A Royal in Paradise (2023 TV Movie) User Reviews

Fun movie, usual tropes

[herrcarter-92161 · 7/10 · 5 October 2023]

This movie was fairly enjoyable. Is it formulaic? Of course. Do we see the usual tropes that are in all movies about a royal? Absolutely. Does the movie require a lot of suspension of disbelief. Yep. If you approach it with this in mind, you'll have a reasonably enjoyable time watching it.

First, what I liked. The two leads gave good performances. Rhianon Fish was wonderful as romance author Olivia. I've liked her in everything I've seen her in. She's cute, fun, expressive and she shines in every scene she's in. Is she an Oscar-level actress? Probably not. But in the narrow parameters of a movie like this, she does very well. Mitchell Bourke as Prince Alexander was fine. Let's be honest. He was cast in this role more as eye candy than because of his great acting skills. They definitely took advantage of every opportunity to show him shirtless. But he does what he needs to in this role to make the good-guy, down-to-earth prince come to life. The chemistry between the two of them was real and natural. I also liked the gorgeous scenery. As far as cinematography goes, this was a very good-looking movie, and not just because of the photogenic stars.

Now, what I didn't like. The movie was pretty lacking on the believability front. Okay, so it's a given that you have to accept the ridiculous premise that there is a prince from some fictional country called Torovia, who is free to just galavant around the world and strike up relationships with common folk. But within the confines of the fantasy, everything else still needs to be believable. Let's start out with the prince being a huge fan of Olivia's chick-lit romance novels. Yeah, some guys read them, but you needed a credible reason why a man would be reading such novels. Then, there's the unbelievable coincidence that Olivia first runs into Prince Alexander at a coffee shop in New York, then he and she are serendipitously on the same remote tropical island at the same time, AND her ex and his new girlfriend are also on that same island. That requires a bit more explanation than a quick, "It was destiny", as Olivia's friend Katie mentioned in passing. Then there's the whole romance between the queen and her servant Ridley, which virtually comes out of nowhere and seems about as plausible as a horse hooking up with a sea turtle. How about the whole dated premise that the prince has to marry another royal that he doesn't love out of a sense of duty? That notion went out the window when British Princes William and Harry both married commoners.

My other gripe was that Prince Alexander was just a little too perfect. This is a young, very attractive man who was raised in a life of wealth and privilege. Yet, somehow, he's just a normal guy who treats everyone equally and is a perfect gentleman in his interactions with Olivia. And he's also a philanthropist, who is fiercely dedicated to the cause of environmental preservation. Does this guy have any flaws? It would have been much more interesting if the prince was initially kind of snobby and expected Olivia to fall all over him, as other women doubtless had in the past. He could have had a character arc from stuck-up royal to nicer good guy, but he was already a nice guy, so there was nowhere for him to go.

So, take this movie with a grain of salt. It's hardly a perfect movie, even by the standards of Hallmark-eque romances. But just enjoy it for what it is and you'll definitely be entertained.

A Royal in Paradise

[allmoviesfan · 7/10 · 5 May 2023]

Two Australians - Rhiannon Fish as Olivia and Mitchell Bourke as Alexander - star in a film shot in Queensland, Australia for GAC Family.

A Royal in Paradise tells the story of Olivia, a best-selling writer who goes through a breakup whilst struggling for inspiration for her next novel. When Olivia's friend suggests they take the trip Olivia had originally planned to take with her boyfriend, she meets Alexander of Toravia (yet another country where they sound English!), who is on the island for a fundraising benefit, and to get away from the constraints of royal life. If you've seen one of these, you've seen them all...and you wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that sparks fly between the two, and that's where complications set in. All with a tropical backdrop, and all very family-friendly. (Except, if you happen to pay very close attention to the stock footage scenes of people in the pool, as I apparently did. Some of them are wearing thong bikinis! And Olivia does show off a fairly impressive bit of cleavage on a few occasions.)

Fish and Bourke have good chemistry, and their scenes together are all very nice. A predictable plot doesn't mean this wasn't an enjoyable film. What makes it enjoyable is their chemistry.

