Rating: 🎄🎄🎄
Premiere Date: November 29, 2024
Description: In A Cinderella Christmas Ball, Chelsea Jones (McKellar) is a dance instructor in Chicago who spends her days inspiring kids to cha-cha their way to self-confidence. Just before Christmas, Chelsea finds a mysterious old photo that makes her think she’s stumbled onto her origin story: a possible long-lost dad, a mom in a wedding dress, and the world’s least helpful handwritten clue. Naturally, the only reasonable response is to book a flight, break into a castle, and accidentally teach a Prince how to two-step—all before Christmas Eve. Honestly, what else would you do with four free days in December?
Chemistry: The leads had about as much heat as two snowmen politely nodding across the street. Their conversations were stiff, and even when the script tried to “warm” them up, it felt more like someone turned the thermostat from meat locker to unheated garage.
Plot: The dancing? Forgettable. The parental mystery? Surprisingly compelling! This subplot was like finding actual marshmallows in your Swiss Miss packet—unexpected, but it made the whole thing worth drinking.
Design: Ah, Havenshire, that magical kingdom that somehow looks like the lobby of a moderately priced convention center. I’m usually willing to suspend disbelief, but when your royal castle looks like it could also host a dental hygiene seminar, immersion gets tricky.
Overall: This one lands squarely in the “fine, I’ll watch it while I wrap presents” category. Three trees because it’s not bad enough to turn off, but not good enough to revisit. Still, for GAF, it’s a step forward.
Holiday Movie Wrap 