Love and mystery are the focal points of the Netflix’s newest holiday movie, The Knight Before Christmas. Directed by Monika Mitchell, this film takes steps into highlighting real world issues, while maintaining the romantic-comedy focus and feel.

Sir Cole, portrayed by Josh Whitehouse, is a 14th century knight who finds himself trapped in 2019 after an “old crone” sends him to the future to fulfill his quest to becoming a true knight. Whilst in the future, he meets a young high school teacher named Brooke, played by Vanessa Hudgens, after she accidentally hits him with her car. The two spend time together, teaching each other the tricks of the past and of the future, and eventually falling in love.

While the plot may seem like the typical Christmas movie cliche, is the perfect mixture of fairytale and reality and has aspects that can appeal to all romantic-comedy movie lovers. Action, suspense, comedy, and of course, romance are all components that make up this film, but to be fair, the bulk of the movie’s structure comes from the tenderness within Brooke and Cole’s relationship.

The general ideas and setup of the movie are undoubtedly nonsensical — after all, it’s the story of a time-traveling knight. But despite this absurdity, The Knight Before Christmas is a suitable example of the idea of “perfectly imperfect”.

So many aspects of the plot are questionable. Brooke, after hitting Cole with her car, invites him into her home with welcoming arms, despite the fact that he is a stranger with a fourteenth century weapon in his possession. Additionally, Cole is able to carry this entire utilitarian sword with him everywhere he goes, and no one throughout the movie queries why he has it. But although these issues seem like they would be deal breakers, they, in fact, only add to the charm of the film.

Stepping aside from the craziness and the romance, I have to applaud the writers for diving into the issue of poverty and how children view it. By telling the story of a single father who struggles to provide Christmas gifts for his children, the writers open the audience’s eyes — children and adults — to show the importance of giving to those in need.

Vanessa Hudgens does a wonderful job portraying a charming and charismatic young woman. I found her performance to be outstanding and praiseworthy. Alongside her, Josh Whitehouse has large shoes to fill. Whitehouse, having starred in some minor films and televisions shows in the past, was cast to act alongside Hudgens, who has starred in many major projects. Regardless, I found his performance to be absolutely stellar as well.

With a talented cast, an eccentric plot, and a wide range of viewer emotions, I would give The Knight Before Christmas a four-star rating. Clocking in at just over an hour and a half, the film is definitely worth a viewing, especially to romantic-comedy lovers. So next time you’re mindlessly scrolling through Netflix, head over to the Rom-Com section and find this beautiful mess.

Watch the trailer here.