The Prince and Me

Review by Clint Morris

The Princess Diaries, Chasing Liberty, First Daughter… Hollywood has unquestionably got a woody for the ‘Teenage Royal’ storylines at the moment haven't they?

Well dust off the Crown Jewels, buff up the mock castle and mist the leading lady with Hair Fizz because there’s one more – The Prince and Me.

Julia Stiles plays Paige, a University of Wisconsin student, who's focused on getting into the prominent John Hopkins medical school. Love, Huh? She doesn't have time for that.

Luke Mably plays the Prince of Denmark, an undeveloped, spoilt snob that's on leave from the castle to find out what all the fuss is about in America.

They meet. They clash. They clash some more. Then… he actually starts to see a woman more than a sex object, and she starts to believe that fairytales do come true. Awww.

Passé, the story's about as unsullied as week old donuts, and there's more chemistry in a pharmaceutical lab than between the leads. But you know what? It's a teenage rom-com, and we've got to be careful not to forget who the target audience is here.

Young girls have seen the film's that have come before it and they can spot the rehashed plot twists and impel a mile off – but they want that. Most others are going to notice some of the huge plot holes; but not them – they'll be too busy looking at the sweet stuff going on on screen between Stiles and Mably.

In fact, most will indubitably enjoy the film on hand at lot more than they'd probably think they would. What might make it so endurable is Stiles. She's cute, she’s a darn good actress and she's the type of girl who most young females can relate to.

In some respects a film like this doesn't call for such an emotional powerhouse of an actress, but it's all the more better for having her in it. Stiles is great. And with veteran Martha Coolidge in the director's chair, the film seems to have been slightly more grounded in reality, even offering a conclusion that isn't so Fairytale.

Yes, you've seen it all before, but The Prince and Me is funny and sweet – you'll probably find it hard to resist.

3 out of 5

The Prince and Me
Australian release: Thursday June 24th
Cast: Julia Stiles, Luke Mably, Miranda Richardson, Ben Miller, Dana Reznik, James Fox.
Director: Martha Coolidge.
Website: Click here.

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