Written by: Ally Carter & Kim Beyer-Johnson
Starring: Brooke Shields, Cary Elwes, Lee Ross, Andi Osho
Rating: [3/5]
Castles carry a mystique dating back to when they held relevance in a time of kings and queens. But in the end, they essentially served as large manors built for strategic defensive planning for these particular royals and nobles who inhabited them. Still, this romanticism exists even if they mostly serve as a burden for the descendants who now own them. A Castle for Christmas displays this particular struggle and combines a Christmas tale of an author trying to figure out her next steps.
After her recent book caused hordes of backlash because of a particular narrative decision, Sophie Brown (Brooke Shields) visits her father’s ancestral village in Dunbar, Scotland. There she learns the castle where her grandfather worked as a groundskeeper is for sale and places an offer to purchase it but does not get along with the Duke who currently owns it, Myles Dunbar (Cary Elwes).
We know right from the onset what brought anyone to A Castle for Christmas. It was not the promise of a strong story or excellent writing, but seeing Brooke Shields and Cary Elwes play a cute couple within a Christmas movie. Everything else around them probably would not provide anything worth writing home about but if they could nail the central dynamic between these two then much could be forgiven and luckily that’s what happens with this film. The film has the silliness we know we will receive from these types of films and it has just enough to get it over the line.
Sophie as a character does find herself in quite the situation as an author where going to a different country will provide her some sort of reprieve. Her killing off of a beloved character had fans rage at her even though she owns the very story and has every right to make the decisions she wants. However, as we know, fans have their opinions and will make their voices heard. This all culminates in a scene taking place during a talk show hosted by Drew Barrymore herself. This Scotland trip came at the right time for her and even then she could not fully escape the fans with opinions. However, it comes with a different flavor of niceness, which summarizes the entire town of Dunbar for her.
Her meeting with Myles, the 12th Duke of Dunbar puts her in the place of a usurper as she attempts to buy the castle. Given it’s up for sale, but Myles does not particularly like the circumstance overall. It demonstrates that having a castle is all good until one must continue with the ongoing maintenance involved with having it operate properly. This reality only makes it further makes sense that these castles allow tours to generate some sort of income. After all, these castles no longer have tax revenue bringing in funds, much like when the nobility lived within them. This initial anger Myles harbors for Sophie then predictably shifts into the romance we know will come with this story and this particular element works.
On top of the townsfolk bringing plenty of charm to the story, the connection built between Sophie and Myles comes with plenty of genuine chemistry, certainly helped along by Brooke Shields and Cary Elwes. They carry their own distinct charm individually but together they allow us to completely push away all the more subpar elements of the film and completely take in this idea of them falling in love and potentially living together in this castle. Given the amount of money she makes with these books where she can afford to abruptly buy a castle means it would make for an ideal pairing.
Not without its faults, A Castle for Christmas still has just enough with its nice little romance in the middle to be worth the price of admission. Unlike most of these Christmas romances, we have actors that manage to elevate the material they receive, and Shields and Elwes combine to ensure we can get at least a baseline level of entertainment. Everything else regarding Dunbar also has plenty of charm, as we learn about how much Myles cares for the people, the castle, and surrounding village employees. It’s all just a sweet experience and displays how good these Christmas films can be when they get things somewhat right.
Films with Josh 
