This is Hallmark's second 'Royal' Christmas movie this season (the first being One Royal Holiday, which is arguably a better film). I have mixed feelings about this one: on the one hand, the plot is very generic (except for the carousel element) and the script is quite ordinary; on the other hand, the acting was very good overall. That said, in the end, I thought it was a decent movie, but not one of Hallmark's best, I'm afraid. I did think it was great getting a glimpse at the craftsmanship and artwork that goes into making and upkeeping a carousel. I had never really thought about it before, but it seems to be a very artistic endeavor. A pity we did not spend more time watching Thomas Carousel Restoration (which was the name of their business in the film) at work. The story here centers around Lila (played by Rachel Boston), who works for her father Roy (played by Stuart Hughes) at the family carousel restoration business, though, recently, she has been thinking about following her own path (career-wise, that is). They are hired by the Royal Family of Ancadia to restore an old carousel that Lila's great-grandfather built some 100 years earlier. Upon their arrival, they meet Whitaker (aka the Prince, played by Neal Bledsoe, our other protagonist in this story) who has taken an interest in the restoration. And so, our journey begins as Lila and the Prince team up, and we watch their relationship grow and blossom into romance in the snow-covered mountains of the Kingdom of Ancadia. The movie draws a little on a very popular plot device this Christmas season: i.e., deception and mistaken identity. I thought this worked well. Indeed, the first 20 minutes or so of the film were great, I thought. There were some nice scenes where we got a look at the craftsmanship I mentioned above, and there were some nice banter and interactions between our two protagonists. However, once we got to the palace of the royal family, the story started to become less appealing, I thought. The sub-plot around the father and son relationship (the King and Prince) was unexceptional: we have seen many movies where the Prince is not living up to the royal standards. There were some good dialogue and scenes between the Prince and Lila. However, the chemistry between the two never really developed on screen, which is a problem in a romance film. Boston had a pretty good performance; she usually does well (as a Hallmark regular) in this genre of film. Bledsoe too had a decent performance (his accent did not bother me, as it seems to have been for some of the reviewers on here). As another reviewer observed, he had a bit of a Hugh Grant vibe to his performance, which I, for the most part, enjoyed. The problem was, there was no real chemistry between the two. At least, I did not see it or feel it on screen. The supporting cast was strong, some solid performances, I thought. What was up with Roy's little boy haircut? It was a bit distracting at first. Finally, the film did have a very nice Christmas feel to it. There were some beautiful scenic shots of the castle and mountains. The scenery, props, and sets were elegant and quite festive (such cozy royal stables). All in all, it is a decent Christmas movie. If you enjoy Royal themed Hallmark (or Hallmark like) movies, then I suspect you will enjoy this one too.
39 Reviews
I realize that this is slightly more than a little unorthodox...
cgvsluis1 January 2021
A Christmas carousel highlights the importance of restoration of a valuable part of our history: carousels. Carousels are a real and true dying art. The back drop is a more typical hallmark love story...regular girl falls in love with a prince, he has obligations....yada yada yada, misunderstanding-misunderstanding, wish on a carousel wishing horse, the singing of The Coventry Carol....and wham! True Love/Happily Ever After!
One tiny complaint...male lead is handsome with a great voice, but some of his acting, particularly with his niece is a little over the top and hard to believe for a prince...even one with art training, unless he was trained at Barnum and Bailey.
One tiny complaint...male lead is handsome with a great voice, but some of his acting, particularly with his niece is a little over the top and hard to believe for a prince...even one with art training, unless he was trained at Barnum and Bailey.
The Christmas Carousel
mitchellrharl27 December 2020
Really disappointed in Rachel Boston too opinionated too blunt her characters are usually great.I have always been a fan this one is a bust.Ralph Hughes as dad bad hair and so much smaller than his daughter.
Neal Bledsoe pretty good but should have been better with the beautiful Carousel scenery .really disappointing
Hallmark losing its edge other channels do so much better.
