Smooch
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The premise
SMOOCH is a modern retelling of the classic Frog Prince tale with a romantic comedy twist. A rakishly handsome English Royal comes to America for an arranged marriage, and ends up being mugged in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park and left with amnesia. A precocious 11-year-girl, who can't bring herself to dissect a frog in science class, goes to the park with the intent of setting it free, and through a serendipitous misunderstanding thinks she turned the frog into a man after kissing the frog's boo-boo away with a kind smooch. She brings him home and soon realizes the only way she can keep him is to have the man impersonate a Royal Nanny and convince her beautiful widowed mother to hire him. With the clock ticking and his royal family searching for him, the man - whose memory eventually returns to him - falls hard for the girl's mom, and it seems like a Valentines Day dream come true until he's found by his family and is forced to finally stop being a bit of a toady... and become a real man. In the end, the little girl, the guy, and the gal, all discover that even in today's crazy world, happy ever after is possible.
How unusual is it?
Very. Royalty, amnesia and mistaken identity all turn up in one movie — the strangest 3% of everything we've logged.
Who’s in it
Behind the camera
ShowHide
Directed by
Written by
Wait, what?
The quirks and curveballs that make this one a little weirder than your average Hallmark. No spoilers, promise.
- A child believes she literally turned a frog into a grown man.
- The protagonist hires a muddy man with amnesia found in a park to be her live-in nanny.
- The film uses a storybook framing device where characters in the book mirror the real-life actors.
- The 'frog dissection' scene serves as the catalyst for the romantic meeting.
Every trope, all in one place
Here’s everything this one has going on, from the setting to the way it wraps up. Tap any of the 35 to find more movies that do the same thing.
Setting2
Time & season3
Characters9
Romance5
Tone & quirks4
How it ends2
Why we’d put this one on
Weirdness 9, and the setup is gloriously strange: an 11-year-old who cannot bear to dissect a frog in class believes her kiss turned that frog into a grown man. Kellie Martin plays her widowed mom, a young Kiernan Shipka plays the daughter, and Simon Kassianides is the amnesiac British marquis who washes up muddy in Golden Gate Park. To keep him, the family installs him as a live-in nanny. A Frog Prince retelling wrapped in a storybook framing device, at 102 minutes it is longer and odder than most. A 2011 curio worth meeting on its own terms.
How it all plays out
Already seen it, or just can’t wait? Open this up for the whole story, ending included.
Full story (spoilers)
The film begins with a storybook framing of a knight named Flynn of Stewart who is cursed to become a frog. In reality, Percival Summerland, a British Marquis, arrives in San Francisco to fulfill an arranged marriage to the snobbish Hillary. Unhappy with his life of duty, Percival is mugged and hit on the head near a park pond, resulting in amnesia. Simultaneously, young Zoe, a fairy-tale-obsessed girl, rescues a frog from a school dissection and takes it to the pond to set it free. She kisses the frog, and at that exact moment, a muddy and disoriented Percival emerges from the bushes. Zoe is convinced she has performed a magical transformation. She hides the 'Prince' in her home, eventually convincing her mother, Gwen—a widowed restaurant owner who lives her life by strict lists—to hire him as a 'royal nanny' named Flynn. Flynn, despite his lack of memory, displays refined manners and a natural talent for connecting with Zoe, helping her deal with a school crush and a bully named Kate. Gwen, initially skeptical, begins to fall for Flynn as he encourages her to break her rigid routines and enjoy life again, notably during a date at a toy museum. The romance is complicated by Gwen's sister Ruthie and her policeman husband Stanley, who is suspicious of Flynn's lack of credentials. The conflict peaks when Percival's parents and Hillary track him down. His memory returns, and Gwen is devastated to learn that 'Flynn' is actually a Marquis engaged to another woman, feeling that the entire relationship was a lie. Percival returns to his royal duties but realizes he has been 'boiling like a frog' in a life he hates. Encouraged by his butler Wilkins, he breaks off his engagement. On Valentine's Day, he returns to Gwen's apartment, drops the 'Flynn' persona to speak as himself, and declares his love, promising to be a man worthy of her. The film ends with Zoe and her crush Sam reconciling, and Gwen finally moving on from her late husband's memory to embrace a new future with Percival.
Beat by beat
Opening
Percival is mugged and suffers amnesia while Zoe 'transforms' him from a frog with a kiss at a pond.
Inciting Incident
Zoe convinces her mother Gwen to hire the amnesiac Percival as a 'royal nanny' named Flynn.
Midpoint
Flynn and Gwen go on a date to a toy museum, and Gwen begins to move past the grief of her husband's death.
Complication
Zoe's Valentine's Day card is ruined by a bully, and Flynn consoles her, strengthening their family bond.
Climax
Percival's royal family finds him, his memory is restored, and Gwen discovers his true identity and engagement.
Resolution
Percival breaks off his arranged marriage and returns to San Francisco to declare his love for Gwen on Valentine's Day.
Did you know?
A few things that make this one stand out once you stack it up against every other Hallmark movie.
No other Hallmark movie pairs an amnesia plot and royalty — this is the only one.
At a weirdness score of 9, it lands among the strangest 3% of Hallmark movies we've scored.
Top 3% weirdest
Out of every Hallmark movie we've scored, this one lands among the strangest 3%.
How it stacks up
Where this one’s rating lands against every other rated Hallmark movie.
Among the lower-rated Hallmark movies — the median is 6.4.
Where this one fits
The corners of the catalog Smooch belongs to — handy if you’re after more of the same.
- Weirdest Hallmark MoviesScores 9/10 on our weirdness scale — comfortably in the strange end.
- Craziest Hallmark MoviesWild enough in premise to make the all-time list.
- Hallmark Valentine's Day MoviesSet around Valentine’s Day.
- Hallmark Winter MoviesSnow-season romance without the Christmas trappings.
- Hallmark Royal Romance MoviesA crown gets involved.
- Hallmark Amnesia MoviesMemory loss drives the plot.
Lines worth quoting
The lines that stuck with us — the ones you’ll be repeating after the credits roll.
“Green, green ye shall be for all eternity until the purest maiden fair lays a smooch on thee.”
— Nursemaid (Book)The opening narration establishing the Frog Prince curse. “Into the breach, heart wide open.”
— Flynn / ZoeA recurring mantra about taking risks in love. “If you drop a frog into boiling water, it will hop right out... however, if you drop the very same frog into cool water and then gradually increase the temperature, it will not perceive the danger it is in until it's too late.”
— WilkinsExplaining to Percival how he has slowly let his life be destroyed by duty.
Meet the characters
Who’s who before you press play. Nothing here gives the ending away.
Gwen Cole
LeadRestaurant Owner
OrganizedGrievingProtectivePracticalPercival Summerland (Flynn)
Love interestMarquis / Nanny
Nanny and love interest
CharmingRefinedAmnesiacKindHillary
AntagonistSocialite
Fiancée (arranged)
SnobbishVainSuperficialZoe Cole
SupportingStudent
Daughter
ImaginativeDeterminedRomanticWilkins
SupportingButler
Percival's mentor/butler
LoyalWiseSarcastic
Questions people ask about Smooch
Where can I watch Smooch?
Smooch is available via fuboTV, YouTube TV, and Philo. Streaming options change often, so check current availability before settling in.
How long is Smooch?
Smooch runs about 1 hour and 42 minutes, and was released in 2011.
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Data and sources
Curated by the Talking Hallmark team.Last updated .