left to subtext & is steamrolled over by not just one hetero romance, but two. One for the prince & one for his valet.
On that note, despite a rough beginning what with a less than nuanced portrayal by Kemp, overall, the film's central romance succeeds. This is due in large part to Lenz's absolutely delightfully charming performance as Kate. She commits wholeheartedly & is a joy to watch.
Additionally, this might just be the Hallmark movie with the best costume designer & stylist, at least that I've ever watched. Every outfit Lenz's Kate wears is stunning, or, if not stunning, certainly eyecatching in a positive way.
The film does lose half a star just for the very absurdity of expecting an engagement on such a short timeline though. It's not explicitly clear that the king wants his son engaged in the span of four weeks until more than halfway through, at which point I question why a public announcement of a relationship between the prince & his selected match wouldn't serve the purpose equally well.
Given how the characters appear upon introduction, I firmly believe that in the hands of a more progressive production company, this film would have been the love story of the prince & his valet. Since this is Hallmark Channel, well, that interpretation is left to subtext & is steamrolled over by not just one hetero romance, but two. One for the prince & one for his valet.
On that note, despite a rough beginning what with a less than nuanced portrayal by Kemp, overall, the film's central romance succeeds. This is due in large part to Lenz's absolutely delightfully charming performance as Kate. She commits wholeheartedly & is a joy to watch.
Additionally, this might just be the Hallmark movie with the best costume designer & stylist, at least that I've ever watched. Every outfit Lenz's Kate wears is stunning, or, if not stunning, certainly eyecatching in a positive way.
The film does lose half a star just for the very absurdity of expecting an engagement on such a short timeline though. It's not explicitly clear that the king wants his son engaged in the span of four weeks until more than halfway through, at which point I question why a public announcement of a relationship between the prince & his selected match wouldn't serve the purpose equally well.
