This romance capitalizes on audience fascination for both royalty and teenagers, but it does so in a slightly more authentic way than a lot of current teen-targeted fare.
The natural, vulnerable lead performances from Hoysaeter Asserson and Storhoi and the Norwegian setting make Royalteen a watchable romantic drama despite its formulaic -- regular girl meets prince -- tale, based on the first book in a popular Norwegian series.
Royal-watchers might look for parallels with the real-life Norwegian monarchy. The film also offers a take on defining privacy and overcoming past mistakes for a generation raised online.
Hoysaeter Asserson is especially convincing as Lena, a young woman with a past she's ashamed of and a middle-class family with mixed feelings about the monarchy.
Most of the characters feel closer to believable bounds of behavior and attitudes than many teen movies today. The ending is questionable and feels a little rushed by comparison, but it does leave the door open to a sequel.
Read the full review on Common Sense Media.
Images courtesy of Netflix.