Your Usual Rom-Com With Tad More Compelling Queen

[tabuno · 7/10 · 17 April 2023]

Your typical commoner girl (this time a writer with writer's block) recently dumped and a "typical" prince who happen to meet on this beautiful marine preserve and the rest is predictable. This movie has a slightly different bent in which the reveal happens earlier than usual and the resulting dilemma takes more time to resolve while the writer is confronted with more of a intellectual problem than usual. The scenery is gorgeous, and the pacing is competently presented. For those interested in the by now well-used rom-com story with a little more bite, this movie has all elements that romantics have come to expect and a tad bit more.

A rather nice and well-acted romantic story.

[TxMike · 8 May 2023]

This is not a Hallmark movie but it closely follows the typical Hallmark story arc. Two single people meet and are attracted to each other, something comes between them, later they overcome it and during the last minute they have their first kiss.

Cute and authentic Rhiannon Fish (about 30) plays romance novelist Olivia. Based in Manhattan, she is riding the wave of popularity of her latest book but seems stuck, full-on writer's block. She buys tickets for her and her fiance' to travel to a tropical island but at the same time he has started to break up with her. So her good friends convinces her the two of them should go together instead, Olivia can use the trip as an inspiration for her writing.

At the same time Alexander, a prince from a small (fictitious) country, is reading her novel. They meet accidentally, then later they both end up at the same tropical island, she on vacation and he on a charity trip to help raise money for conservation. They meet again, they hit it off, but Alexander's mother, the Queen, has other plans and tries to sabotage the relationship.

The movie plays better than a brief description can explain, it is interesting and entertaining all the way through. A good effort for this type of movie, a fluff piece with beautiful people and great scenery.

My wife and I watched it on FreeVee, streaming on Prime.

A bit too derivative

[VetteRanger · 7/10 · 19 February 2023]

As an author, I'm always intrigued when they include a character in these movies who is also an author. Sadly, they very seldom make enough of that, and that's the case here. It would be interesting to get more of "the story of the story" on screen, instead of simply having the character be blocked and then suddenly they can write again because they got happier.

The first half of the movie is better than the second half, and that's not unusual in these made for cable romances, either. As the characters meet and get to know each other, the story is lively and at times amusing. After they get to know each other and things settle in, I thought it got kind of boring.

And of course, they HAD to throw in the "Queen wants to crush the romance" trope. Haven't we seen that time and again over the last decade?

Formulaic at best

[TillieWHEATEN · 6/10 · 2 May 2024]

Well I don't mind a well done formulaic Hallmark style movie, this unfortunately did not meet the minimum standards. The acting was at best adequate. The set designs were a bit shoddy in parts. The scenery was gorgeous however. The plot was very predictable but also underwhelming..a mixture of about four different Royal movies. What annoyed me the most however was how the directors seemed to overlook the actors appearances. The Queen's hairstyle was shockingly unkempt. The Prince looked a bit smarmy. The the author would have known better than to wear a ballgown that showed half of her drooping bosom.

A poor effort at a Royal movie

[Jackbv123 · 3/10 · 22 February 2023]

This movie is everything that is bad about Royal movies. I'm not a fan of them to begin with. This movie had a lot of the usual tropes including secret identity, overbearing queen, sycophantic assistant, all the usual Cinderella themes, and one I won't name because it's a spoiler but it has to do with Ridley. If you are going to do a royal movie, you need something to make it different and there was nothing here to that end.

The acting is fair to poor. The chemistry between the leads is fair at best. The characters, with the possible exception of Olivia and Katie, are cardboard cutouts with no depth. Not even Olivia and Katie have any appreciable character development. Who is Olivia besides someone with writer's block? The dialogue has a few moments but is mostly pedestrian. There are a couple of gorgeous scenes of nature including sea life.

Mom, the queen, is so rigid I'm surprised she can move around. Alexander is a total juvenile complete with temper tantrums. Again, I'm surprised he didn't literally make stomping sounds as he was leaving a confrontational scene. And the thing is, the queen was 100% correct about their long term future. Of course, that's the point in a Cinderella story like this, but the movie only promises an HEA and can't possibly validate the promise.

I will say the climax and ending come close to being clever, but wedged into a story that is otherwise totally derivative and trite, it's not enough.

