Autumnsong: 25 days of Christmas | The Princess Switch: Switched Again

Two years went by since Stacy DeNovo entered that prestigious baking competition and left her pastry shop in Chicago behind. Now Stacy is the Princess of Belgravia and her doppelgänger, Margaret is preparing to ascend the throne of Montenaro, following the abdication of her cousin Howard, the king's only son. A lot has happened since the mess they made switching places in the first movie, and not everything went smoothly. Stacy and Prince Edward are happily married, but there seems to be something of a disconnect between them. Margaret is very much in love with Kevin, and him with her, but the change in her position and circumstances seem to have created a hard wall between them.

The four of them meet in Montenaro. Margaret's coronation is scheduled for Christmas day, and although Kevin wasn't planning on attending, Stacy flies to Chicago specifically to bring the friend with her. Upon realizing how miserable Kevin has been since the breakup, she takes it upon herself to play cupid and get Margaret and Kevin together again. They clearly have chemistry, and they're crazy about each other, but things are not so simple now that Margaret is to become a queen. Complicating matters further is her relationship with Antonio (Count Antonio Rossi), her chief of staff and childhood friend, who is by any measurable standard, a much better match to a future queen.

Margaret is so busy with the coronation and everything that she hardly has any time to spend with Kevin so they can mend their fences and figure out where to go from there. It is Stacy that comes up with a solution: they have to switch places again, just for a day: Stacy will handle Margaret's royal duties while Margaret gets to spend some quality time with Kevin for a change. There's only one small hiccup to the plan: Margaret's cousin, Fiona Pembroke - a third doppelgänger - intends to ake a switch herself and be crowned queen in her cousin's place.

In many ways, the first movie, A Princess Switch, was just another modern retelling of the classic tale of the prince and the pauper, dressed in a romantic Christmassy coat. Switched again goes a bit further, in that it introduces a third doppelgänger to shake things up: an original twist I have never seen in a story like this. It's a great credit to the movie that it manages to do something fresh with a genre that is dangerously overused.

I also loved the way they handled the subplots of the movie, in particular Stacy's romantic subplot with Edward. The movie hints that there's something off with the two of them since the moment they first appear on the screen, and it doesn't take long for us to realize that Stacy has been neglecting Edward. As I watched, I feared the moment when the two of them would inevitably break up temporarily, due to some misunderstanding that could be fixed if only they had talked to each other - that sad depressive dive that happens in so many romantic comedies, three-quarters of the way in. Here too, however, the movie was surprising: the depressive dive never came. As each of them navigated their own adventures (Stacy trying to escape the captivity imposed by Fiona's minions and Edward's shopping trip with Olivia), the two of them came to see what they themselves were doing wrong. Stacy promises to make more time for them and Edward promises not to smother her too much. We got a beautiful and romantic reconciliation without ever having to go through the ugly argument part.

I have to say, the wedding at the airport scene was a tad much for me when I first watched it, but it was so in keeping with the whole "being spontaneous" thing that kind of defined Kevin and Margaret as a couple, that I suppose it had to be there.

The coronation was the perfect way to end this movie. I couldn't believe it when I saw the royal family of Aldovia (from the "A Christmas prince" trilogy) in the church! It was particularly special because there won't be a new movie in Aldovia in 2020, and I came to look forward to these films for the past couple of years... I suppose there is a "Christmas-royalty-cinematic-universe" now, and I can't wait to see more of their movies (even though, as I said in the review to The princess Switch, this Universe is actually very, very complicated!). I am not sure there will be a sequel to this one next year (I also want a sequence to The Knight Before Christmas, and since it`s the same actress, perhaps this sequel will be next). Regardless, I am eager to see more of Edward and Stacy next time... They rock :)

Montenaro

Margaret Delacourt, Duchess of Montenaro

Not so much the hero as the romantic partner of the heroine... But, Kevin is a baker

I loved the carol they sang at the concert... I wish I could go to a concert like that this Christmas... I suppose something online will have to do...

The palace at Montenaro, without a shadow of a doubt! The decorations were amazing, from the lights outside to the Christmas tree, and especially the way in which Edward arrived with the huge tree, in a vehicle... Really galant.

"Let's deck the halls" =)
The tradition of decorating the house together. This time there isn't even a cliche mention to how it is the staff and the castle decorator who are supposed to fix things up.

(The Baking session was also pretty cool)

There are a few... One that deserves mention is when Kevin and Margaret are building their snowman and they declare their love for each other.

There's a moment somewhere in the middle when Edward approaches Margaret to talk. He asks her about his wife, if she's been speaking about him. Tells her that he loves Stacy with all his heart, but that he's feeling her more distant from him. That he doesn't know what's wrong. He doesn't know it yet, but he is actually talking to his wife. It's the first time She realizes what is going through his mind. She smiles at him and promises him everything will be alright. It’s a beautiful moment, sealed with that kiss in the snow.

(Forgiving the evil cousin - whilst punishing her for her wrongs) was also pretty Christmassy.)