''A Castle for Christmas'' is a 2021 American
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...
romantic comedy
Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...
film directed by
Mary Lambert. The film was released on November 26, 2021, by
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
.
Plot
Best-selling American author Sophie Brown travels to Scotland to escape the backlash from her last book, as fans were upset she killed off the male lead as she recently divorced. It was compounded by a very angry television interview.
Visiting her father's ancestral village, Dunbar, Sophie is warmly welcomed. People there love her books, even the last one. Shown the nearby castle where her grandfather had worked as a groundskeeper by a man she'd first seen in the village, he abruptly turns her out when Sophie explores a section of the house he'd warned was private.
Back in the BnB, the local knitting club befriends Sophie. All fans of her books, they get her to join. Chatting about their personal details. Sophie tells them about her daughter Lexie and mentions her recent divorce. She talks about her dad Callum McGuinty, whose father had worked at the castle, one of them actually had known him.
Discovering the castle is for sale, Sophie meets the Duke who owns it, Myles Dunbar. Both are appalled to see they'd met there the previous day. Sophie feels she's fallen in love with Dun Dunbar, but must face off with the ill-tempered Myles. Initially refusing to sell, he's warned he has no choice. Myles approaches Sophie at the pub and proposes a deal: 90 day escrow, non-refundable deposit and they both live there simultaneously for the three months.
Sophie is given a new tour of the castle, focusing on its problems: no electricity in some rooms, old wiring, leaky roof, half of the fireplaces are inoperable, no heat upstairs, iffy plumbing, wifi and cell service intermittent and Myles gives her a room that's falling to pieces. Sophie shows him a door jamb with her last name carved into it, which her father had done as a child when trespassing, resulting in her grandfather getting sacked and their moving to the US.
The next day, Sophie continues bonding with the locals. As her dad was a barber, she does everyone in the knitting club's hair. The group then helps spruce up her room in the castle. They tell Sophie that, as their landlord, Myles is working to pay off the farmland debt so they all will be able to continue living in their homes, although he would still be homeless.
Lexi later tells Sophie she can't come for Christmas, as her dad's is remarrying then. Myles overhears, telling her he's a fool. He then divulges his wife left him for someone with a more prestigious title. Myles takes Sophie to the Dun Glen Holy Wishing Well. He mentions the first duke and duchess had held a Christmas party for years for the village, inspiring Sophie to want to do the same. They later enjoy themselves at the pub. Back at the castle, they choose to ignore their definite chemistry.
The next day, Sophie helps Thomas lead a tour through the house as she is recognized, still has writer's block and just spoke with her impatient editor Claire. It is well-received by the visitors.
Following Sophie down to the knitting group's meeting, Myles confronts her. Complaining she is everywhere, she reiterates that she's not going anywhere, so he stomps off. Back at the castle, as they need a tree, they get one in the woods together. The knitting club then helps decorate and sing carols.
That evening, Sophie is trying on a gown from one of the closets for the upcoming party. Before she can finish getting it on, the dog Hamish leads her to Myles' door. They can't resist each other, kiss passionately and spend the night together. In the morning, Christmas eve, Myles blows up when she asks him to continue living there with her. Hurt, she declares that he wins, as staying would only remind her of him.
Sophie wheels her suitcase into town, but Eamon's taxi 'breaks down', so she gets a room in the BnB but refuses to go to the party. Myles appears, apologizes and confesses he loves her. Going to their Christmas party, Lexi has come, thanks to Myles. In the final scene, Sophie McGuinty is back on the talk show, promoting her new best-seller.
Cast
Production
Dalmeny House
Dalmeny House (pronounced ) is a Gothic revival mansion located in an estate close to Dalmeny on the Firth of Forth, to the north-west of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was designed by William Wilkins, and completed in 1817. Dalmeny House is the ...
, a
Gothic Revival mansion to the north-west of
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
, was used as the location for the film's Dun Dunbar Castle.
Tantallon Castle was also used as a filming location.
Parts of the film were also shot in
South Queensferry
Queensferry, also called South Queensferry or simply "The Ferry", is a town to the west of Edinburgh, Scotland. Traditionally a royal burgh of West Lothian, it is administered by the City of Edinburgh council area. It lies ten miles to the no ...
.
The village of
Culross
Culross (/ˈkurəs/) (Scottish Gaelic: ''Cuileann Ros'', 'holly point or promontory') is a village and former royal burgh, and parish, in Fife, Scotland.
According to the 2006 estimate, the village has a population of 395. Originally, Culross ...
in
Fife was used to portray the village of Dunbar.
The music in the film features the song "Celtic Heart" by Glasgow band Starsky & the Fox.
Reception
The
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
reported an approval rating of , with an average score of , based on reviews.
Writing for ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'', Courtney Howard called the film "gently disarming, heartening, holiday-themed escapism" and that it kept "genre-patented shenanigans and hijinks to a bare minimum, which is both a blessing and a curse." Writing for ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', Jenny Colgan said there was "no jeopardy in this film at all: it is absolutely perfect for low-maintenance Christmas viewing" and that it was "lovely to see two great-looking actors who aren’t in the full flush of youth falling for one another."
Gabriella Geisinger of ''
Digital Spy'' said that the actors "manage to imbue their characters with a believable earnestness that belies the over cheese" and noted that the film was "mostly devoid of any socio-political landscape, which is a bit odd when a film is built on a system as controversial as aristocracy." ''
The National'' said that the "main characters are obnoxious, the class politics are extremely dubious and the portrayal of rural village life incredibly patronising," but that "if you haven’t watched Cary Elwes try to catch fake snowflakes on his tongue, you haven’t lived." The imitations of Scottish accents and use of Scottish words and terms also met with mixed reactions.
See also
*
List of Christmas films
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Castle for Christmas
2021 films
2021 romantic comedy films
2020s Christmas comedy films
2020s English-language films
American Christmas comedy films
American romantic comedy films
English-language Netflix original films
Films about writers
Films directed by Mary Lambert
Films scored by Jeff Rona
Films set in castles
Films set in Scotland
Films shot in Edinburgh
2020s American films