It works great for its target audience -- young girls -- but it will struggle to find its way with anyone else.
The Princess Diaries (2001)
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... 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 Marshall regular), Hathaway shines here in her first major film role. She plays Mia, a high school misfit who has resigned herself to social invisibility. Mia and her best friend, Lilly (Heather Matarazzo), are outcasts. While Lilly relishes the role, Mia just wishes a cute popular boy she likes, Josh (Erik von Detten), would notice her. Mia's life changes dramatically when her grandmother (Andrews) contacts her and Mia finds out she is heir to the throne of Genovia, a small European country between France and Spain. The klutzy, socially awkward girl doesn't think she's up to the job, but she agrees to be coached in regal manners by her grandmother before deciding if she wants to become a princess. Marshall (PRETTY WOMAN) is clearly in his element directing this light, charming teen comedy. Andrews, perfectly cast as Queen Clarisse Renaldi, makes her character seem both imperious and caring. Hathaway's performance and the presence of teen pop star Mandy Moore assure that young girls, in particular, will enjoy the film. [More]
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Julie Andrews, Hector Elizondo, Heather Matarazzo
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Julie Andrews, Hector Elizondo, Heather Matarazzo, Mandy Moore, Caroline Goodall, Robert Schwartzman, Erik von Detten
Director: Garry Marshall
Director: Garry Marshall
Screenwriter: Gina Wendkos
Producer: Whitney Houston, Debra Martin Chase, Mario Iscovich
Composer: John Debney
Studio: Buena Vista Pictures
Reviews for The Princess Diaries
A likable throwback to an old tradition of pictures from the Disney studio.
A half-hearted attempt by director Garry Marshall to rip off Pygmalion, as well as replicate his smash 1990 hit Pretty Woman.
The Princess Diaries is directed by Garry Marshall, which should make any thinking gal run screaming from the multiplex.
The Princess Diaries is a march through the swamp of recycled ugly duckling stories, with occasional pauses in the marsh of sitcom cliches and the bog of Idiot Plots.
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.
After a rocky start, the film gradually develops its own goofy charm.
So aggressively bland and inoffensive that it practically recedes from the screen.
The G-rated Princess Diaries could be a television pilot, but it can't hope to compete.
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.
The movie seems to equate her life-changing decision with the choice to be confident in her newfound cuteness. Yuck.
Aspires to be nothing more than a light time out for girls who still believe they can marry a Backstreet Boy. And it works as such. For all others (i.e., guys), it's nothing to write home about.
It would all be agreeable enough if Marshall didn't drag things out, making what should be a 90-minute Disney movie into a two-hour affair that keeps getting sidetracked with needless subplots.
Pack the girls into the minivan and rest assured that you and your offspring will leave the theater with a rosy, cheery glow.
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:
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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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