Netflix And Chill: My Secret Santa (2025)

Taylor (Alexandra Breckenridge) is a struggling single mother who wants to be able to pay for her daughter, Zoey (Madison MacIsaac), to attend ski lessons at a local resort. There's an employee discount available, which would help, but they're not hiring. Well . . . they ARE looking for a Santa. Getting herself disguised as a man, Taylor is soon suited and booted for the role. As if it wasn't difficult enough to keep pretending she is a man during work hours, things are further complicated by the fact that Taylor starts developing quite the connection with Matthew (Ryan Eggold), her acting manager. 

I decided to watch My Secret Santa because I really like Breckenridge, but she seems destined to never get that big movie role that I think she deserves. You might look at this movie and see another nail in her career coffin, but I'm going to defend it. So get yourself ready.

Written by Carley Smale and Ron Oliver, who have a wealth of experience between them, this is the blend of farcical quick-change and Christmas schmaltz that you'd expect, and it helps that director Mike Rohl has experience with this mix, considering he helmed all three of The Princess Switch movies. As you might have already surmised, this is essentially a low-budget gender-flipped riff on Mrs. Doubtfire, with a lot of extra snow and ho ho hos. I don't view that as a bad thing.

As ridiculous as the main premise is, Breckenridge does a decent job in the main role, whether she's in her natural guise or being Santa. Eggold gets to enjoy being the businessman blissfully unaware that Santa is actually the woman he has taken a liking to, and it's good to see his character not forced into any extremity for the sake of a contrived emotional journey. His development and maturity has basically all happened before the film starts, leaving us to focus on the one or two lessons that Breckenridge needs to learn. MacIsaac is a decent teen, as is Sasha Rojen (a bit of a bully who could become a friend, if given the right guidance). Tia Mowry is the no-nonsense woman who smells a rat in between her times unwillingly showing Eggold's character the ropes of his father's business, and Diana Maria Riva gets a couple of good moments as a tough neighbour softened by an unexpected encounter with Santa.

I wouldn't recommend this to anyone out of season, as it were, and I'm not sure who I would recommend it to right now, but I would recommend it to some. It's ridiculous, absolutely, but it's ridiculous in just the right ways. Anything mentioned in the earlier scenes ends up being referred back to in the third act, our lead character has a couple of people able to help her create such a convincing Santa disguise, and there are a couple of fun scenes that show someone being flustered and confused as she navigates around a number of new locations (including a men's locker room) that she would much rather avoid.

6/10

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Netflix And Chill: The Princess Switch 3: Romancing The Star (2021)

The third Princess Switch movie allows Vanessa Hudgens to once again take on multiple roles as her characters become embroiled in yet another scheme. She plays Stacy, Lady Margaret, and the scheming Fiona Pembroke, and everyone starts to swap identities this time around in order to try and retrieve a valuable item, the Star Of Peace, that has been stolen while in the care of the royal household. Stacy and Lady Margaret do their best to figure out who the culprit could be, but they soon realise that the person best-suited to help them is the person being punished for their criminal scheming in the last adventure, Fiona Pembroke.

Robin Bernheim is back on the writing duties, this time flying solo, and Mike Rohl is back to direct for a film that feels very much like an easy reunion for everyone involved. Every cast member slips into their role(s) with ease and it's as if there's a fine layer over the material that shows a printed statement of intent. You want predictable, comforting, silly, snow-dusted, entertainment? Here you go.

A return to form for the series/trilogy, this third Christmas identity-swap adventure benefits from the way it increases the silliness in just the right ways. Having all of the main characters played by Hudgens having to work together, and at various times impersonate one another, allows for much more fun than the premise that pushed them all together the first time around. It also helps that you have more comic relief from Florence Hall and Ricky Norwood, as Mindy and Reggie, the assistants to Fiona. And there's a very good cameo role for Amanda Donohoe, giving her a role that she seems perfect for.

Nick Sagar and Sam Palladio also return, playing Prince Kevin and Prince Edward, and Sagar is still the more enjoyable male, mainly because he still doesn't have to play things as reserved and mannered as Palladio, and newcomers include Remy Hii, playing Peter Maxwell (ex-boyfriend of Fiona and a security expert who may be able to help with the case), and Will Kemp, playing Hunter Cunard, who is almost definitely maybe probably the actual thief.

