A Prince in Paradise Plot Summary
Olivia Perkins is an author who goes on a tropical holiday in hopes of curing her writer's block, but her trip is interrupted by handsome Prince Alexander who is looking to escape his royal duties.
Starring: Rhiannon Fish and Mitchell Bourke
My Movie Grade: A
Image: Great American Media
A Prince in Paradise Kicks Off "Great American Winter"
When the weather outside is frightful, a tropical island sounds so delightful!
Many winter movies focus on snow-related activities, cozy lodges, and hot cocoa, but Great American Family welcomes the coldest time of the year with a movie that will make you pine for fun in the sun.
Olivia Perkins (Rhiannon Fish) writes books about adventure, mystery, and romance even though she never leaves her home state to experience them for herself. The pressure is on for her to follow up her bestseller, Love Bound, with a new release, but when her boyfriend of six years breaks up with her, it kills her inspiration.
Since Olivia had already booked a tropical dream vacation to the Haven Isles to celebrate her anniversary, her best friend, Katie, convinces her a getaway is just what she needs, so the two of them embark on an adventure.
Much to her chagrin, ex-boyfriend, Kyle, is vacationing on the same island with his new girlfriend--even though he had claimed the launching of his new app left him no time for play.
Meanwhile, Prince Alexander Barclay III (Mitchell Bourke) is nearly coerced by his overbearing mother to attend the palace ball where he is expected to connect with Lady Catherine Renshaw--a woman he does not love but whom his mother has decided is the best match. Alexander outmaneuvers the queen by telling her he's the guest of honor at the Marine Reserve Fundraiser on the Haven Isles, and he must attend. Marine conservation is important to the prince because it was his father's favorite cause, and he wants to establish a foundation to aid in global conservation as a way to honor him.
Having read her first book, Prince Alexander is already a fan of Olivia's, and he's even more captivated by her as they continue to encounter one another on the island.
Image: Great American Media
Despite Winston's coaxing to be truthful about his identity from the start, Alexander wants to get to know Olivia the way normal people do, so he pretends to be a marine conservationist, since that is partly true.
The story follows the usual pattern: Olivia feels deceived but gets over it; the queen makes her feel inadequate and sends her away; everyone makes amends; all ends just as a fairytale should.
Where Was A Prince in Paradise Filmed?
The movie was shot on location in Queensland, Australia, which is known for its Great Barrier Reef (considered one of the seven natural wonders of the world) and The Wet Tropics, which is undoubtedly where the waterfall scene derives. Although the particular waterfall Alexander leads Olivia to isn't mentioned by name, I suspect it's Cassowary Falls--it's one of the few waterfalls in Daintree National Park that isn't teeming with crocodiles. I reached out to GAF to confirm but did not receive a response.
Olivia is afraid to snorkel but is glad she finds the courage to do it anyway.
Image: Great American Media
It's interesting that Fish was born in Canada in 1991, but relocated to Melbourne, Australia, when she was four.
Bourke, who was born in 1993, was raised just outside of Brisbane, and he attended the Queensland University of Technology as part of his fine arts study. His father is an ex professional rugby league player, and his mother is a former gymnast and model. Bourke's passion for acting surpassed his desire to pursue sports, though he experienced high levels of achievement in that arena.
Casting actors who were raised in Australia was a smart choice.
Reasons to Love A Prince in Paradise
The setting is idyllic. The movie gives viewers a peek into a tropical paradise we may never see in person.
The movie has comedic moments. I love the scene where Olivia tries to work on her outline, but she keeps drawing a blank. Her expressions and antics are funny. The part where the prince and "Winnie" ask the girls out is also amusing. Olivia says no, so Katie holds up a paper and argues with her behind it--even though the guys can hear everything they are saying.
Image: Great American Media
Like a typical fairytale, there is a villain, or in this movie's case, two villains. Ex-boyfriend, Kyle, is a jerk for telling Olivia he's too busy to continue their relationship, only to have a new girlfriend within a week (they've been broken up for 4 weeks, but he's been with Tiffany for 3 weeks). It's so satisfying when Alexander and Olivia defeat Kyle and Tiffany at beach volleyball, and it's even more satisfying when Kyle's behavioral pattern ruins his new relationship, proving he's the one with the problem. We love to see bad characters get their comeuppance!
