It seems Christmas miracles are real… Well, if you’re a multi-billion dollar global media empire, they certainly are.
Believe it or not, there was a world before Netflix, and in that world, there lived a genre of film, and that genre was ruled by Hallmark and Lifetime. Every year, as Christmas rolled around, if you happened to be home in the middle of the day, you would switch on the television, and there you would find a snow-covered city, and a down-on-her-luck single gal, most likely working for a magazine or a bakery. As you sit through her arrival to a small European country, and her chance encounter with a handsome stranger (who will turn out to be a Prince, duh), you wonder to yourself:
Is this the worst film ever made, or an untapped work of genius?
At this point our protagonists have spent a few days together, declared their love for each other (this is how romance works, people!), and the credits role on the last two hours of your life – which you will never get back. It’s strange, you kind of enjoyed it. But how? Why? What was there to like? The cookie-cutter characters? The cliché storyline? The cringe-inducing script?
This feeling you have is commonly referred to as ‘guilty pleasure’.
But it was just one time. The chances of catching another one is slim. This will be our little secret.
Think again!
It’s 2018, and that means St. Netflix has worked its magic and made these over-the-top piles of slop… cool?! That’s right, there’s no need to be ashamed anymore. Society is more accepting, and you no longer need to hide your love for cheesy Christmas rom-coms.
In 2017, the Netflix Original A Christmas Prince caused such buzz online, that they have now made a SEQUEL. A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding is coming to Netflix this holiday season. Holy Meghan Markle, how did this happen? I’ll admit, I watched the film when it was released, and you better believe that I will be settling down to watch both the original and the sequel this holiday season. I am under no illusion that this is anything but cinematic trash, but who cares? It has all the ingredients to make you smile, whether that be out of awkward shame, or a genuine feeling of warmth, and let’s be honest… it’s better than real life.
In 2018, Netflix has continued the trend with gems such as The Holiday Calendar and The Princess Switch, (Vanessa Hudgens playing both a Chicago baker, and a Princess of a made-up European country- what could possibly go wrong?). So thank you Netflix, and thank you to those 53 people who watched A Christmas Prince every day for 2 weeks last year, be proud and best of luck this year.
If you’re stuck on what Christmas movies to binge this year, take a look at our Christmas movie guide.
Are you guilty of loving these cheesy holiday films? We’d love to hear your favourites! Let us know what they are in the comments.