But all of this talk of who is behind the camera, and who else does good work in front of the camera, is just preamble to me, once again, singing the praises of Hudgens. Perhaps one day she will receive a bit more of the praise that she deserves for a variety of performances that have been brilliant since the first movie, but have also improved slightly with each instalment. Hudgens may wobble at times with the accents, but she's often playing someone who is playing someone else, so the wobbly accent is excusable in those instances, even if it wasn't intended. Here's the thing though, I think it IS often intended, and I think Hudgens is always doing a great job. She's also brilliantly versatile in her way of moving from the more dramatic scenes to the comedy, with the character of Fiona Pembroke allowing her to be entertainingly cocky and outrageous.

I know that few people like these movies as much as I do (despite my disappointment in the second film, I'd still choose these over so many others), and I know that they're not milestones of cinema, but I'll happily recommend them to people who want some easygoing seasonal fare, who don't mind Hudgens in a central role, and who would prefer something that pushes some potential romantic developments to the side in favour of comedy montages and silly set-pieces.

6/10 

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Netflix And Chill: The Princess Switch: Switched Again (2020)

I am well aware that I enjoyed The Princess Switch more than most people. Or, to put it correctly, I was one of the few people who enjoyed it unironically. I was especially complimentary about the lead performances from Hudgens, taking on two characters, and doing a great job of portraying those characters pretending to be one another.

This sequel, featuring a third character portrayed by Hudgens (something I mentioned as an obvious sequel idea before this was even announced), brings everyone back together for a plot that has Hudgens throwing a spanner in the works as . . . an evil schemer.

Just like I said. Although nobody decided to use any of my title suggestions. I guess 2 Princess 2 Switch was never going to be a serious contender.

Anyway, Stacy (Hudgens) is quite happy. Margaret (Hudgens) is less happy, dealing with the pressure of her duties after separating from Kevin (Nick Sagar). And Fiona (Hudgens) is a relative who thinks she can plan a little switcheroo to get her hands on a fortune and generally improve her life.

Mike Rohl directs once again, and writers Robin Bernheim Burger and Megan Metzger are back with to plot out another adventure for the characters they created, and the only change in the central cast would appear to be Mia Lloyd taking over the role of young Olivia (Kevin's Daughter). It's clear that viewers should know what they're getting even before they press play. It's something different, but almost exactly the same. Like so many other Christmas movies.

Despite aiming to never do it again, Stacy and Margaret switch once again, temporarily, which causes a headache for the scheming Fiona. Kevin wonders if there's a chance to repair a relationship, Prince Edward (Sam Palladio) remains quite sweetly oblivious of identity changes, until the finale forces everyone to divulge the complete truth, and you have characters trying to overcome their self-doubt, carefree moments in the snow, and a few dubious characters helping Fiona try to get away with her planned crime.

I'm not going to pretend that I didn't still enjoy this, but that's due more to my own goodwill than it is due to the quality of the film itself. The first film felt contrived in a way that was necessary for the whole central premise. This feels contrived in a way that is a bit, well, lazy and careless. Although the main plot point about Fiona is a fun direction for the film to take, it's mishandled, while almost every other aspect feels like a retread given very little actual thought. I know, you can say that about most films like this. That's true. It just feels more irritating this time, mainly because everything was in place to make this an enjoyable sequel. It sadly ends up just being very average instead.

Hudgens is once again good in her role (although even her performances don't feel quite as . . . sharp this time around), and both Palladio and Sagar are fine as the main men in her lives. Lachlan Nieboer is enjoyably easy to mistrust and dislike, playing an assistant/advisor named Antonio, and Ricky Norwood and Florence Hall are good fun as Fiona's accomplices. Lloyd is fine in the role of young Olivia, and Suanne Braun enjoys reprising the role of Mrs. Donatelli.

Perhaps on any better day I would have enjoyed this more than I did. I somehow thought it would manage to be on a par with the original. I didn't hate it, but I didn't enjoy it half as much as I expected to. And I don't go into these things with high expectations.

4/10

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Yule Love It: The Princess Switch (2018)

Vanessa Hudgens is Lady Margaret, a soon-to-be-wed royal figure who is marrying her partner because it is her duty, not because she is in love with him. But she really wants to spend a couple of days before her wedding just getting to look around and spend time with the everyday people of Belgravia. Vanessa Hudgens is also Stacy De Novo, a top baker who is due to participate in a baking competition that takes place in Belgravia. When Lady Margaret sees Stacy, the two literally bump into one another, she thinks it will be a great idea if they swap places for a couple of days. Her fiancé, Prince Edward (Sam Palladio) is due to be away on business anyway, so that makes things easier. Stacy just needs to learn a bit about how to behave, and put on a posh accent, while Lady Margaret needs to loosen up a bit and also change her accent.

