I love a movie that knows its goals and meets them with skillful intention. The Knight Before Christmas is part of the Vanessa Hudgens Cinematic Christmas Universe. There’s only one version of this Vanessa Hudgens, and she falls head-over-heels for an adorable twinky knight-out-of-time when she hits him with her car. (He’s okay! Thanks to the knight armor!) Through a series of low-stakes events with no interest in dull nonsense like historicity, the knight gets to remain in modern day and serve Vanessa Hudgens forever or something.
I say “modern day” here loosely because this is the kind of small town which exists exclusively in snowglobes and Hallmark movies. A single dad working two jobs is still experiencing little greater hardship than a daughter without mittens. Everyone is very attractive with perfect dental care. The Christmas lights are perfectly arranged. The knits are coordinated. Etcetera.
The only thing really blowing the fantasy is the fact the cops manage to recruit Sir Cole, thus All Sir Coles Are Bastards. Apparently we *need* policing in this little community and it’s a uniformly positive influence. All right. I’ll believe the fantasy that all these people have fabulous teeth (in both time periods) and massive houses in this little small town, but that’s kinda pushing it.
I never get tired of the Netflix holiday movies appearing in one another’s movies.
I love that the old crone is maybe 55. She looks happy to be in the movie.
Image Source: Netflix
