Danica McKellar chose wisely in following the lead of her friend Candace Cameron Bure in ditching the Hallmark Channel and defecting to Great American Family. Because GAF is still breaking into the market, I might not even have been aware that this movie had been made if Danica hadn't appeared on FOX NEWS SATURDAY NIGHT WITH JIMMY FAILLA to talk about it. Even though the summary of the movie sounded like at least a dozen Hallmark Cookie Cutter Christmas movies of "American middle class girl meets European Crown Prince" (including at least 3 that Danica did), the fact that this was GAF warranted a look.
While still a bit formulaic and predictable, there were enough twists in this one to keep you guessing and keep it interesting. Chelsea, a dance teacher from Chicago who was raised by adoptive parents after losing her single biological mother at the age of 5, comes across an old photo of her mother taken in the small European Kingdom of Havenshire, with faint clues as to who her biological father might be. She flies there to follow the clues and runs into a few obstacles. While killing time by visiting a dance school, she gives tips to a young student and happens to be seen by members of the royal palace staff who recruit her into giving lessons to the Crown Prince. From there, the search for her biological father fades into the background while the formulaic chemistry slowly develops between her and the prince. But it's the quest to find her father that gives the movie the twists that keeps you guessing and interested.
I'll leave it at that. It elevates this movie a couple of notches above a Hallmark Cookie Cutter movie, and elevates GAF a notch above its competitor channel.
Edit:
Forgot to add that the character of Chelsea was born in 1987 so assuming the story takes place in the present, she's supposed to be 37. Danica easily passed for 37 even though her biographies here on IMDb and on Wikipedia say she hits the big 5-0 two days after this coming New Year. Looking great, Danica!
