The story follows the life of Jules, a young woman down on her luck and bringing up two children after her sister and her husband Charles die. She receives an unexpected invitation from her niece and nephew's estranged grandfather who is a rich duke living in a fairy tale castle in Castleford, Europe. He had cut off his son Charles for marrying an untitled woman, but following his death wants to make amends. Although he had good intentions of having a family Christmas, he is very grumpy and soon regrets his decision and does not enjoy being reminded of his dead son and does not want to celebrate the festive season.
Accident prone Jules and the spirited Maddy and Milo are very different to the rich family they are staying with. The children have some trouble adjusting to their situation, meeting their father's family, especially as he doesn't approve of Christmas celeberations. Milo gets in trouble and Maddy worries about Santa finding her. But they soon begin to melt the hearts of the austere staff and bring joy to Castlebury. Jules meets Charles's brother Ashton and an unlikely friendship follows.
Jules and the children bring Christmas spirit to the heartless castle and even the grumpy grandfather starts to soften and plans a Christmas Eve Ball. A misunderstanding threatens to ruin everything. Will everything get sorted out before Christmas? Will Jules discover that sometimes dreams do come true?
We loved this! It had all the ingredients of a fabulous family film. We laughed out loud, we shed a tear and cheered at some of Roger Moore's moments! Our favourite part of the movie was the dance scene with Ashton and Jules. He tries to teach her to waltz and she gets him to loosen up and go ghetto. It is a lovely romantic story where the girl gets her prince, the value of family comes first and Christmas spirit melts even the frostiest hearts.
*****
If you fancy a bit more festive cheer this Christmas, The Nutcracker comes to UK cinemas for a select run of dates from December 22nd. The live recording of the New York City Ballet features 70 dancers, 50 children and a 62 piece orchestra, and brings the classic ballet to a wider audience. It would be a perfect Christmas treat for the family over the holidays. Take a look at the video to find out more.