***Official '"THE PRINCESS DIARIES" Review Thread (1 Viewer)

[Kenneth]

I went to see this yesterday when Rush Hour 2 was sold out and found it very enjoyable. It retains the spirit of Pretty Woman so if you found that movie enjoyable you should find the same things to enjoy here; if you hated that movie this movie will probably not win you over, depending on what you didn't like.
The story concerns a 15 year girl, played by Anne Hathaway, who discovers she is the princess of Genovia. It is amusing to see her transform from the "invisible" girl to a young princess. Julie Andrews is excellent as the Queen, the princess' Grandmother and Caroline Goodall does a good spin as her Mother. Some of the supporting characters from PW return including Hector Elizondo and Larry Miller. Not having read the book I am not sure how good the adaptation was but I found the movie enjoyable and full of laughs. If you are looking for a wholesome and enjoyable comedy then this just might be your ticket. Mandy Moore (the teeny bopper singer) does a stint as a supporting character (who amazingly sings , who woulda thunk). Enjoy.
Kenneth

 

[Jason Whyte]

I didn't like "The Princess Diaries," which is rather surprising because I've found the Disney family films of late to be pretty good. The real problem here is the pacing and the subplots range from sloppy to just plain uneven, which goes up and down, back and forth so many times that it drove me nuts.
I loved scenes such as Mia and the Queen hanging out together and the scenes with Mia and her best friend, but then we have to put up with the usual idiot plots, lousy editing (the cut to Mia in a dream sequence lifting her shoe with gum on it comes out of nowhere) and a humiliating performance by singer-turned-wannabe actress Mandy Moore, who has about five lines and exits the film, shrieking, with an ice cream cone to her breasts.
"The Princess Diaries" is not an awful film -- I adored Anne Hathaway and had a little chuckle from time to time -- but overall, it's just a two hour film with about thirty minutes of substance to it.

Regards,
Jason
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[Patrick Sun]

I rather enjoyed this film. True, about 30 minutes could have been trimmed from it, but I enjoyed the character development of Mia Thermopolis (Anne Hathaway), and for that, I don't fault the 2 hour running time.
Anne Hathaway just plain nails this role. Sure, it might not be the meatiest of roles, but she imbues Mia with so much life and personality (under her "invisible" exteriors) that it's impossible to not like her. Plus having doe-eyes good looks doesn't hurt. Julie Andrews brings the ease of royalty to her role as the Queen and she develops a nice wonderful rapport with Anne. Hector Elizonda was very good as the "security" details man of the Queen, and also has good scenes with Anne. Mia's supporting cast of friends and foes are perfunctionary. Larry Miller was also pretty entertaining as the make-over artist for Mia.
I chuckled a lot throughout the film, and I totally bought Anne's transformation from geeky nobody 10th grader to the future Queen of Genovia.
I give it 3.5 starts or a grade of B+.
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[Chris Dugger]

This thread is now the Official Review Thread for "Princess Diaries". Please post all HTF member reviews in this thread. Any other comments, links to other reviews, or discussion items will be deleted from this thread without warning!

Again, without warning, I will delete all posts that are not a HTF member review!

Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

Dugger

 

[Stephen Orr]

(moved)
I noticed it moved from No. 4 last week to No. 3 this week.
I accompanied my wife and a group of young ladies, ages 8 to 18, and their moms and grandmothers from our church to this Disney flick this past weekend.
I must say, I was very surprised and a lot more entertained than I thought I would be. The story may have been familiar and cliched, but it was still well told, and funnier than you'd expect a G-rated film to be. Anne Hathaway as the would-be princess acted just like many young teen girls I know, and many of the girls who attended this matinee said they identified very strongly with her.
Gary Marshall did his usual good job with the humor, and the supporting cast was terrific, especially Hector Elizando (sp), playing the same voice of reason and calm in the middle of two worlds that he always seems to play in these types of movies.
And Julie Andrews was....Julie Andrews. She played her character exactly as we expect her to, and we love her for it.
BTW my 17 year old son took his 16 year old girlfriend to see TPD, and they both thought it was terrific, too. (These are two kids who have absolutely no desire to see something like American Pie 2....)
At a time when it seems studios are at least trying to make more films for a family audience, this one stands head and shoulders as a model. I'd like to see more of this kind of movie. They can be made, and made well...