Scotland! A romance novelist! A grumpy Duke! You can see all these things and more when you watch A Castle for Christmas which is streaming on Netflix. 

Listen — I know this isn’t the pinnacle of cinema. It’s not even a turret on a tower of cinema. But it’s got Cary Elwes and an old castle and a lot of tartan, so I’m ready to recommend it.

Summary

Sophie Brown (Brooke Shields) is a famous romance novelist who has lost quite a few fans by making some narrative choices that they don’t like. She’s newly divorced. Sophie doesn’t want to write a new book, even if her editor is telling her that it’s what she needs to do to save her career. In a fit of spontaneity, she buys a ticket for Scotland. She wants to visit Dun Dunbar, the castle her dad worked at when he was young, and Scotland will be the perfect place to write her new book.

Dun Dunbar turns out to be gorgeous. It also turns out to be owned by a cranky duke, Myles (Cary Elwes), who needs to sell it for financial reasons but really doesn’t want to. Sophie has the money and really wants to buy it. They arrive at a deal: if Sophie can live in Dun Dunbar until Christmas, then she can have it. If the upkeep of a centuries-old stone structure turns out to be too much, then Myles will keep it. The twelfth duke of Dun Dunbar is positive that he can make Sophie’s life a living hell and keep his lifelong home.

This is because he, like so many Hallmark-esque heroes, makes the crucial mistake of underestimating his nemesis’ determination. Sophie sticks it out, keeping her end of the deal, and starts to warm Myles’ frosty heart in the process. 

Will it be enough? What about Sophie’s new book? Will they realize that they love each other? In other words, there are a lot of questions!

To Watch or Not to Watch

I’ll leave you to find the answers on your own time, although a word to the wise — the ups and downs of Myles and Sophie’s story are truly dizzying. Brace yourself for a bumpy road to the Christmas party, and not just because of the cobblestones.

There are plenty of reasons to watch this movie. (Did you see that it has Scotland, a novelist, and a duke?) For one thing, its heartwarming and the visuals are gorgeous. For another, the lead characters aren’t twenty-somethings, and they fall in love over the course of three months rather than three days. 

Granted, there are a few less reasons to keep watching it. It certainly isn’t surprising. It’s also not profound. I would understand if you were bored twenty minutes in. 

And yet it’s fun. We don’t watch Christmas movies for their astonishingly clever plots. In fact, we watch them for the exact opposite reason: they’re predictable. We know what’s coming. We know that in the end, love and Christmas cheer win. If you share this penchant for predictability, I am willing to bet that you won’t regret watching A Castle for Christmas.