I'm not going to lie, The Princess Switch: Switched Again, is one of those movies that gets Christmas right and I'm not ashamed of it at all, Some people may sideeye it, because it's a Netflix Christmas rom-com and those don't always get taken seriously, but this one did for me!
So the story starts with the Duchess Margaret as she is about to become Queen and Stacy, the bakery who looks so much like her from the first film, is there to help her out. But just before the coronation, Margaret begins to question the whole thing, the responsibility, the pressure... This is where Vanessa Hudgens (aka Fiona) comes in Margaret's exact twin cousin but with a completely different vibe, more goofy, more spontaneous. Before this huge coronation event, Fiona persuades Margaret to swap places with her right before the coronation and from then on it spirals into this hilarious holiday mess, and Stacy has to clean up the mess Fiona's in, all while trying to figure out who is who.
But here's my spin on this one, because most people just call it “a cute Christmas switch comedy.” That was not the switch plot by itself, it was that the whole Christmas theme is so interwoven without feeling forced, you know how some holiday movies just put up a Christmas tree, some snow and say it's the holidays? This one doesn't do that, All the way through it, you can hear the Christmas spirit, the Christmas music, the Christmas decorations, everything, you want to watch it with your hot chocolate, hehe, It's not just a rom-com that takes place during the holidays, it's a holiday film.
But having three Vanessa Hudgens characters in one movie and it could've been really cliché or really gimmicky, it's not, she gives each of them their own personality really well, it's like, it's three different characters and it's played by one actress.... Throughout, Margaret is composed and dutiful, Stacy is warm and a bit more grounded, Fiona is chaotic and fun and wiggles things up a bit, you see the three of them, and it's really one person doing it by herself, but you still feel like you are watching three people in the same room.
I also liked that besides all the fun and switching up, there is something real happening with Margaret, She is not only switching for a joke, she is really afraid of becoming Queen, that she will lose her freedom, that she is not ready and all that, That makes the film more hearty than it's pure fun and frolic, though, it has some sort of emotional backbone even in the middle of all the goofiness.
The romance aspect is not out of the fun either, seeing relationships become complicated due to the switch, seeing people fall for the wrong version of someone without realizing it, it's the kind of loosey goosey you'd want in a Christmas rom-com, That's not taking it too much to the extreme, and that's exactly why it works so well, it is not an attempt to be some kind of deep, layered film, it's telling you exactly what it is and it is committed to being fun, festive and warm from start to finish.
I love this one and it was one of the best Christmas movies I've seen and part of the reason is the whole Christmas theme throughout the movie, This is a movie that you can watch during the holidays when you just want something light, funny, warm and it delivers on all of these.
If you missed The Princess Switch: Switched Again or if you watched the first one and skipped this sequel, don't skip this, It's fun, it's festive, and it's easily one of my favourites.
Rating: 100/100