Hunter King plays Cecily, a corgi dog trainer who is hired to help Prince Edmond, played by Jordan Reno, who inexplicably bought a rescue corgi. I didn't really buy the premise, and I thought Reno looked more like a California surfer than an heir to the throne of the latest fake monarchy ("Comfrey"). But the dogs are really cute.
I'm really only writing this review to react (negatively) to Cecily's repeated bowing to royalty.
Americans should be polite, but they shouldn't bow to foreign leaders. This may be a bit lawyerly (I can't help it, I'm a lawyer) but the US Constitution (Article I, section 9, clause 8) prohibits titles of nobility or monarchy in the U. S. and it is considered inappropriate for Americans to bow or curtsy towards any foreign monarch or noble. We fought a war to get rid of kings and queens.
Nevertheless, in fairness to how the character was written, Cecily is a bit of a ditzy nervous fish out of water who undoubtedly wasn't sure what the protocol was. It's come to my attention (through my daughter) that the King sisters have generated rather strong mixed reactions. Joey King has built a successful career (the Kissing Booth) and Hunter King was entertaining in Hallmark's Hidden Gems. I find them appealing in an unconventional way and they're both talented. But I can see how that might not be a universal view.
This was actually a pleasant movie to watch. The corgis are cute and are wisely included in most of the scenes. One of my favorite scenes is when the future king is told to address the dog's "basic needs" by picking up its poop.
I can do without the overused "almost kiss" which occurs here during a "steamy" scene.
I enjoyed the reference to Charlotte's Web by E. B. White:
"We take to the breeze, we go as we please."
Prince Edmond dreams of such freedom, and Cecily has it.
I keep saying that I'm tired of the Royal and Regular Person trope but I have to admit, this wasn't a bad entry in the long list of Hallmark movies that repackage that trope.
