Movie review: A Castle for Christmas

A Castle for Christmas follows the path of rich and famous romance author Sophie Brown who flees the wrath of her irate fans, after she killed off the hero of her best-selling series, to Scotland, where her father grew up. Particularly at a place called Dun Dunbar which is, of course, a castle. This castle is owned by the Duke of Dunbar, somewhat impoverished since his profligate ancestors had managed to bankrupt the family fortunes and the fate of the estate hangs in the balance, that balance swinging inexorably in the direction of the bank. The castle is up for sale although the duke denies things are that bad and thinks he can pay off the monstrous debts through historic tours and the castle gift shop. Enter Sophie who is desperate to connect with her family history. To the curmudgeonly duke’s horror, she offers to buy the castle. He concocts what Baldrick would call ‘A Very Cunning Plan’ to slip a non-refundable hefty deposit into the sale price and then make her so miserable she will leave and forfeit the deposit. But our Sophie is made of sterner stuff and while she braves it out, the village knitting circle, the duke’s right-hand man, and even the duke’s dog Hamish fall under Sophie’s spell. The problem is, will he?

I have seldom enjoyed such a charming Christmas romance as I did this one. Carey Elwes is handsome and well worth watching (especially in a kilt or actually in anything, or nothing – see bathtub scene). Although he was panned for his Scottish accent, to my untrained ear he did very well and I have to confess, I could listen to him read the telephone book. Let’s make that a Chinese telephone book… Brooke Shields is the star of the movie and with just cause. At 56 she is still very beautiful and appears not to have succumbed to the Botox brigade that has rendered several actresses of a certain age almost immobile in their expressions. She is lovely and natural and plays the feisty Sophie to perfection. As an author, I felt for her trying to get those first words down. The castle is glorious, and I could be happy there, the scenery is magnificent, and the village is picture perfect pretty; even the sheep are clean. Of course, this does not exist in real life, but in a Christmas movie, who cares about real life?

There is a distinct lack of rabid social haranguing that has spoiled many a movie recently. It was refreshing to enjoy a story without having pious social justice issues thrust down your throat. The cast is diverse in a gentle, very natural way and everything and everyone flowed together quite seamlessly. Need I say, the dog stole the show. Hamish is played by Barley, a Lurcher cross who has already achieved some fame in the entertainment industry, having also appeared in Poldark, Midsomer Murders, and has shared screen time with Chris Hemsworth! Hamish’s performance was so eloquent he could almost speak. He was very sensible to transfer his affections almost instantly to Sophie. I also enjoyed that the main characters were over the age of silliness and looked and acted like real people their age. There is romance for everyone is the message! Plus, it is quite amazing how good men look in a kilt. The duke’s right-hand man (played by Lee Ross) rocks a kilt. What else can I say but this is the perfect Christmas movie to relax with. There’s snow, Christmas trees and decorations, crackling fires, delicious food, reunions and reconciliations, and a season of joy and good cheer for all.