Not my favorite, but not awful
rg7991210 January 2021
I haven't always been a fan of Rachel Boston. She has tried to portray an over the top quirky and adorable 20 year old character for far too long. She needed to realize that she's older and needed to act more her age. Then came her movie the previous year about the competitive family inn's. I loved that movie. It was my favorite of last Christmas. She was finally more believeable, mature and appealing. I looked forward to seeing her in a movie for the first time ever. This movie was a little disappointing. The male actor was great, I'd love to see him cast in more movies in the future. Rachel Boston just didn't make sense. I didn't feel it. It wasn't believable and she didn't seem like a good fit with the future King. She kind of barreled over royal behaviors and traditions and it just wasn't endearing to me. I still liked the movie well enough though.
somehow misses its mark
sherilcarey23 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I'm a person who tends to like a lot of made for tv Christmas movies. Admittedly plenty of those I have liked have had low production values or have even been excessively cheesy. So I really had to think through why this movie seemed so off to me. There were Christmas decorations in the sets. There was talk of Christmas and the use of it in the timing of things. And somehow the movie felt as though it wasn't really a Christmas movie at all. With the exception of the singing of a charming "old carol" there was an incredibly odd feel of it not really being Christmas at all. The actor who was supposed to be touched by the singing of the older carol did a nice job in hearing it and responding. At least there was that.
As for the rest of the movie: They had a unique twist with the carousel but then they did little to nothing with it. They started with the "unveiling" of a carousel that was actually not unveiled but that the children had to get inside the tent and ride with no view. No explanation or reason to educate the audience if that would be a real thing, just a very unsatisfying unveiling that didn't make any sense. They moved on to a project in another country which had the same carousel horses rather than the historical idea of carousel horse that were each individually hand carved pieces of art. They gave the restoration project a ridiculously unrealistic timeframe even for proving they were great or that magic seeming things happen at Christmas then really basically ignored it throughout the majority of the movie, to their own detriment because it had nothing to do with the real conflict they wanted to use in the story, which was a very cliche I-don't-want-duty- I -want-art thing that a million works of pulpy type fiction do when using royalty. They introduced the odd element of a wishing horse but also mostly ignored that, gave it no fantastical support elements, and then just used it in one very flat moment for a few seconds at the end of the movie. Cheesy on purpose I can get behind sometimes. I'm pretty great at suspending my disbelief and going with it, if a movie maker gives me any excuse to do so. Sometimes cheesy is a lot of fun. But they just made that a cheesy or odd thing and then left you hanging with an initial moment of not really liking the idea, rather than playing it up to be fun in any way, shape, or form. The main romantic lead was a man with a great voice but otherwise was somehow wrong in the role. The costuming was unnecessarily weak. Like I said, I'm sometimes ok with low budget but there were some fairly serious problems in the costuming here and there, especially the prince's formal uniform mockup he wore at the end of the movie which fit him terribly and gave him, or emphasized, the weakest and most sloped shoulders ever filmed as royal shoulders.
It is ok for some elements to be subtle in a movie, of course. It can even be great. But I think they maybe went for subtle where they should not have. The father's subtle romance flickering to light was the better romance in the story and I wish they had given it its own ending moment towards the end of the film more than they actually did just alluding to the idea a little. In any case, I suspect the problems ran all the way through the writing, directing, editing, everything. This was a wholesome, clean movie with a few good ideas that could have been much better. At least it wasn't full of the nastiness of people who hate decency and goodness. I'd have ended up marking it with a couple of stars less, if that were the case. But as it was, it deserved some real critique. I know there were some people involved who can do much better. I think they should have separated the carousel idea from their need to do another royal romance at Christmas thing and made a good, solid movie about the restoration of the carousel. It might have even been great, though they first need to do some real research and learn a little about that topic.
