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Of late, there
have been numerous ‘fresh faces’
to come out of the Disney studios. I have
to admit to finding most of them have little
talent in comparison to some of the Disney
live-action stars of years gone by. They
tend to be more like preening little Pima
Donnas than all out actresses. Whether they
be on the Disney Channel or in big screen
films, it’s just hard to find any
who will break out into the mainstream once
adulthood comes a callin’.
I’ve caught the likes of Hilary Duff,
Raven, and Lindsey Lohan in any number of
projects, but none of them really seem to
live up to what their publicists profess
them to be. Lohan’s career has gone
into overdrive with films like “Mean
Girls” and Confessions of a Teenage
Drama Queen”, and though those films
are fine for their target teenybopper audience,
I still can’t get past the fact that
she reminds me of Frankie Muniz in a wig.
If there is one actress that stands out
from the crowd, it has to be Anne Hathaway.
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Granted, she still needs to hone her acting skills,
but she actually seems to have skills to hone.
She also has a certain charisma that makes her
efforts worth watching. She’s still a relatively
unknown actress, but her turn in “The Princess
Diaries” has brought her enough attention
to warrant a sequel, which is coming to DVD this
week.
There was very little that could be considered
original about the story of “The Princess
Diaries.” It was yet another tale of the
lowly peasant who learns they are actually part
of a royal family who ends up in a ‘fish
out of water’ experience while learning
to live their new life. As for the details, Hathaway
starred as Mia Thermopolis, who spent most of
her time trying to survive the day to day rigors
of being a geek at school. As it turned out, unbeknownst
to her, she was actually the daughter of the King
and Queen of Genovia. As the sole heir to the
throne of Genovia, it was up to her real mother
Clarisse Renaldi to make sure she was taught all
of the proper etiquette her new life would require.
“The Princess Diaries” was certainly
not the best movie of its type, but it was far
from the worst. What made this film worth watching,
aside from Hathaway’s clumsy, yet inspired
performance was the presence of Julie Andrews
as Clarisse and the extraordinarily underrated
Hector Elizondo. Add to this, the direction of
Gary Marshall, and all of the film’s weaknesses
were overshadowed. I do have to mention, and I
never thought these words would slip through my
keyboard, was that the film also contained a good
performance by teen pop star, Mandy Moore. She
had the unenviable task of playing the stereotypical
‘popular’ girl who found that Mia’s
newly discovered legacy made her a rival for attention.
Like Hathaway, she appears to have the charm and
the talent to carry her acting career forward.
“The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement”
takes up right where the original left off. We
find that Mia is living the life that most of
us could only dream of. But she soon learns that
all is not always ‘happily ever after’,
as she discovers that her family might lose the
crown. It seems the only way she can help save
the day is by getting married…right away!!
You can imagine the hilarity that is supposed
to ensue.
There’s not much to say about the film itself,
as it is about as original as the first film.
But again, the performances by Hathaway, Andrews
and Elizondo elevate the movie enough that the
formulas aren’t so annoying. Admittedly,
it’s not as good as the first film, but
that’s not to say it’s bad. There
are quite a few funny scenes, and I found myself
laughing more than once. But I have to say that
as the target audience for the “The Princess
Diaries 2: Royal Engagement” is adolescent
girls, that’s really who it will appeal
to the most. It sticks to that formula, so in
the end it might not appeal as much to any other
demographic.
This new DVD release packs quite a few extras
features, including a commentary by Andrews and
director Garry Marshall. This commentary was much
better than the one on the previous film, which
teamed Andrews with Hathaway. Their conversation
was kind of… girly, while this one is a
little more substantial. You’ll also find
a blooper reel, a look at the Princess Diaries
2 makeover, and several deleted scenes.
There is a music video by Kelly Clarkson for the
song “Breakaway” (for which I’m
glad to see her making a little bit of a career
for herself after “America Idol”)
and a look at the making of the movie, hosted
by Raven.
While not as good as the first, “The Princess
Diaries 2: Royal Engagement” is still an
above average movie that will undoubtedly entertain
its target audience. You just might want to keep
their little brother out of the room.
Directed by: Garry Marshall
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Julie Andrews, Heather
Matarazzo, John Rhys-Davies, Hector Elizondo
Extras:
Specifications: Widescreen & Full Screen,
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Disney DVD
Release Date: 12/14/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: G
Website
We'll give Princess Diaries 2: A Royal Engagement
a C+.
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