Jefferson and Robespierre are probably turning in their graves because, despite more than two centuries of republican propaganda, the concept of monarchy still holds great sway over a large segment of the Western public. This is true even for countries that are proud of being republics, like America, and the sentiment is reflected by American popular culture and exploited by its cinema industry. One such example is The Princess Diaries, a 2001 family comedy directed by Garry Marshall.
The film is based on the eponymous young adult novel by Meg Cabot. The protagonist, played by Anne Hathaway, is Mia Thermopolis, a teenage girl who lives with her single mother Helen (played by Caroline Goodall) in San Francisco and attends high school where she is considered "nerdish" and unpopular. Her life changes when she is visited by representatives of Clarisse (played by Julie Andrews), the queen of the (fictional) country of Genovia. She explains that Clarisse's son, the late King Philippe, was secretly married to Caroline and that Mia is their daughter, and, consequently, heir to the Genovian throne. Mia begins to ponder whether to accept her new title and start a new life while being carefully groomed for her new role. This affects her image, and Mia transforms from an ugly duckling into a beauty. It reflects on her status at high school and her relationship with her only friend Lilly Moskowitz (played by Heather Mattarazzo) and Michael (played by Robert Schwartzman), her older brother for whom she develops romantic feelings.
The Princess Diaries looked like a project tailor-made for Disney, a studio specialised in feather-light family entertainment that also gave its name to the concept of the "Disney princess". The direction was given to Garry Marshall, a television veteran also specialised in family-oriented films, although some might see his best-known film Pretty Woman as a more adult and dark version of the Cinderella story similar to the one used in this film. Anyone who has read the classic fairy tale would easily guess how the plot plays out, and the characters are one-dimensional. Only at times do small glimpses of originality appear, like in the case of Mia's neighbour (played by Patrick Ricker). The greatest asset of the film is its great cast. Young Anne Hathaway shines in the role of Mia and convincingly shows the transformation of her character, projecting a lot of charm that would make many viewers forgive or ignore some of the script's shortcomings. Hathaway became a big star thanks to this film, but even her performance was overshadowed by Julie Andrews, the grand dame of Hollywood who ended her semi-retirement just to elevate this modern fairy tale with her regal presence. Although The Princess Diaries might contain too much saccharine for more jaded viewers, the family audience would probably appreciate this film, one of the very few Hollywood features that actually got a G-rating from the MPAA censors. Despite not particularly enthusiastic critics, The Princess Diaries became a big hit at the box office, which led to the 2004 sequel The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.
RATING: 5/10 (++)
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