As for the rest of the movie: They had a unique twist with the carousel but then they did little to nothing with it. They started with the "unveiling" of a carousel that was actually not unveiled but that the children had to get inside the tent and ride with no view. No explanation or reason to educate the audience if that would be a real thing, just a very unsatisfying unveiling that didn't make any sense. They moved on to a project in another country which had the same carousel horses rather than the historical idea of carousel horse that were each individually hand carved pieces of art. They gave the restoration project a ridiculously unrealistic timeframe even for proving they were great or that magic seeming things happen at Christmas then really basically ignored it throughout the majority of the movie, to their own detriment because it had nothing to do with the real conflict they wanted to use in the story, which was a very cliche I-don't-want-duty- I -want-art thing that a million works of pulpy type fiction do when using royalty. They introduced the odd element of a wishing horse but also mostly ignored that, gave it no fantastical support elements, and then just used it in one very flat moment for a few seconds at the end of the movie. Cheesy on purpose I can get behind sometimes. I'm pretty great at suspending my disbelief and going with it, if a movie maker gives me any excuse to do so. Sometimes cheesy is a lot of fun. But they just made that a cheesy or odd thing and then left you hanging with an initial moment of not really liking the idea, rather than playing it up to be fun in any way, shape, or form. The main romantic lead was a man with a great voice but otherwise was somehow wrong in the role. The costuming was unnecessarily weak. Like I said, I'm sometimes ok with low budget but there were some fairly serious problems in the costuming here and there, especially the prince's formal uniform mockup he wore at the end of the movie which fit him terribly and gave him, or emphasized, the weakest and most sloped shoulders ever filmed as royal shoulders.
It is ok for some elements to be subtle in a movie, of course. It can even be great. But I think they maybe went for subtle where they should not have. The father's subtle romance flickering to light was the better romance in the story and I wish they had given it its own ending moment towards the end of the film more than they actually did just alluding to the idea a little. In any case, I suspect the problems ran all the way through the writing, directing, editing, everything. This was a wholesome, clean movie with a few good ideas that could have been much better. At least it wasn't full of the nastiness of people who hate decency and goodness. I'd have ended up marking it with a couple of stars less, if that were the case. But as it was, it deserved some real critique. I know there were some people involved who can do much better. I think they should have separated the carousel idea from their need to do another royal romance at Christmas thing and made a good, solid movie about the restoration of the carousel. It might have even been great, though they first need to do some real research and learn a little about that topic.
OoooFfff.. Painfully BAD.
LuLuBelleJ20 December 2020
OoooFfff.. Painfully BAD. I'll be the first to admit I love a well done "royal" Christmas movie, and always look forward to them each year. They're hit or miss, and this one is realllllllllyyyyyyy a MISS. Rachel Boston is at the top of my "I wish they'd retire" list, and Neal Bledsoe is pretty hard to watch as well.
It seems like Hallmark was trying to emulate the "nostalgia" of A Godwink Christmas (with the carousel), and the sentiments of Christmas with a Prince (equally as bad... -maybe even worse). Like another said, this year has been a lame year for Hallmark. I'll take Quality of Quantity, too!!
There's basically nothing to spoil, since the story is predictable within the first 5 minutes.
The best royal movies, in my opinion will remain: A Princess for Christmas, Crown for Christmas, and A Royal Christmas.
Watch at your own risk.
*And Hallmark, should you read this...... PLEASE just STOP using the same tired actors and actresses. And for the love of ALL that is holy, -PLEASE get new writers, actors, costumes and locations!!!!
Another Royal movie
Jackbv12320 December 2020
I'm not a fan of the royal themes partly because by their nature they require varying degrees of departure from reality. I know that most of the movies in this genre require some latitude in that regard, but the royal movies more than most. This movie is no different in that regard, so it's best to accept it and go with it. Either that, or avoid the movie altogether.
With that settled, this movie has some good moments. This movie follows fairly typical royal movie tropes. But there's at least one touching moment near the end to go along with a couple of small surprises.
Rachel Boston and Neal Bledsoe have as much chemistry as you can expect given the roles of commoner and prince. As is the case in many of these scenarios, Lila doesn't take the prince too seriously. Fortunately, he doesn't take himself too seriously either. The movie gives them a fair amount of screen time together.
Of course, the leading lady shows up in this kingdom and changes or at least impacts many important things, especially the prince, but I already said reality wasn't important.
With that settled, this movie has some good moments. This movie follows fairly typical royal movie tropes. But there's at least one touching moment near the end to go along with a couple of small surprises.
Rachel Boston and Neal Bledsoe have as much chemistry as you can expect given the roles of commoner and prince. As is the case in many of these scenarios, Lila doesn't take the prince too seriously. Fortunately, he doesn't take himself too seriously either. The movie gives them a fair amount of screen time together.
Of course, the leading lady shows up in this kingdom and changes or at least impacts many important things, especially the prince, but I already said reality wasn't important.
