Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Positive messages, language, peril in holiday threequel.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star
What's the Story?
Queen Margaret ( Vanessa Hudgens) has borrowed a priceless relic, the Star of Peace, from the Vatican for a royal Christmas party she's planning with her doppelganger and best friend, Princess Stacy (also Hudgens), in THE PRINCESS SWITCH 3: ROMANCING THE STAR. When the Star goes missing, they bring in Margaret's naughty cousin Fiona (Hudgens again) to help track down the thieves and retrieve it. Fiona has been serving time doing labor in a convent since she tried to impersonate the queen. She brings in her former boyfriend and childhood bestie Peter (Romy Hii), a former Interpol agent, to help. The mission will be dangerous, and it could rekindle deep feelings between Peter and the seemingly aloof and impermeable Fiona.
Is It Any Good?
Producer-star Vanessa Hudgens, director Mike Rohl, and Netflix know the product they have on their hands with The Princess Switch mini-franchise, and they smoothly follow the formula each time. There are no surprises in the good-spirited and undemanding The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star. The "switch" this time acknowledges that Hudgens' third character in the series, sultry-voiced bad girl Fiona, is by far the most interesting, and this time all the Vanessas impersonate her. The editing of two and sometimes three Hudgenses together and interacting in scenes is seamless.
Hudgens does a fine job embodying the three different women, and her accents and characterizations get better with each film. She also meets the physicality of the role(s) with a fiery tango and some acrobatic cat-burglary. Of the three male leads (Hudgens kisses them all), Remy Hii's Peter is the most three-dimensional. Nick Sagar and Sam Palladio feel hamstrung by overly polite, saccharine-sweet roles. This film is for fans; others who stumble upon it might just not get it. Expect a lot of eye rolls. As Fiona puts it in one scene: "You're determined to smother us in holiday cheese, aren't you?" The answer, Fiona, is yes.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the filmmakers manage to have the star in scenes as multiple people in The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star. Where could you learn more about this filmmaking process?
How are the three characters played by Hudgens different? How are they similar? Do you find the actress believable as three different people? Why or why not?
What do we know about the invented country of Montenaro? How does a monarchy work?
What role does Christmas play in this movie? Could the film have been set during a different time of the year without major changes to the story?
How do Margaret, Stacy, and Peter each show compassion for Fiona? How does Fiona do the same for her mother? How does this positively impact all of them?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : November 18, 2021
- Cast : Vanessa Hudgens , Nick Sagar , Remy Hii
- Director : Mike Rohl
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Asian Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Actor(s) , Indian/South Asian Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Family and Kids
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic , Fairy Tales ) , Friendship , Holidays
- Character Strengths : Compassion
- Run time : 106 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate