The movie takes inspiration from place-swap films like “The Parent Trap.”
Netflix’s next big Christmas release is almost here, and it’s sure to be a wonderfully cheesy, festive expression of self-discovery. The Princess Switch, starring Vanessa Hudgens, will be streaming this Friday and promises to present an emotional tale of dreams vs. reality.
Hudgens’s character, Stacey, is a baker with big dreams. She attends a prestigious baking competition when she runs into her look alike, Margaret, the Duchess of Montenero, also played by Hudgens. The two decide to switch places for a few days, one craving normalcy, the other craving a romance and life fit for a princess.
The trailer seems to frame the film as a feel-good comedy, one that’s sure to bring up questions of identity and fantasizing about being in another person’s shoes. Hudgens, as Stacey, notes she’d like someone to share the chilly and celebratory holiday season with, implying the film may also embrace a sense of romance.
Taking notes from Freaky Friday or The Parent Trap, The Princess Switch looks like a possible classic among the feel good favorites, from Lifetime to Hallmark, and the now-competing Netflix, for the silly and lovable tales of love and self-realization.
Vanessa Hudgens plays two identical characters in “The Princess Switch.” Netflix
The film comes at a great time for Netflix: this year focused heavily on the life and romance of Meghan Markle, an American actress-turned-princess. Netflix also boasts a collection of whildwind Christmas films, most recently released The Holiday Calendar on November 2. The film follows Abby, a frustrated photographer who is afraid to follow her dreams. She falls into a new relationship when an advent calendar, passed down from her deceased Grandmother, seems to predict the future with each day.
Netflix released Christmas film The Christmas Inheritance last December, which also focused on a self-growth concept. In the film, Ellen Langford, daughter of a successful gift-company CEO, must learn to overcome her selfish, party ways, a controlling fiance and her reliance on money when she returns to her father’s old small town to carry on an annual company tradition. There, she’s forced to face life as a normal person without the frills of an endless bank account and celebrity status.
Fans of Netflix’s Christmas films can also expect the release of A Christmas Prince 2: Royal Wedding on November 30. The film follows one of Netflix’s biggest Christmas hits, A Christmas Prince, which followed a journalist, Amber, as she tries to write a secretive story on a highly controversial prince.