Considering the previous two TV movies from director Mike Rohl were Miss Christmas and Royal Matchmaker, this would seem like an obvious fit for him, mixing the royal romance with the holiday trimmings (and I've been surprised in recent years to find just how many Christmas films make use of a royal romance plot - who knew there were so many small provinces with princes desperate to get married?). And he seems to have put himself in safe hands with writer Robin Benheim, who has an extensive list of credits already, and who co-wrote this with Megan Metzger. Not that this is a quotable classic or anything, movies of this kind rarely are, but you have all of the usual lessons learned, a couple of twists and turns, and the necessary amount of festive cheer.

I can't say that this film does anything truly amazing, it's a rare holiday film indeed that rises up to that level, but I'm not going to write this review without heaping a serious amount of praise upon the main performances from Hudgens. Easy to dismiss because of the film that she's starring in, Hudgens gives an absolutely fantastic selection of skilled turns, either portraying Stacy or Lady Margaret, or even Lady Margaret pretending to be Stacy, OR Stacy pretending to be Lady Margaret (which make up the majority of her scenes). It's a shame that few people will give her credit for this, because it's JUST a Christmas movie (and, basically, a TV movie made by Netflix), but her performance is consistently pretty flawless. Seriously. She lifts up the whole film by being utterly convincing with anything that she's trying onscreen.

As for the rest of the cast, Palladio is Princely enough as the Prince, Sara Stewart and Pavel Douglas are okay as his surprisingly understanding parents, Nick Sagar and Alexa Adeosun are both likeable enough as Stacy's friend/sous chef Kevin and his young daughter Olivia, respectively, and Suanne Braun and Mark Fleischmann are the main staff members helping the royal couple, with Braun trying to help things go smoothly and Fleischmann trying to figure out why something suddenly seems different about Lady Margaret.

I've seen better Christmas movies, I've seen better movies with people trading places, I've seen better Vanessa Hudgens movies. That doesn't make this one any less of a pleasant surprise, and I hope it's one that more people will see and appreciate, if only for the not-inconsiderable talent on display from the leading lady.

6/10

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Miss Christmas (2017)

The Radcliff Tree, and lighting ceremony, in Chicago is, to quote Ron Burgundy, kind of a big deal. Which is why Holly Khun (Brooke D'Orsay) spends most of her year searching for the perfect tree. And she thinks her search is over when she reads a letter from a young boy who is offering the perfect tree, but it turns out that the father of the boy doesn't want to see the tree moved from their town to Chicago. So it's up to Holly to convince everyone, while the clock ticks away, that the tree will create a lot of happy memories for a lot of people.

Written by Joie Botkin (who started her screenwriting career this year with this and A Song For Christmas), and directed by Mike Rohl (who has a LOT of TV credits to his name, with stints on shows such as Smallville and Supernatural, to name just a couple), there's nothing truly terrible about Miss Christmas. But that is something that can also be said of so many other Christmas TV movies.

What this film gives you is a simple plot that allows for a few heartstring-tugging moments (nothing major, don't worry about crying over your mince pies), a scene featuring some amusingly ugly Christmas sweaters, an entirely predictable will they-won't they romance, and a standard message that reiterates the true meaning of Christmas while also focusing on the main character putting all of her energy into securing a big and beautiful tree.

What Miss Christmas DOESN'T give you is a decent enough cast. D'Orsay doesn't really exude the right amount of care or warmth in her role, even when she is making her case for being allowed to take care of the tree, and Marc Blucas, playing the father of the young boy who wrote the letter, is okay in small doses, but should never be called upon to be a male lead. These movies can rise or fall depending on the cast, and this cast just isn't good enough to lift it above average. Luke Roessler is the young lad who wrote the letter, Greg Rogers is his grandfather (and father to the character played by Blucas), and Fiona Vroom is the other family member, and onside with D'Orsay pretty much from the very beginning.

One to keep as a very low priority, which means you have about a million other viewing choices you could put ahead of this one, Miss Christmas is still inoffensive, relatively harmless, stuff. But that's really all of the praise I can give it.

4/10

Here is a large selection of Christmas movies to enjoy.
And American elves can pick the same set up here.