Movie Review:
The Princess Diaries 2:
Royal Engagement
Hot
actress Anne Hathaway admits that she’s just as klutzy as her
Princess Mia character. She falls down, trips and bounces off walls
constantly. While on the Canadian set of Brokeback Mountain,
she caught her dress on a railing and was pinned there a while. Nice
to know even “royalty” is just as hopeless as we are!
In The
Princess Diaries 2, It’s five years since we last saw Princess
Mia. With her college graduate degree in diplomacy and politics in
hand, Mia (Anne Hathaway) returns to her home country of Genovia to
celebrate her 21st birthday. Her grandmom Queen Clarisse (Julie Andrews)
is ready to step down and now Mia can ascend the throne but an antique
law says she must be married first! Messing things up further is Viscount
Mabrey (John Rhys-Davies) who demands that his cute nephew Sir Nicholas
(Chris Pine) is really the rightful heir to the country’s throne.
Mia has met him and thinks he is way hot but has no idea he’s
a “baddie” out to be king.
Mia gets
only thirty days to find a suitable royal to marry before Nicholas
will get to take the throne. Of course, she wants true love but settles
for sweet, harmless Prince Andrew (Callum Blue) and they get engaged.
Furious that Mia may meet the rule and still be queen, Mabrey tries
to manipulate Nicholas to get Mia to fall for him instead. Meanwhile,
an old love between Queen Clarisse and her head of security Joseph
(Hector Elizondo) blossoms.
Okay,
this movie is corny and sappy but cute and the cast pulls it off nicely.
Where else but in a Disney film can you see Julie Andrews rapping
with Raven Symone or “mattress surfing” down a flight
of stairs during a slumber party? Anne Hathaway is gorgeous and regal
as the princess and wears some very classy retro (think Jackie Kennedy
1960’s) designer clothes. Newcomers Chris Pine and Callum Blue
don’t have much of an acting challenge but are both very winning
fellows in their own unique ways.
The film’s
message is very gurl-powered. Mia wants a chance to make a difference
without having to be married to do it. Queen Clarisse just wants to
be a woman in love rather than a queen. Both get their wishes and
that’s nice. You and your pals can identify with some of Mia’s
plight if you’ve ever had to live by rules you don’t believe
in and your parents can appreciate the grown-up side-story of the
long-time romance of Queen Clarisse and her security head Joseph as
they finally get together. I’d only complain that Mia does fall
for Nicholas and we can’t see that it’s for any other
reason than he looks hot. A little more character development might
have let us feel better about her choice and made it a little less
superficial. Overall, however, there is enough innocent fun and a
quota of empowering messages here for a nice little summer tea party
with your best gal pals.
This movie
is rated G
Official
Movie Web Site: http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/diaries2/index.html