Ancadia shmancadia
toncincin26 December 2020
Hallmark JUST STOP IT! These royal movies are ridiculous . Why do they all have English accents? Why are they all so snooty? Why are there so many princes unmarried or without partners? Why are all the American gurls so taken with royalty? NOT TRUE!
Why are these movies so stupid? I can't even finish it...
Why are these movies so stupid? I can't even finish it...
Surprised by all the low ratings here....
telstone-9832421 December 2020
I actually study Hallmark movies because 1) I watch a lot of them and 2) keep track of the ones I really like. I've written novels and screenplays so have studied writing what most consider "formulaic" fiction. The things that actually stood out for me in this film were that there were a few twists on what was keeping the two apart, vs. what I find usually contrived problems that could be easily unraveled if the two main characters would just share one or two more sentences. This "conflict" was so good, I actually sat up and thought: good one! It was subtle, I'll admit. But after so many "eye-rolling" moments on most romance movies (which I overlook as I pretty much expect them to offer silly, easily fixed challenges before they declare true love), there were at least a couple of nice surprises in this film. I loved the way Neal Bledsoe channeled Hugh Grant, without being a cartoon copy -- not an easy accomplishment. And there's always something winning about Rachel Boston. Sure, it's a Hallmark movie so I don't expect too much in the way of plot, but I think this was one of the better offerings for 2020 and it has been recorded in my OneNote with names of producers and writers etc. as I keep track of the best Hallmarks and the ones I'll look for again to revisit in another year or two. So, instead of listening to all these bad reviews, I would recommend this one. It may speak to you, as it did to me and I hope you enjoy it! Merry Christmas!
A red herring staring up at you
MickyG33329 December 2022
6.8 stars.
I tried 'A Christmas Carousel' about 6 weeks ago when I began this Hallmark Christmas marathon, but sadly was unable to finish it. I ended up deleting it so I could free space for what appeared to be more savory films. It was a tough Thanksgiving week juggling the 80+ I had on my DVR and "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one". I'm back for more punishment. I figure now that I have one-hundred and thirty three under my belt, I can make this one #134... give it another shot. I know what you are thinking "this guy needs to get out of his parents' basement and get a life". You wouldn't be wrong. Maybe I've matured in my process enough to view this film from a completely unbiased perspective. I am an expert x-mas flick dude now, and so let's see what new insights 'A Christmas Carousel' delivers...
Insight #1: I've grown more fond of Rachel Boston over time. She was in the lower middle of the pack, now she's in the upper middle.
Lila (Boston) literally bumps into the dashing prince Whitaker (Bledsoe). She and her father are at his royal palace in Ancadia to restore an old Carousel that her great grandfather built. She does not realize he is the prince, but we as the audience know immediately. He fools with her, pretending to be a handyman/painter. A few minutes later his big identity reveal is strangely downplayed. Truth be told Bledsoe is a splendid actor and primarily what makes this film better than boring. As the story goes, we witness some moments of enlightened flirtation between Lila and Whitaker. They follow the cliché unabashed American girl not swooning over European Prince routine.
Insight #2: The rest of the story is predictable, however I find it to be charming and well done. It is nothing new, but I was touched nonetheless.
I tried 'A Christmas Carousel' about 6 weeks ago when I began this Hallmark Christmas marathon, but sadly was unable to finish it. I ended up deleting it so I could free space for what appeared to be more savory films. It was a tough Thanksgiving week juggling the 80+ I had on my DVR and "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one". I'm back for more punishment. I figure now that I have one-hundred and thirty three under my belt, I can make this one #134... give it another shot. I know what you are thinking "this guy needs to get out of his parents' basement and get a life". You wouldn't be wrong. Maybe I've matured in my process enough to view this film from a completely unbiased perspective. I am an expert x-mas flick dude now, and so let's see what new insights 'A Christmas Carousel' delivers...
Insight #1: I've grown more fond of Rachel Boston over time. She was in the lower middle of the pack, now she's in the upper middle.
