I hate when I get bamboozled by a movie. Christmas in the Castle is actually titled Christmas in the Highlands. Also, this is a movie from 2019 that Lifetime is marketing as a new 2020 movie. Bad form, Lifetime.

Blair (Brooke Burfitt) is a perfume sales manager who gets sent to Scotland to acquire a very special perfume blend. Alistair (Dan Jeannotte) is the Scottish Earl who made the rare perfume. When Alistair says he won’t sell his perfume, Blair disguises herself as a documentarian to steal the formula.

First off, it annoys me to no end that this movie takes place in Scotland and no one has a Scottish accent. Alistair and his family have English accents, Kirsten (Ellen Patterson) and her mother (Geraldine Somerville) also have English accents, and a random car rental guy has an Irish accent. I know that Scottish accents can be difficult to understand but c’mon. You could have put this movie anywhere in the world. Why would you pick a country with a unique accent then not use it?

Next, the acting sucks. A lot. I might give Blair’s boss, AKA “The Dragon Lady,” (Caprice Bourret) a pass because she is supposed to suck but she is so over the top that I can’t excuse it. As much as I wanted to like the characters, the weird acting wouldn’t let me.

Skip Christmas in the Castle. Even better, just pretend it doesn’t exist.