My mom recommended this to me two or three years ago and I finally got around to watching it. It is not...terrible...but it's definitely not something I could see myself watching twice.
Marianne (Evan Rachel Wood) is a fairy princess about to marry the most handsome fairy, Roland (Sam Palladio), when she catches him with another girl the day of their wedding. She has a full-out rocker-girl makeover, complete with smoky eye and sword-fighting lessons, and a newfound desire to avoid love. Roland has not given up his quest to use Marianne to make himself king and convinces a lovelorn elf named Sunny (Elijah Kelly) to venture into the dark forest where the Sugar Plum Fairy (Kristin Chenoweth) is being held by the Bog King (Alan Cumming). The Sugar Plum Fairy is the only one who knows how to make a love potion, which Roland hopes to use on Marianne and Sunny wants to use on her sister, Dawn (Meredith Anne Bull). The Bog King is furious that love could be released into the world and takes Dawn hostage in exchange for the return of the potion. Unfortunately, Dawn is dosed and accidentally falls in love with the Bog King. Now Marianne and the Bog King must find the antidote.
On paper, this very much seems like the kind of movie I would love. Plucky, independent female protagonist? Check. Angry, emo dude who hates love? Check. Realizing that mutual hatred of a thing is a common bond, leading to an enemies-to-lovers story? Less of a check but I can appreciate it. In practice, however, there was just something off about the whole thing. Maybe it was the music. Instead of using original songs, the movie is full of Top 40/pop love songs that just feel incredibly hackneyed and overused. I think some original songs would have really given this movie the edge it deserved to have. It's currently streaming on Disney+, so you can give it a shot and tell me what you think is wrong with it.
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