Lila (Boston) literally bumps into the dashing prince Whitaker (Bledsoe). She and her father are at his royal palace in Ancadia to restore an old Carousel that her great grandfather built. She does not realize he is the prince, but we as the audience know immediately. He fools with her, pretending to be a handyman/painter. A few minutes later his big identity reveal is strangely downplayed. Truth be told Bledsoe is a splendid actor and primarily what makes this film better than boring. As the story goes, we witness some moments of enlightened flirtation between Lila and Whitaker. They follow the cliché unabashed American girl not swooning over European Prince routine.
Insight #2: The rest of the story is predictable, however I find it to be charming and well done. It is nothing new, but I was touched nonetheless.
Don't usually write reviews
shobbs-8608126 December 2020
I wasn't going to review this movie but it's bad enough for this Hallmark-loving viewer that I must warn off anyone from wasting the time I invested (watched it all...) It had promise but went terribly wrong in the final 15 minutes (although if you want some really good belly laughs, watch only the hilarious ending.)
Not really!
pepperlilly25 December 2020
I Loved This Movie
brisakriner16 May 2021
This movie was beautiful. It touched on many subjects that people can relate to. You don't have to be a Crown Prince to understand the struggles of communication between children and parents. Continuing to Dream after losing someone close to you. The struggle of being the oldest child and having to be the role model, or simply the male figure to carry on the legacy or name of the family. Also, reviewers forget one major thing, during the filming of this production, COVID-19 played a major role. Locations had to be remote, the the chemistry between actors was almost impossible to capture due to CDC GUIDELINES. The kissing was minimal, the closeness between actors, they were mostly always six feet apart. COVID was a reality during filming and it still is. We should be thankful to the actors who were willing to expose themselves, for us to have entertainment during the holidays. Also, I find no problem with the Prince and Princess theme, but I do agree, they do need to change the storylines a bit. The element of surprise is missing. Overall, I truly enjoyed this movie. As for his English accent, that's how he speaks in real life.
A carousel not worth going on
TheLittleSongbird16 August 2022
It was saddening for me to not like 'A Christmas Carousel' more. Hallmark did do some surprisingly very well done films in 2020, which one doesn't expect from a company that usually works to tight deadlines and low budgets and then with the pandemic on top, with some of the best coming from the Christmas block. Have seen some of Rachel Boston's other work and have liked her in other things. Also did like the concept and thought it quite charming potentially.
'A Christmas Carousel' unfortunately turned out to be rather bland and charmless and even Boston can't redeem it. 2020 did see some good Hallmark Christmas films, actually thought the Christmas batch was a lot better than expected on the whole, but there were also some misfires. Of which 'A Christmas Carousel' is one of them, and one of the worst. If there is a contender for the worst 2020 Hallmark Christmas film, this would be a strong contender, or at least the blandest.
There are a few redeeming qualities. It is a nice looking film, with very attractive and at its best magical scenery that really does give off a festive vibe. Complemented beautifully by the photography.
Did think the film started off decently and that Neal Blesdoe had a nice charismatic charm.
However, the rest of the acting is at best bland and nobody looks as though they disappeared into the roles and instead looking as if they had just about memorised the script. This is including Boston, who comes over as rather cold and uptight. She and Blesdoe generate very little chemistry together in a severely undercooked in writing relationship, and none of the characters came over as interesting or likeable. Boston's character's arrogance was taken to extremes for example.
Furthermore, the story is very atmospherically bland and very unengaging from doing absolutely nothing new with familiar ground, so it all feels tired. Pace wise, the film drags quite a bit. The script is awkward and goes overboard on the corn and schmaltz. Absolutely agree regarding the ending, which is horrendously cheesy and is not even entertaining enough for unintentional laughter. There is not much memorable about the music, which is very typical Hallmark in tone and could have been used with more subtlety. The far too sugary sweet mutilation of one of the most beautiful carols ever written was unforgivable.
Concluding, pretty weak. 3/10.
'A Christmas Carousel' unfortunately turned out to be rather bland and charmless and even Boston can't redeem it. 2020 did see some good Hallmark Christmas films, actually thought the Christmas batch was a lot better than expected on the whole, but there were also some misfires. Of which 'A Christmas Carousel' is one of them, and one of the worst. If there is a contender for the worst 2020 Hallmark Christmas film, this would be a strong contender, or at least the blandest.
