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Netflix’s A Castle for Christmas marks Cary Elwes return to the genre!

Brooke Shields A Castle for Christmas Movie Review

What is A Castle for Christmas About?

Famed author, Sophie Brown (Brooke Shields), travels to Scotland hoping to buy a small castle of her own, but the prickly owner, Myles, the Duke of Dunbar (Cary Elwes), is reluctant to sell to a foreigner. Working to find a compromise, the pair constantly butt heads, but they just may find something more than they were expecting.

Should You Watch A Castle for Christmas on Netflix?

A Castle for Christmas is a formulaic romantic comedy starring Cary Elwes and Brooke Shields and the latest in the Netflix’s Holiday Movie Universe. You can easily predict how the movie’s leads will end up. However, if you like the Netflix’s Holiday Movie Universe and the standard sappy Christmas movie, you’ll enjoy snuggling up with a cup of cocoa while you stream this holiday rom-com.

The story ever so slightly reminds me of The Beauty and the Beast with Cary Elwes as the grumpy ‘Beast’ in the castle who does not want to let Brooke Shield’s Sophie Brown get close when she decides to buy his castle on a whim. Refusing to acknowledge the growing attraction between them, Myles focuses on how he can come up with the money necessary to save his family’s castle and protect the tenants who depend on the Dunbar family. Turns out he’s not quite the ‘Beast’ we imagined at the beginning. If you’re surprised at this revelation, you apparently haven’t seen enough sappy Christmas rom-coms before.

Following the standard formula, our leads struggle through the script to find each other. They are helped along the way by a motley crew of knitters, friends, family, and the cutest dog, Hamish, who steals the scene multiple times. The knitters are an adorable group who welcome Sophie into their fold when she arrives in Scotland. There is the young baker who wants green streaks in her hair, the black divorcee who used to date Myles’ friend Thomas, the older woman who remembers Sophie’s father, and the gay man who has not spoken a word since his lover died.

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But like I said, it’s Hamish, the rambunctious dog who steals the scene time and time again.

So if you love dogs (think movies like Patrick) and Netflix Christmas sappy movies (think The Princess Switch), you’ll definitely want to grab your favorite blanket and a glass of bubbly. Premiering on November 26, 2021, A Castle for Christmas is not only Cary Elwes’ return to the genre since The Princess Bride but also a gorgeous postcard promoting the beauty and grandeur of Scotland.

A Castle for Christmas CAST AND CREW

Sophie – Brooke Shields
Myles – Cary Elwes
Thomas – Lee Ross
Maisie – Andi Osho
Helen – Tina Gray
Rhona – Eilidh Loan
Angus – Stephen Oswald
Lexi – Vanessa Grasse
Claire – Desiree Burch
Eamon – Anthony Strachan
Herself – Drew Barrymore

Director: Mary Lambert
Writers: Ally Carter and Kim Beyer-Johnson
Cast: Brooke Shields, Cary Elwes
Producer: Brad Krevoy
Executive Producers: Amanda Phillips, Brooke Shields, Steven R. McGlothen, Steve Berman, Katrina Stagner, Eric Jarboe

A Castle for Christmas TRIVIA

  • A CASTLE FOR CHRISTMAS marks Cary Elwes’ first rom-com in 34 years, when he turned heads in the 1987 cult classic THE PRINCESS BRIDE.
  • When Myles (Cary Elwes) takes Sophie (Brooke Shields) on a tour of Dun Dunbar, Cary says the staircase was built clockwise, “apparently the best way to defend from a right-handed swordsman” which is a nod to his previous film The Princess Bride.
  • Mrs. Donatelli and Frank from THE PRINCESS SWITCH films make a special cameo appearance in A CASTLE FOR CHRISTMAS when they check into the local inn in town.
  • The Vivienne Westwood Couture Collection designed a custom dress that Sophie Brown wears in the film at Brooke Shields’ personal request.
  • Every night, Brooke Shields and her cast mates — including Andi Osho, Tina Gray, Eilidh Loan and Stephen Oswald — knitted together at their hotel.


Watch A Castle for Christmas

A Castle for Christmas on NETFLIX

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netflix's A Castle for Christmas Reviewed