Once Upon a Prince
Stars: Megan Park & Jonathan Keltz
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Synopsis (via Hallmark)
Susanna gladly accepts help one day from a handsome stranger, Nate, at her parents’ garden store in small-town Georgia. Sparks between them fly, but when a photo of them gets leaked to the press, Susanna is in for the shock of her life when Nate is called back home by his mother…for his coronation as the King Nathaniel of Cambria!
Thoughts
Susie is on a walk by the sea shore with her VERY Canadian boyfriend, her mother watches (from her very upper-class-on-the-waterfront house) with binoculars giving the play by play to her husband on the phone. The mother thinks it is going to be a proposal but it is in fact, a break up.
Susie takes some time for her self and goes for a drive—getting a flat tire on a small back road. While attempting to change her tire, a “handsome” British stranger comes to her rescue with a tire jack. (Is that really what they are called?) They make small talk and learn that his name is Nate, he is in public relations, and is in town for a holiday with Mrs. Waller, the richest woman in town. Susie wants to start a landscape architect firm. After changing the tire she cleans off her hands with his handkerchief and tells him about a special tree “Lovers Oak” that has magical powers and if someone gets proposed to under that tree, they will have a long and happy marriage. They part ways but not before Susie tells him EXACTLY how she would like to be proposed to under the tree and promises to give him back his handkerchief.
Nate hatches up a scheme to give Susie her dream, not get getting proposed to under Lovers Oak, but to become a landscape architect. He gets Mrs. Waller to agree to hire Susie, and as he is telling her his big plan, she gets a 911 text from her sister (Avery) that their dad is in the hospital (which truly was shocking!). Apparently her dad has heart palpitations and is on bed rest, so Nate volunteers to help out around the family flower shop.
C storyline: a mysterious British man is going around town holding up a picture of Nate on an iPad (large size, not mini.) and asking if anyone has seen him. He also gets a picture of Nate and Susie together…
At her first day at Mrs. Waller’s place, Susie pitches her architect sketches for a beautiful seaside garden. She gets the job and cheers her sweet tea with Nate (they are in Georgia, after all). We next get a montage of Susanna and Nate buying supplies and potting flowers in a big boat.
“You’re pretty good at this,” Nates says.
“I didn’t go to college for nothing,” Susie replies. (She has her diploma hanging in her room and is very proud that she went to COLLEGE.)
Word gets out that Prince Nathaniel is dating an All American Girl. He goes to tell her that it is true, and this will he his last holiday because his father passed away and he is next in line to be king. He also tells Susanna that he must marry someone from his country of Cambria. Susie is pretty unfazed that Nate lied to her and neither is her family. They seriously don’t care.
Before he has to go back, Susanna (I am calling her that now, because she has to be fancy for the prince) takes Nate on a bike tour of the town. They sit under Lovers Oak and talk about Nate’s home country. He tells her she would love the garden, and she tells him that she went to college (again…).
C storyline. Turns out the mysterious man is named Morris and was hired by Lady Ginny to get tabs on her future husband. (They are to be arranged married.)
Nathaniel is rushed back home for his coronation and coronation ball by his disapproving mother, who is pushing him to marry ANYONE but the American girl. She has even set up a tea date with Lady Ginny. She offers her help with the coronation while attempting to pull off a British accent. The Queen realizes that Nate isn’t going to get over Susie that easily and her and Nate’s valet (who is a POC…and you know how I feel about POC servants. Like, NO, HALLMARK. Bad, Hallmark.) decide to invite Susie as a landscape architect apprenticeship, to show him that she could never be queen because she is so pedestrian.
We are halfway through the movie and are FINALLY getting to see Susanna come to the castle. (Seriously, what took so long? Did they not have the filming dates?) Susanna and her sister are surprised to see that they are staying in the servants quarters and basically being ignored by Nate. They don’t have invitations to the coronation or the ball. Turns out no one told Nate. He quickly upgrades them to the guest quarters and is delighted that they are there. Nate also invited them to his coronation and the ball despite the Queen’s protests.
Susanna and Nathaniel practice dancing in the ballroom, and it is pretty much Beauty and the Beast without the singing Angela Lansbury Teapot. They also practice Nate’s coronation speech. Their bonding time is interrupted by Lady Ginny, who warns Susanna that she should stop playing outside her league and stick to the servants quarters.
Susanna doesn’t take her advice and goes shopping with her sister and Mrs. Waller (who is in town for the coronation, of course) for coronation outfits.
The coronation happens.
Susanna has cold feel and doesn’t want to go to the ball, she gets a pep talk from her sister (where she is sure to mention that time that Susie went to college).
Susanna arrives to the ball fashionably late and it is all eyes on her. (Her dress is actually really pretty, even if it is VERY Bridal.) Nathaniel and Susanna dance and everyone looks on disapprovingly. Lady Ginny accepts the fact that she can’t hold a candle to Susanna and gives him a kiss goodbye. Susanna sees this and runs off, and immediately runs into the queen who tells her that she is not a good for her son because she is not from their country. Susanna packs her bag as goes home.
Back in Georgia, Susie’s (we’re back to that name now) landscape architect business has really taken off—too bad it won’t last. Nate sets up Lovers Oak, just as Susie said at the beginning of the movie and proposes. She agrees to abandoned her business and go live in Cambria as the new queen. (Don’t worry, she will be puttin’ her college skillz to good use on the royal gardens.)
Side Note
Jonathan Keltz’s accent is TERRIBLE.
Another Hallmark movie set in the south with no southern accents.
I’m very happy that Spring Fever is over, now if only spring would actually arrive already!!!!!
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Overall rating
❤️ (1 Heart)
🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷 (5 glasses of wine required)
*Photo Credit: © 2018 Crown Media United States, LLC
It was an entertaining movie and a good cast. However, I’m not sure that Suzanna could have started a practiced in Georgia without a license to practice landscape architecture. We see her degree on the wall at the beginning of the movie, but that isn’t a license to practice and call yourself an LA in Georgia, maybe a little too much “artistic license” (excuse the pun) by the writers? Otherwise good advertisement for the profession.
Love puns, please comment more!