Netflix Review: The Knight Before Christmas

The Knight Before Christmas is obviously nothing new, but if you’re in the mood for a Hallmark Christmas movie and cheesy romantic feels, this film is made for you. 

After watching the Princess Switch last year, I knew exactly what I was getting myself into when I saw that Netflix released another Christmas movie starring Vanessa Hudgens. The Knight Before Christmas tells the story of a medieval knight, Cole (Josh Whitehouse), who is transported to modern-day Ohio where he meets Brooke (Vanessa Hudgens), a high school science teacher. Essentially, the film is Outlander but reversed, less dramatic, and more kid-friendly. Outlander‘s acting is better as well.

I had many concerns and questions while watching this film. How can Brooke even afford to keep that massive house on a teacher’s salary? How did her parents afford the house? Why does Brooke let Cole, a stranger who she thinks has amnesia, drive her car? Why does Brooke believe Cole is a knight at the end? Why does she even allow Cole to live with her? She literally met this man like an hour ago, is this what small-town living does to you? Plot-wise, this movie is all over the place — which definitely kept me entertained. 

There are tons of medieval “facts” that the film gets completely wrong. However, what is strange is how the film makes medieval times kid-friendly. For instance, when Claire, Brooke’s niece, inquires about whether girls can be knights and he replies with no, while Brooke interjects with a “Yes, girls can be whatever they want to be.” This was an ultra-weird moment for girl empowerment, but it’s also absurd for someone who cares about girl power to fall in love with a man who doesn’t know anything about the patriarchy or about any social issues. 

The film compares knights to police officers, which isn’t something I agree with, but it works for the family-friendly angle. Also, Officer Stevens (Arnold Pinnock) played the guidance counsellor in Life with Derek, which I have to admit is a cool throwback.

I also found the product placements awkward and almost haunting. Cole and Brooke bond while watching 12 hours of Netflix and this is supposed to be a cute romantic moment — what kind of society do we live in now that this is now considered the ultimate test of love? Of course, binging shows together can be a sign of comfort and everything, but if you recently met someone, this isn’t a great way to learn anything about them. It is incredibly creepy how Netflix consistently markets its own platform while you’re using it to watch a show.

There’s also a plot point involving Amazon’s Alexa, which is weird. Cole ends up locking Alexa in the freezer because he couldn’t turn it off.

Nevertheless, I still ended up rooting for Brooke and Cole to end up together. It was still sweet how much they cared for each other after only three days of knowing each other. Although, I don’t really know anything about Cole except for the fact that he is a knight who can bake really good bread.

This film doesn’t always make perfect sense, but sometimes you need something super cheesy and absurd to distract you from your worries. The Knight Before Christmas can be a fun movie if you don’t give it too much thought.