The second villain is Queen Patricia. Not only does she have Ridley spy on her son, but her elitist nature is repulsed that Olivia is merely the daughter of a refrigerator mechanic and a housewife/part-time accountant. The queen manipulates her son to participate in a photo-op so she can belittle Olivia and make it abundantly clear that she is beneath Alexander--she's so mean she even makes Olivia cry! All is forgiven, however, when the queen realizes it's time for some old traditions to be replaced. She frees Alexander to choose Olivia and publicly admits her love for her servant, Ridley.
Image: Great American Media
The acting is good. A rom-com with a fun story but an untalented cast produces a flop. Not the case with A Prince in Paradise where the acting is professional and feels natural.
The movie threads run smoothly from start to finish. Kyle starts and ends as a schmuck, the budding romance between the queen and Ridley finally blooms, Alexander gets to carry on his father's conservation legacy, but my favorite thread is Olivia's untitled book outline. We see several shots of Olivia's computer screen throughout the movie, and even when her creative juices are flowing, the document remains untitled. At the very end, we learn she calls her next novel A Prince in Paradise, which is the perfect tie-in to the movie title itself.
Constructive Criticism for GAF
For a network comprised of Christian leaders intending to produce movies that reflect faith and family, A Prince in Paradise is yet another GAF movie with far too many inappropriate boob shots. Is this to lure our reluctant husbands into watching rom-coms with us? Modesty is classic and never goes out of style, so we don't need to see wardrobe choices that bare an abundance of cleavage. Even the actresses' bathing suits for the swimming scenes give new meaning to the "breaststroke."
Image: Great American Media
If you feel the same way about excess décolleté, be sure to mention it in your movie review on GAF's website, or by sending them a message through their online contact form.
While we're on the topic of inappropriate behavior, it's also not kosher that Olivia was planning to go on the tropical vacation with Kyle when they weren't married. For you haters out there, I'm well aware of the current century in which we are living. The reason GAF's following is reaching a critical mass, however, is because it's saturated with conservatives and Christians who are under the impression GAF will be reflecting principles of faith in their movies, which means abstaining from the appearance of pre-marital hanky-panky.
Details matter. Oliva plans to wear one of the inadequate dresses she's packed to the fundraiser, but Katie rescues her by letting her try on the extensive number of dresses she's brought on the trip. It's funny to watch Katie be brutally honest about how each dress looks on Olivia, but the sheer volume of dresses Katie has is sorely exaggerated. She couldn't have possibly packed that many gowns.
Image: Great American Media
Viewer opinion is divided when it comes to royal movies--some are sick of them, and others never cease to be charmed by them. Maybe one reason people grow annoyed with the theme is because it's repeatedly presented the same way EVERY SINGLE TIME.
The stale formula goes like this:
The prince or princess doesn't reveal his or her identity because they want to live a normal life, escape royal duties, or be loved for themselves.
+
The person who falls in love gets mad because of the deception.
+
The commoner isn't embraced initially by the royal family.
=
A happy ending results despite everything.
What if GAF were to shake things up a bit and flip the script?
For once, it would be nice if the royal person affirmed their true identity from the beginning. All the eligible mates could vie for their attention, but the royal would fall in love with the person who wasn't impressed by them or remotely interested in a romantic relationship with them.
OR
The royal character could be dutifully engaged to a fellow royal he/she doesn't love but then ends up falling in love with the person to whom they are already betrothed.
OR
The royal person could throw convention to the winds, step down from their position, pursue a personal passion for an ordinary job, all to be with the one they love.
OR
Why not have a modern Cinderella story? A prince is enchanted by someone he meets and spends time with but then has to search the whole kingdom to find her again.
Bottom line, dear script writers, there are other options! P.S. There are also hundreds, if not thousands, of occupations, so leading characters don't have to be writers (or event planners) 80 percent of the time.
A Prince in Paradise Preview
A Prince in Paradise is definitely a GAF movie you won't want to miss. If you haven't already seen it, check out the trailer below:
I thoroughly enjoyed the movie; and I did not believe the "boob" shots were inappropriate with a beach location and the overall isolated island theme.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comments about the low cut outfits - too many. I watched this movie on another server and was shocked when I found it was by GAC which says something. Also, the girls dancing at the end - wasn't sure if that was a push for a certain agenda or just how women do that when there isn't a man around - LOL.
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