There are a few redeeming qualities. It is a nice looking film, with very attractive and at its best magical scenery that really does give off a festive vibe. Complemented beautifully by the photography.
Did think the film started off decently and that Neal Blesdoe had a nice charismatic charm.
However, the rest of the acting is at best bland and nobody looks as though they disappeared into the roles and instead looking as if they had just about memorised the script. This is including Boston, who comes over as rather cold and uptight. She and Blesdoe generate very little chemistry together in a severely undercooked in writing relationship, and none of the characters came over as interesting or likeable. Boston's character's arrogance was taken to extremes for example.
Furthermore, the story is very atmospherically bland and very unengaging from doing absolutely nothing new with familiar ground, so it all feels tired. Pace wise, the film drags quite a bit. The script is awkward and goes overboard on the corn and schmaltz. Absolutely agree regarding the ending, which is horrendously cheesy and is not even entertaining enough for unintentional laughter. There is not much memorable about the music, which is very typical Hallmark in tone and could have been used with more subtlety. The far too sugary sweet mutilation of one of the most beautiful carols ever written was unforgivable.
Concluding, pretty weak. 3/10.
Loved this movie!
pgibbons-8395314 September 2021
For starters, Neal Bledsoe always elevates a movie; then pair him with Rachel Boston, and you've got a winner! Loved every minute of this and have watched it many times. Rachel and Neal are both fantastic with quick and flirty banter, dry humor, and making us fall in love with their characters falling in love.
A Christmas Carousel
JoBloTheMovieCritic23 December 2020
Had high hopes for this one, but gave up
Pete-Claus21 December 2020
Had high hopes for this one, but gave up early because the dialogue was just too artificial. The artificial accent from the prince added to the difficulty. I see from another reviewer's comments that it apparently has a really good wrap up in terms of visual sequences, character closure, and plot resolution, which sounds just like what I was hoping for from this movie, but it was too off-putting right at the start for me to be able to get there.
Of the the Best of the 2020 Season!
Jazzie-too5 January 2021
Meh
jules-026302 December 2021
While I usually love Hallmark Christmas movies, even though Hallmark does the same senario a million times, I always love watching Rachel Boston. She and her bubbly attitude are so delightful to watch. However, this one was notgetting it for me. Neal Bledsoe's fake accent is just too much. Obviously fake. He was trying to hard to sound authentic. If Hallmark insists on doing yet another Royal movie, please get a true Brit to play the part.
Horrible Movie Hallmark!
claudia_falls24 July 2022
The terrible costumes, even more horrible fake accents, stilted acting, try as they might there's no saving this one! Don't bother to watch unless you enjoy cringing through a movie!
I usually love Rachel Boston in anything, but her character role was so poorly written she had nothing to work with. Neal Bledsoe was dreadful as was his accent, and the wardrobe they had him in even more so. No chemistry was to be found between any characters in this movie. Even the child seemed very uncomfortable in her scenes.
Hallmark I know times were difficult during this time, but really? You guys should just pull this one from rotation and spare all the embarrassment!
I usually love Rachel Boston in anything, but her character role was so poorly written she had nothing to work with. Neal Bledsoe was dreadful as was his accent, and the wardrobe they had him in even more so. No chemistry was to be found between any characters in this movie. Even the child seemed very uncomfortable in her scenes.
Hallmark I know times were difficult during this time, but really? You guys should just pull this one from rotation and spare all the embarrassment!
Fail from start to finish...
drippan-3928620 December 2020
This was bad from the start...the start being the writers. It seems as though they wanted to make a royal christmas story, throw in a princess child, a crusty old king and a little dranatic snobberly to make a movie from that.
Next give it to a cast whom each don't understand their character because of the bad writing. They weren't acting but just playing a part.
The director seemed to have the same problem as the cast as he should have steered this ship but was just as lost and just pointed the camera at the play actors and yelled action and cut.
It was like the three blind mice tapping their canes trying to find their way home!
Next give it to a cast whom each don't understand their character because of the bad writing. They weren't acting but just playing a part.
The director seemed to have the same problem as the cast as he should have steered this ship but was just as lost and just pointed the camera at the play actors and yelled action and cut.
It was like the three blind mice tapping their canes trying to find their way home!
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