A Castle For Christmas is an original Netflix movie that came out in 2021. It stars Brooke Shields as an author whose most recent book is facing the wrath of her readings. She travels to Scotland to escape the scandal and while there she finds a castle that plays an important role in her family history. It turns out the castle is for sale but it temporarily it comes with a grumpy Duke, Myles, portrayed by Cary Elwes. The Duke does not really want to sell his family legacy but acknowledges the sale would be good for the village and its tenants. Right away Sophie and Myles start butting heads and if you know your typical Christmas movies, you know exactly where this is heading.
Brooke Shields and Cary Elwes have a surprising amount of chemistry. It does not feel forced which unfortunately is something that happens with this kind of movie. Both actors have aged well and I liked seeing what may be perceived as older actors leading the movie. Cary Elwes plays the grumpy duke so well. He is so snarky! Brooke Shield’s character of Sophie Brown is quick to sass him right back. There is some good banter in his movie. Of course, the more they spend time bantering, the more they find below the surface.
The pacing of this movie was believable. In order to get the castle Sophie has to spend 90s days with Myles, who is doing everything in his power to make her stay unpleasant. Luckily for Sophie, she befriends some of the villagers and they help her out. I really liked this group of friends – they were from different age groups but bonded over the love for their village and a love for knitting. They all pitch in to decorate the castle for Christmas, and even the Duke helps get the season started.
The scenery for this movie was gorgeous. I love that it was actually filmed in Scotland. This gives it such an authentic feel. I’ve always wanted to travel there, now even more so. The castle was pretty all decked out for the holidays. There is also a good use of Scottish music including traditional holiday music. It all go my toes taping along. It just made me feel good which I think is the purpose of the movie.
A Castle For Christmas follows the timeline of your typical Christmas romance which made it perfect for what I was looking for. Plus, there is a dog called Hamish. He’s adorable and may possibly have a matchmaker bone in his body. Limited conflict, beautiful scenery, a castle, a dog, and Christmas? What else could I possibly ask for?
Rating: 3.5 Stars
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