Why did I decide to watch this? Simple. It was new year's eve, and this film obviously has some tie to that day. That's really the only reason to watch this.
Jessy Schram plays Caitlyn Enderby, a woman who is kept busy in her job by her demanding boss, Abigail Miller (Cheryl Ladd, and, just in case it's a detail added to ensure that people stayed awake throughout the film, I am sure that I saw her name spelled as Abigayle at one point). Abigail is the head of a high-fashion magazine, Applique, and she is looking forward to hosting some royalty at a major new year's eve party, where Prince Jeffrey (Sam Page) is rumoured to propose to Lady Isabelle (Hayley Sales). Caitlyn meets Prince Jeffrey when he's just trying to enjoy some time in the sity as Jeff, and the two get on very well. She also ends up showing off a dress of her own design that gets Lady Isabelle very interested, much to the chagrin of Abigail, who wants the party to serve as a springboard for her daughter's career.
With the steady hand of Monika Mitchell directing this and the experienced writer Rick Garman very much aware of the various plot beats that need to be hit on the way to the fairytale happy ending, it's hard to be too critical of Royal New Year's Eve for doing pretty much exactly what you expect it to do. When it comes to the many movies made in the past few decades about someone catching the eye of a stifled-by-duty royal then this isn't, on paper, much better or worse than any other.
The big problem is the cast, although it's not entirely their fault. Schram is an inoffensive and sexless lead, Ladd becomes a very tame Disney villain at times, and Nicole LaPlaca tries hard in the thankless role of the pleasant daughter not actually wanting her mother to use any sneaky and morally-dubious tactics in order to give her career a push. Crystal Balint is very good as the friend/colleague named Doris, and gets some decent moments in the second half. Page and Sales, however, have to spend their time delivering their lines in horribly fake English accents. Sales manages to at least stay consistent in her accent, but Page feels like he's overthinking every word, and even takes an occasional mis-step into Scottishness with one strange utterance in a coffee shop. As for Andrew Kavadas, playing a manservant named Barnaby, he's somehow quietly menacing in almost every scene, despite his character being nothing but quiet and pleasant throughout.
I didn't hate this, but I did spend quite a bit of time gently mocking it as things moved from one predictable moment to the next. Despite the focus on the looming new year's eve party, most of the set dressing is committed to making everything bright and Christmassy, which helps it to sit alongside the other comforting distractions of the season. If you can tolerate some of the accents, and the fact that Page looks like some mushed-together blend of Mark Ruffalo and Billy Zane, then you might enjoy this more than I did. I doubt anyone would consider it a good viewing choice though, even compared to other Hallmark movies filling up the schedules around this time of year.
4/10
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