The Princess Switch is a Netflix holiday movie franchise starring Vanessa Hudgens in multiple roles (because apparently one Vanessa Hudgens wasn't enough for Netflix). The first film dropped in 2018, and it was successful enough to spawn two sequels: Switched Again (2020) and Romancing the Star (2021).

The premise is basically The Parent Trap meets every Hallmark Christmas movie ever made. In the first film, a Chicago baker (Vanessa Hudgens #1) who looks exactly like a European duchess (Vanessa Hudgens #2) decides to switch places for a few days. Spoiler alert: they both fall in love with each other's lives and respective romantic interests. The sequels add a third Vanessa Hudgens (because why not?) and increasingly convoluted plots involving heists, coronations, and more identical strangers.

The fantasy is irresistible. What tween hasn't imagined having a secret twin who could take a math test for them? The Princess Switch takes that fantasy and dresses it up in ball gowns and Christmas lights.

It's comfort food cinema. There's zero suspense about how these movies will end. Everyone will get their happily ever after, the Christmas decorations will be abundant, and no one will face any real consequences for their deception. For kids navigating actual middle school drama, this predictability is soothing.

Vanessa Hudgens is doing the most. Say what you will about these movies, but Hudgens is clearly having fun playing multiple characters, complete with different accents and personalities. Kids appreciate the commitment to the bit.

Romance without the awkward stuff. Unlike many teen-focused rom-coms, The Princess Switch keeps things pretty chaste. There's longing looks, some hand-holding, and a few kisses, but nothing that'll make you dive for the remote during family movie night.

Romance and Relationships: This is a rom-com, so romance is the entire point. There's kissing (closed-mouth, nothing steamy), couples dancing, and lots of "will they/won't they" tension. The relationships portrayed are all heterosexual and lead to marriage/commitment. No one's having sex or even heavily implying it, though adult viewers will understand that these are romantic relationships between adults.

Alcohol: Characters drink wine and champagne at fancy events. It's portrayed as normal social drinking, not problematic behavior. No one gets drunk or does anything stupid because of alcohol.

Language: Squeaky clean. Maybe a "damn" or "hell" if you're lucky, but this is Netflix trying to be Hallmark-level family-friendly.

Deception as plot device: Here's the thing that might bother some parents more than the kissing: the entire premise is built on elaborate lies and identity fraud. Characters deceive everyone around them, including people they claim to care about, and face basically zero consequences. The movies treat this as whimsical rather than problematic. If you're trying to raise kids who value honesty and transparency, you might want to have a conversation about why this wouldn't fly in real life.

Class and privilege: These movies are dripping with wealth porn. Castles, designer clothes, elaborate Christmas parties, professional bakers who somehow afford cute Chicago storefronts. There's very little acknowledgment of economic reality, and the "poor" characters are still living pretty cushy lives. The message is basically "you too can marry a prince if you're pretty and nice enough."

Gender roles: Pretty traditional. Women are defined largely by their romantic relationships and their ability to look beautiful in gowns. The "career woman" (baker) still needs a man to complete her life. Not exactly progressive, though not actively harmful either — just... 1950s-flavored.

Let's be honest: these are not good movies. The acting ranges from "community theater" to "Vanessa Hudgens trying to carry an entire franchise on her back." The plots make no sense. The chemistry is sometimes questionable. The accents are... a choice.

But here's the thing: they're not trying to be good. They're trying to be cozy, festive background noise that makes you feel warm and fuzzy. And for that specific purpose? They work fine.

Your kid isn't going to learn anything valuable from The Princess Switch. They're also not going to be harmed by it. It's empty calories, but sometimes empty calories are exactly what you're in the mood for during the holidays.

The romantic focus will bore them, and they won't get the humor or appreciate the twin-switching premise. They'd be better off with something like The Christmas Chronicles or Klaus.

Some kids in this range will enjoy the fantasy and the Christmas vibes. Others will find it boring because there's not enough action or comedy for their taste. The romantic elements aren't inappropriate, but they might not be interesting yet either.

Good test: if your kid enjoyed The Parent Trap, they'll probably tolerate this.

This is the sweet spot. Tweens and young teens who are starting to be interested in romance but aren't ready for more mature content will find The Princess Switch perfectly pitched to their level. They'll swoon over the princes, imagine themselves in ball gowns, and probably won't think too hard about the logical impossibilities.

Older teens will likely watch this ironically, pointing out plot holes and laughing at the absurdity. Which is honestly a perfectly valid way to enjoy these movies. Some might genuinely like it as comfort viewing, but they'll probably be embarrassed to admit it.

If you want holiday rom-com vibes but with better quality, consider:

For younger kids:

For tweens who want romance:

For the whole family:

If you do watch The Princess Switch with your kids, here are some things worth discussing:

"What would really happen if someone pretended to be you?" Talk about consent, identity, and why deceiving people (even for "good" reasons) creates problems. This is especially relevant for tweens navigating social media and online identity.

"Why do you think the 'regular person' always needs to become more fancy?" The movies consistently suggest that the baker/normal person needs to learn to fit into royal life, rather than the royal learning to appreciate normal life. What does that say about what the movie values?

"What makes a good relationship?" The couples in these movies fall in love in like three days based mostly on physical attraction and some light banter. What's missing? What would a real relationship need?

"How realistic is this kind of wealth?" Use it as an opportunity to talk about economic reality, privilege, and how movies create fantasies that don't reflect most people's lives.

Is The Princess Switch appropriate for kids? Yes, for ages 8 and up, with the understanding that you're signing up for aggressively mediocre content.

Will it harm them? No. The content is mild, and the worst thing your kid will catch is a temporary belief that switching places with a lookalike is a viable life strategy.

Will it enrich their lives? Also no. This is not the movie that inspires them to read more, think deeper, or develop their creativity. It's the movie that occupies them for 90 minutes while you wrap presents.

Should you watch it? If your tween wants to, sure. It's a perfectly acceptable way to spend a December evening. Just maybe follow it up with something that has a bit more substance — or at least better accents.

For more holiday viewing options, check out our guide to Christmas movies for kids, or if you're trying to figure out what's actually worth your family's time on Netflix, explore age-appropriate Netflix shows.

And if your kid becomes obsessed with the idea of secret twins and switching places, maybe redirect that energy toward The Parent Trap, which at least has Lindsay Lohan's superior dual performance and a better script.