Picture Perfect Royal Christmas is an entertaining movie with some strong acting. That said, it is quite ordinary in the sense that the story/script is unoriginal and predictable, as other reviewers here have pointed out. Furthermore, it is the fourth royal-themed Christmas movie this 2020 season; there were 2 by Hallmark (One Royal Holiday and A Christmas Carousel) and 1 by ION Television (A Royal Christmas Engagement) this year alone. I would put this one somewhere in the middle of the pack, mostly due to the quality of the acting (as opposed to the script). At the center of this story is Amanda (played by Roxanne McKee), an assistant to a well-known photographer named Beatrice Bitterly (played by Yana Marinova). Her boss (aka Beatrice) receives an invitation from the Royal Family of Pantrea to partake in and document the Kingdom's 5 days of Christmas celebration. Amanda goes in her place, unknowingly posing as the renowned photographer. Once there, Amanda meets Prince Leopold (our other protagonist in the story, played by David Witts), where an instant connection between the two begins, and so does our story, as we watch this connection grow and blossom into romance. The writers here draw on a popular plot device (frequently used in this genre of film): i.e., deception and mistaken identity. Instead of your typical 'royal incognito', it is 'the commoner', unknowingly, posing as a famous photographer in this story. The writers also use the (very common) 'arranged marriage' theme as the point of conflict/tension (between our two protagonists) in the story. The dialogue in the film is decent (though a bit dull at times), and there is even a little twist to the story at the end. What makes this movie work on screen, of course, is the acting. McKee and Witts both had strong performances, and the chemistry between the two was convincing. McKee had a warm and flirtatious vibe to her performance, which worked well, I felt. The supporting cast was also very good. For example, Sophie Vavasseur had a charming performance as Duchess Catherine (Amanda's romantic rival in the story). Finally, the scenery, props, and sets were refined and festive. The castle was beautiful, for example. The movie too had a nice Christmas feel to it. Although it is an ordinary royal Christmas story, it was an entertaining movie nonetheless (due to some good acting). If you are a fan of royal romance movies, then this one, I suspect, is for you.