Really sweet

[diane_c_bruno · 8/10 · 3 June 2023]

I really liked this movie! Typical? Yes! But who cares? That's not why I'm watching it! The location was breathtaking! I love Rhiannon Fish! She was fantastic as always! Newcomer to the romcom scene, Mitchell Bourke, was awesome! Supporting cast? Fabulous! The queen was a tad over the top with her speech - to an uncomfortable level, in my opinion. (Not the actress, just the writing). I want a movie to whisk me away and dream a little..this one did just that! I will rewatch it again and again. It was sweet, I loved the friendships showcased and I loved the slight changes to the norm on some of the typical romcom stuff!

A ROYAL DISASTER

[movieguy3000 · 3/10 · 23 March 2023]

A cliche trope of a film. The first blame goes to the writing, what were you thinking writers? You think you can take a formulaic storyline and just place the most mundane characters in paradise and make that work. I don't expect much when you see the STEVE JAGGI logo, all those films are terrible. You will notice the lead actress is always attractive and its always in a beach setting. Wooden acting with no depth, I give most of the actors a pass and that's fair. Rhiannon Fish is delightful but not multi-layered, as well as Naomi Sequirra. David Hooley as the right hand man to the prince is by far the best actor. Nice locations but thats where it stops. No one wants to see a movie about fake royals from a fake nation that follows the same cliche as every other romantic movie. Be original and dont steal or borrow from 10 different films. Bad writing and Directing. Its shot nicely, thats it. Nothing else stood out.

A Royal in Paradise: A Captivating Blend of Romance a Blend of Romance and Royalty

[ohio937 · 8/10 · 1 July 2023]

"A Royal in Paradise" is a delightful TV movie that transports viewers into a world of romance, royalty, and tropical charm. With its captivating storyline, charming characters, and picturesque settings, this film offers a wonderful escape from reality.

The movie tells the enchanting story of Emily, a spirited young woman who unexpectedly finds herself entangled in a royal affair while on vacation in a paradise-like island. As she navigates the complexities of love and the expectations of royalty, Emily's journey becomes a whirlwind of emotions, laughter, and self-discovery.

What makes "A Royal in Paradise" truly special is the chemistry between the cast members. The talented ensemble brings their characters to life, immersing the audience in a world of romance and intrigue. The lead actors deliver heartfelt performances, drawing us into their blossoming love story and making us root for their happiness.

The picturesque island setting serves as a breathtaking backdrop for the film. From pristine beaches to lush landscapes, the cinematography captures the beauty of paradise, making viewers long to step into the screen and experience it firsthand. The attention to detail in the production design adds to the allure, creating an atmosphere that is both luxurious and inviting.

While the movie embraces certain familiar tropes of the romantic genre, it does so with a refreshing twist. The story offers unexpected plot twists and turns, keeping viewers engaged and guessing. It successfully balances lighthearted moments with moments of genuine emotion, striking a satisfying blend that ensures the film's appeal to a wide audience.

In addition to its romantic core, "A Royal in Paradise" also explores themes of self-discovery, personal growth, and the power of following one's heart. These deeper undertones add a layer of substance to the film, elevating it beyond a mere romantic escapade.

From the heartfelt performances to the stunning visuals and engaging storyline, "A Royal in Paradise" is a TV movie that manages to capture the essence of romance, royalty, and tropical bliss. Whether you're a fan of love stories or simply looking for an enjoyable escape, this film is bound to leave you with a warm and satisfied feeling. Sit back, relax, and let yourself be whisked away to paradise.

Wonderful movie

[cgettman-17740 · 8/10 · 3 September 2023]

It's always nice to watch a clean good storyline movie. Lots of movies have similar situations and can still be different. Thank you I enjoyed it immensely. The characters were played just as awesomely as hallmark or any other good channel. I thought they had good chemistry and it did blend very well.

It was a lovely story about a father son project, a woman resetting life and friends that care about their friends. As well as an overbearing mother! Ha.

There was also a conservation plug that was very much needed in our world today.

I would recommend it and I would love to see a sequel!! Bravo.

A delightful movie with some good acting

[omijer · 9/10 · 16 January 2023]

Every once in a while, a film comes along that looks like it will be a formulaic love story. One watches it for the soothing rewards of knowing the girl will get the guy, the guy wilt get the girl, and it will all end happily..And then, once in a while, this formula comes along with some really appealing leads, an intelligent story, and a bit more to offer than the conventional script. This movie was one of those.

