The Princess Switch: Switched Again Parent Guide

Two years after the events of The Princess Switch, Stacy (Vanessa Hudgens) and her husband, Prince Edward (Sam Palladio) are preparing for a trip to Montenaro to attend the coronation of Duchess Margaret (also Vanessa Hudgens). Margaret is nervous about becoming Queen and is reconsidering her relationship with her ex-boyfriend, Kevin (Nick Sagar). Stacy offers to switch places again to give Margaret a break, but Margaret’s cousin, Fiona (and, yes, again it’s Vanessa Hudgens) has a plan that just might complicate things.

Full disclosure: I have not seen the original Princess Switch, so I am judging this movie based solely on its own merits, which aren’t many. Let’s start with the premise, since I’m sure my plot summary makes barely any sense. You have to just accept the premise in order to even begin to sit through this movie. It’s ridiculous, and there are tons of plot holes, but I think that’s kind of the point of this genre. I could write an entire essay about how little sense the story makes, but no one who is willing to watch The Princess Switch is going to care. It’s not meant to be anything more than a Christmas themed romance with some royalty-related wish fulfillment, and it doesn’t aim any higher.

The acting is not great for the most part. Hudgens tries her best to differentiate the three characters she plays, but she lacks the skill to bring all three to life, not to mention a plausible British accent. None of the romantic couples have any chemistry at all, and some of the male romantic leads are insufferably bland. Prince Edward especially has no personality outside of “perfect husband”, and he has so little chemistry with Hudgens that I audibly scoffed whenever they referenced being married.

In all honesty, this film is harmless with zip in the negative content department. I doubt most children would have any interest in it but it’s probably catnip for starry-eyed, princess-obsessed tweens. If you liked the first one, or you’re a fan of this genre, you’ll probably like it well enough. If you don’t fall into those categories, I can’t imagine why you would even click on it.