AGW Entertainment reporter Lynn B. saw a new comedy/romance film. Here are her thoughts on....

WHAT A GIRL WANTS

Warner Brothers Pictures

Amanda Bynes took off for London, learned how to drive on the other side of the road and missed her Mrs. Fields' cookies for a few months to make this Cinderella movie with cute Brits Colin Firth and Oliver James.

Amanda is Daphne Reynolds, a Bohemian style American girl who lives in Chinatown and waits tables at weddings while her mom and her band do the singing. Every time a bride dances with a dad, Daphne goes all sad because mom Libby (Kelly Preston) raised her as a single mom. Daphne's real dad turns out to a British lord (Colin Firth), whom mom left 17 years ago while secretly pregnant because she was told by his snooty family that she was inappropriate wife material.

Always fascinated and curious about dad, Daphne hops a jet to London to introduce herself to daddy who is in the middle of a big political campaign. Daphne is the ugly American to dad's social climber fiancée (Anna Chancellor) and horrible stepsister daughter (Christina Cole). Finally Daphne and dad bond despite sabotage efforts by fiancée and daughter and Daphne meets a cool musician (cute Oliver James) who loves her just as she is. Hoping to make daddy proud, Daphne tries to change but finally realizes that she has to be herself and hope dad comes around.

This film is another version of The Princess Diaries and is very loosely based on an old 1959 Sandra Dee movie The Reluctant Debutante. Amanda is fun and her scenes with Colin as dad are cute, well-acted and touching, although he looks young enough to be her boyfriend. There is a lot of physical, slapstick humor in the film (people falling out of boats and being pushed into rivers, etc.) that isn't really needed. The central core of the film is about true love and family and a teen girl's longing for a dad. Moments between Amanda and Kelly as mom and daughter are very well done and effective and Amanda and Brit newcomer Oliver James make a sweet couple.

The plot is totally predictable but, with this kind of story, we don't really care. Older teens and parents will like the dad/daughter/mom relationship and adult rekindling of romance between Colin and Kelly and Amanda's relationship with the very datable and musically talented Oliver James. Younger kids can laugh at Amanda's charming and wonderful comedy abilities.

Rated: PG

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