It was filmed in a beautiful setting, using ample time to show the colorful, charming tropical location. There were underwater scenes, stunning fish and sea life shown, and in all, it was a visually gratifying movie.

The love story was mature, each of the leading characters had his and her own issues to deal with . Of course, the prince needed to take the throne. And, of course, he was expected to marry someone of royal lineage. Surely, the young woman author had a deadline and writer's block, and needed to find a new location to inspire her creative work. But there was more to this formula than one would expect. Serious life issues were shared and discussed by the young couple. Failures and disappointments were talked about. One knows in watching a movie of this sort that the ending will be a happy one. Everything will turn out alright. But this film explored the roadblocks and impediments along the way in a more mature and realistic way.

If one can make a few comments about some shortcomings, here they are. While the female lead wore some stunniing clothes, it seemed gratuitous that there was so much cleavage shown. It was almost as if everything she wore was cut too low and her cleavage was far too exposed. The same is true for her best friend, roommate. There was barely one scene that did not have that very distracting and unnecessary aspect to it. What was the purpose of this sort of exposure? It distracted from the story, from the sensitive relationship and how it was resolved. There was an almost Playboy centerfold aspect to the need to show so much cleavage. Was there a reason behind this? It's hard to imagine what that reason would be. Other than that one distraction, this is a mature, lovely story.

Great performances of subtlety and nuance

[hmb-51778 · 9/10 · 21 October 2023]

You heard me! Nuance and subtlety in a romance movie.

Every time I thought this thing was going to go down that very very familiar road, it's somehow pulled itself out of the morass.

Is there a prince in disguise? Is there a girl and a deadline? Absolutely!

But the movie is also an excuse to show some really beautiful nature photography especially the kind underwater -which one you consider this is supposed to be about a nature preserve makes total sense.

The secondary leads are both very winning, even the Royals as much as they could be a pain in your thigh, turn out to be, well, sort of endearing.

Is there a happy ending? Is this a rom-com?

Yes, and yes. Rhiannon Fish does her usual broadness, which works fine here.

On the other hand, Mitchell Bourke doesn't absolutely imperatively good job.

His wistfulness about his dead father actually pulled feelings from me.

He has that sort of dignity one expects of a prince, plus he gets a shirt off a lot. He is literally acres and acres of pretty.

I certainly am looking forward to more films starring him.

Give it a chance, it is after all on Freevee.

It is more than a good use of your time, but a relaxing and lovely to look at view.

Really liked this movie

[pattersonjamie-12079 · 9/10 · 27 January 2023]

I was a little skeptical at first, but the movie was really good. It was predictable, but funny and entertaining. Rhiannon Fish did a wonderful job in the movie. She was sad, funny, and her face expressions were wonderful. Probably the best thing I've seen her in. She's quickly becoming one of my favorite actresses.

Naomi Sequeira was beautiful and charming as ever. Mitchell Bourke was great as the prince. The rest of the cast did a great job.

The scenery was incredible. I've been to this part of Australia and they did it proud in the movie.

Overall fun, wholesome, great views and would see it again.

Same royal story, but at the beach

[MickyG333 · 8/10 · 12 February 2024]

8.0 stars.

My review will be influenced primarily by a woman surnamed Fish. I love everything she does, she has the Midas touch. I've yet to watch any performance by her that leaves me cold or disappointed. Once again, we have a title debacle. What is the real title of this film? Who cares, I'm not going to make a big deal of it.

The writing is straight out of Hallmark's playbook. This might as well be a Hallmark. Heck, it probably is, but maybe they decided to give another channel a go at the whole royal-meets-commoner trope. Bad move guys, because this is one of the better royal romances of the dozens I've seen. I'd say this places i my top five thus far. I won't bore you with the plot, but just lay out the basic blueprint of this royal installment vs all others, and see where it lands in the grand scheme of royalty.

First: instead of the usual setting of a big city in America (even though it begins there), we end up on an island paradise. Is this in the Caribbean, is this a real island? I never researched it. But it looks like something south of, or near the equator.

Second: the prince opts to hide his identity from the commoner.

Third: the commoner is a successful writer, dating guru, or owner of a thriving business.

Fourth: the royal has an "evil" king or queen who is barking orders and having someone spy on them to be sure they aren't galavanting with an uncivilized American.

