Like any other Christmas rom-com fan, I was patiently waiting for the debut of "The Princess Switch" on Netflix starring my childhood idol, Vanessa Hudgens. I was ready for the cliche love story, the cute Christmas decorations, the whole nine. After things settled down at the end of the week, my roommate and I finally got a moment to sit down with some Christmas cookies and hot chocolate to watch the movie.
And it was even better than expected!
The movie opens up with the beautiful Vanessa Hudgens as "Stacy De Novo" in her bright blue bakery sweater. I am convinced that Vanessa Hudgens does not age, considering she looks the exact same as she did when she was eighteen starring in "High School Musical."
Of course, it was extremely cliche as everyone expected. Most of the lines are predictable and cheesy. Yes, there a royal ball the princess has to attend, but what I didn't see coming was the number of female bad*** moments! The female characters in this movie are witty, smart, and weren't going to take anything from ANYONE.
Starting off with Mrs. Donatelli.
Mrs. Donatelli is the princess's caretaker and close friend. She has been taking care of Margaret, the princess, since she was young, so of course she was willing to help both the princess and Stacy whenever she could. Mrs. Donatelli is quick on her feet and gets Stacy out of some tricky situations in the best way possible. She is loyal and does not take anything from the nosey and rude Frank. She will put him in his place with the blink of an eye and I enjoyed every single one of her witty comments. Her character is definitely one of my favorites.
Then there's the Queen.
The Queen has very little appearances, but when she is on screen, she is fierce. There is one scene where Frank has an envelope he would like to relay to the King, but instead, the Queen answers the door. Frank insists that he has "urgent news for the King" to which the Queen replies (in the most badass way), "Anything the concerns the King concerns me as well." Frank still persists and explains that he should meet directly with the King. Then, as calm and poised as ever, the Queen states, "It would be such a shame to lose one's job right before Christmas, wouldn't it?" and demands he hand over the envelope. We love a Queen!
And finally, Ms. Stacy De Novo, of course!
The small-town baker from Chicago is truly an icon in this movie. Stacy is such a sweet, intelligent, and understanding person. She is also very independent and believes that the princess should be as just involved in things as the Prince.
In one scene, the Prince invites "Margaret" (who is actually Stacy) to go horseback riding with him. While they are on the trail, the Prince explains how the state of affairs can be quite a burden. "Margaret" explains that burdens aren't so bad if you have someone to share them with. The Prince laughs and says, "I doubt you would be interested in the details of foreign trade." When she asks why, he states, "Because you have a wedding to plan." Offended and pretty pissed, "Margaret" storms off and heads back to the palace.
From then on, "Margaret" continues to prove that she is capable of more than just planning the wedding. She tries to learn more about shelter their family runs, and even goes as far as visiting the shelter and meeting the families. "Margaret" proves time and time again that she wants to contribute and play an active role in bettering the community.
She refuses to be seen as just a pretty face.
What I love so much about this movie is how there is more to Vanessa Hudgens's character than her love interest. Both Stacy and Margaret have dreams and they take action. They wanted something and they went for it, which I admired and I did not expect from this movie. It was a serendipitous moment that I personally believe made the movie much more enjoyable. I should have expected nothing less from the incredibly talented Vanessa Hudgens.
I highly recommend this movie! A cute Christmas love story starring strong female characters sounds like the perfect Christmas movie to me.
