That this failed is largely down to the stilted, clichéd dialogue of the screenplay; fans of the wittier novel by Meg Cabot may well be disappointed.
Comment
03/09/09
The Princess Diaries (2001)
47
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:111
Fresh:52
Rotten:59
Average Rating:5.1/10
Consensus: A charming, if familiar, makeover movie for young teenage girls.
Runtime: 1 hr 55 mins
Genre: Childrens
Synopsis: Teen actress Anne Hathaway gives an endearing performance in Garry Marshall's delightful Disney comedy, THE PRINCESS DIARIES. Assisted by such seasoned pros as Julie Andrews and Hector Elizondo (a... [More]
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Julie Andrews, Hector Elizondo, Heather Matarazzo
Director: Garry Marshall
Reviews for The Princess Diaries
Top CriticA light, uneven Pygmalion story that may win young girls over with its wish fulfilment theme and teen movie staples, but does not live up to the expectations created by the cast and director.
12/30/06
Top CriticWhat starts as a feel-good movie quickly degenerates into a feel-bored movie, not least because at two hours it’s at least thirty minutes too long.
10/30/02
Notions of responsibility, surrogacy, rites of passage and the value of friendship are gone through, but the highlighting of modern tropes merely serves to emphasise the film's conventionality.
02/09/06
Top CriticI'm sick of these movies.
01/06/02
The film is so carelessly made that every surprise in the story is given away very early on--we know from the beginning exactly what will happen, and scenes are so badly staged that any comic or dramatic potential is lost.
03/14/02
A very watchable, very warm little Disney comedy.
12/03/01
Top CriticClick to read the article
08/09/01
Top CriticClick to read the article
02/25/04
No review available.
01/06/02
It’s another movie where teenage girls look like a bunch of unfeeling idiots or worse.
08/02/02
Maybe if there was more of Mia and Clarisse knocking about Frisco together and less of Mia and her continual high-school tribulations, The Princess Diaries as a whole would feel just as special.
08/02/01
Only Anne Hathaway’s charisma and a cute script save this movie from becoming completely painful.
08/04/01
Screenwriter Gina Wendkos, working from Meg Cabot's novel, resorts to monotonous movie clichés: almost uniformly cruel classmates and a callous, cacophonous mob of media jackals.
07/21/05
Gina Wendkos' script, based on Meg Cabot's novel, leaves much to be desired.
08/03/01
The story it tells is distressingly out of date, especially in its antique notions of what constitutes "success" for girls.
08/02/01
Even if the parents in the audience roll their eyes at this movie's flimsy plot, clumsy dialogue and unbelievable characters, young girls will no doubt fall for the fantasy.
08/02/01
The movie seems to equate her life-changing decision with the choice to be confident in her newfound cuteness. Yuck.
08/02/01
A non-animated G-rated movie is a rarity these days but the rating here reflects the fact that all the guts, all the good stuff, has been exorcised from the finished product.
08/08/01
...doesn't hold much appeal for those outside its target audience.
08/21/04
Latest News for The Princess Diaries
November 22, 2005:
Fox Searchlight Digs the "Phat Girlz"
Fresh out of my inbox comes a press release from Fox Searchlight that informs us of a movie called "Phat Girlz," which stars Mo'Nique, Eric Roberts, Jack Noseworthy,... More...
June 24, 2005:
From "Coyote Ugly" to "Big Man on Campus"
Screenwriter Gina Wendkos, the scribe responsible for movies such as "Coyote Ugly," "The Princess Diaries," and "The Perfect Man" will pen... More...
August 09, 2001:
More...
June 05, 2001:
Diaries was shot on the same soundstage used for Mary Poppins, and Marshall owns the house Andrews lived in while making that film.
More...
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