Fifth: the royal's assistant is part of the plot and ends up escorting, or dating the American love interest's best friend. And there is someone named Winston, whether an assistant, a butler, or bodyguard.

Sixth: the king or queen is also dating a lower level citizen in secret.

Seventh: when the identity of the royal is revealed, the other person gets very angry and breaks off the friendship because they were "misled" or "lied to", and they exclaim in great disappointment: "I trusted you". What was very refreshing in this particular instance, she is pragmatic and understands the situation and the pressures, and holds no grudge for his deceit.

Eighth: the king or queen persuades the commoner to break up with the royal, because the relationship would cheat said royal out of his/her rightful lot in life.

They could have mixed this up a bit, instead of him learning her identity as a famous author, keep that little secret from him for another 20 minutes, so both of them are masquerading. That would have been very interesting, maybe she finds out he's a prince and he discovers she's an author and they both keep it a secret, pretending all the while that they are still in the dark. Maybe incorporate quips, and comments, and puns and then the reveal and we all have a blast. They both knew that they knew, it could be funny for a moment.

Rhionne's Mesmerizing - Cast & Story Quite Satisfying

[sterlingmichaels · 9/10 · 3 April 2024]

I've seen over 20 "Royals" movies, looking for a gem and only once I could not watch as it was excruciatingly painful - Not so with this treasure!

I've read some of the very negative comments and see the discolored lenses that those people are looking through.

They chest themselves as much of their opinions are subjective to their life experience so I feel a bit sad for the reality they have created for themselves to he miserable or worrisome.

I celebrate the story and as a screenwriter myself who prefers scripts that eventually have a sunny side of the street ending.

My only claim to infamy is that in 1994 I met Harrison Ford at a Pre-Oscar party for The Fugitive and the Best Picture nomination, as well as Harrison's Best Actor, and even though Harrison said Indy 3 The Last Crusade was the book end and just a Trilogy I pitched him Indy 4 where he had a Son (My script was honestly much better than what made it to the screen 14 years later I have to admit with relief) so I feel quite qualified to Positively Constructively Critique this thoughtful film.

We automatically know that a happy ending will ensue and the challenge is Always there:

Make the story with some unexpected twists that haven't been done before and I must say that I really like the way (some criticism from others who didn't pay attention fully) that Prince Alexander's character got to go into little details with explaining to Winston that Olivia is the first person to ever meet him without the trappings & pretenses of being a Royal. That seemed a genuinely great reasoning.

While the Ex shows up unexpectedly is a little bit contrived it is fitting as it cements the Ex Definitely not being an ethical character.

Rhionne is an absolute delight and the way that she is filmed looking directly and steadily (At Very appropriate times) into both the the Prince AND Queen's eyes and reactions to their words, she shows us a depth of emotions not typically seen in movies like this, so kudos to the writer, Director and Editors for seamlessly pulling off those exquisite scenes.

I think even the way that the Queen was a bit unkempt in her hair and makeup in earlier scenes may have been intentionally done to show that she was not taking care of herself and her needs properly; which originally bothered me that a Queen would look so uncomposed; but I thought further about it and saw that near the end the Queen's hair, makeup and composure were positively radiant snd that may have been the unspoken nuance of intention by the Stoory Crafters. Well Done, even if tbat wasn't the Intention, that's how it plays out if one is TRULY giving tbe story your full intention you can immerse yourself into a fun, thoughtfully crafted entertaining piece of film paradise. Kudos to All involved in this Gem. I'm really looking forward to the sequel.that must be coming out soon.

Enjoyable

[rhonnie-43139 · 9/10 · 2 February 2023]

I enjoyed this movie. I liked the story and think it really worked.

But I agree with the other reviewer. There was too much cleavage going on with the lead actress and her BFF. I know they had to dress them for the island life but there was a snorkeling scene where lead actress wore a low cut swimsuit that barely kept her bosom covered. The BFF also showed as much if not more cleavage. I for sure thought there would be a wardrobe malfunction!

However in the scenes where that was not a wardrobe distraction, I thought the actors performed well, even the deadbeat ex-boyfriend.

Overall I felt the characters really evolved as the story went on. This led to a pretty good ending. All loose ends were tied up. Just the way I like it.