I am a sucker for sappy movies. I’ll just say that up front.
Thought-provoking is fine, but movies that tug at my heart strings are
more likely to win me over completely. So when my mom and I went looking
for a couple movies to rent recently, my eyes settled upon The Prince and Me, and when we finished watching it, I heaved the sort of happy sigh brought on by warm fuzzies. In other words, I approved.
I did a bit of searching after the movie was over and found it had been
panned by critics and general audiences alike. I had to admit it was
derivative, containing echoes of Coming to America, Son-In-Law and The Princess Diaries,
among others. But that didn’t diminish my enjoyment of the film. In
fact, I would say it was one of the sweetest movies of its genre that I
have seen. With its PG rating, it manages to be almost entirely
inoffensive. There were a few times when I feared it might be heading
into PG-13 territory, but these scenes always were cut short before any
real impropriety could occur.
The basic story is an old one. A
privileged boy used to being fawned over goes incognito and falls for a
girl who initially hates him. The animosity breeds passion that will
eventually be refocused as they get to know one another better and
discover that they actually enjoy spending time together. The boy in
question is Prince Edvard (Luke Mably), whose early scenes indicate that
he is a reckless, sophomoric playboy. His motivation for attending a
university in the United States is a commercial he saw for a video
featuring wild American college girls. He covers this up well in his
explanation to his parents, but his laconic lackey Soren (Ben Miller)
knows the truth and seems both amused and gratified by the fact that
reserved, focused Paige Morgan (Julia Stiles) refuses to give Eddie the
time of day.
The two are thrown into association with one
another. They are lab partners and co-workers at the student eatery.
Eddie is thrust into collegiate life, learning how it feels to be an
ordinary student struggling to get by. He is humbled by the valuable
life experience he gains, and his party boy demeanor dissipates
surprisingly quickly. Meanwhile, he helps Paige to loosen up and have a
little fun while also encouraging her to give her heart the attention
she generally reserves for her mind. The seeds of romance are planted,
and they begin to blossom as Eddie assists Paige in appreciating
Shakespeare and Paige shows Eddie the joys of farm life back home. All
the while, his true identity is hidden, but it must emerge at some
point, and when it does, both of them have choices to make. It plays out
in largely fairy tale fashion, but there’s enough reality in there to
make us believe it could actually happen, enough chemistry between the
leads that we actually want it to.
Stiles has impressed me
wherever I’ve seen her, and this film is no exception. She starts out so
hardened, unable to really embrace life, and slowly drops her defenses.
In moments when Paige allows herself some vulnerability, Stiles is
radiant. Mably is a newcomer who I expect we’ll be seeing more of. For a
start, he’s in the sequel – though I’m a bit leery of that, since two
of the major characters – one of them Paige – are played by different
actors the second time around. At any rate, though, he starts out
seeming a rogue and grows increasingly uncertain, and his charm
increases spectacularly in these moments. Particularly sweet are his
Shakespeare lessons, in which his courtly upbringing gives him an
exquisitely old-fashioned air. He has grown up with the Bard and truly
understands him – yet even as he reads passages with stirring eloquence,
his emotional investment prevents him from coming across as though he
is in a superior position.
Supporting cast do a fine job,
particularly Ben Miller, whose Soren seems at first to loathe being
forced to babysit a hopelessly immature prince. I was reminded of Hugh
Laurie’s performance as Mr. Palmer in Sense and Sensibility;
so few words, but such a powerful presence, and we always knew exactly
how irritated he was by his bubbly, gossipy wife. Like Mr. Palmer,
though, Soren is a very decent fellow, as people in sophisticated
servile positions always seem to be in this type of film, and he is
ultimately very likable. Paige brings out the best in him as well as the
prince. Miranda Richardson turns in a mostly icy performance as Eddie’s
extremely proper mother, though she thaws a bit before all’s said and
done. James Fox is warm throughout as Eddie’s ailing father, and I was
amused by Devin Ratray, who plays Eddie’s burnout, video game obsessed
roomie Scotty.
All told, The Prince and Me is just a
very sweet story simply told. There is some attempt at modernization.
This is first and foremost Paige’s story, and the director was
determined not to see the movie end with her giving up her dreams for
the sake of a fairy tale romance. But such is the bond between these two
characters that we are determined to see their relationship survive,
even if a royal wedding doesn’t occur before the credits roll. I saw the
alternate ending and must say I am very satisfied with the chosen
finale upon comparison. Prince Edvard’s coronation speech fulfills the
director’s wishes for female empowerment with abundant elegance and
emotion but leaves the door open for a cathartic conclusion that
contains just enough happily ever after to satisfy a sap like me.
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