Princess
Diaries 2
Our rating: 4 out of 5
Rated: PG
reviewed by Stephanie Vale
A fairytale dreamland.
A Princess.
Prince Charming. A stunning castle.
Once again, Disney used the formula and got it
right. In the adorable sequel to 2001s
The Princess Diaries, Anne Hathaway returns as
Amelia Minonette Thermopolis Renaldi. She's still
gawky, she's still clumsy, but she's now turning 21
years old and is a bit more mature.
A recent graduate of Princeton, Mia is now moving to
Genovia to learn how to rule; her grandmother Queen
Clarisse Renaldi (Julie Andrews, in a wonderful
reprisal role) will have to teach her poise, decorum
and diplomacy before stepping down as queen of
Genovia, so Mia can be crowned.
Best friend Lily (Heather Matarazzo) is
attending Berkeley, and Mia and Lily's brother
Michael (Robert Schwartzman) are now just friends,
as Michael is off touring the country with his band.
When Mia arrives in Genovia only to learn that
another person is eligible for her crown, and that
by Parliaments rule she must marry before 30 days is
up or forfeit her crown, she is stunned!
Mia has always wanted to marry for love, and
who can possibly expect someone to fall in love in
just 30 days? In Mia's search for an eligible Prince
Charming she comes across a lovely young man named
Andrew Jacoby (Callum Blue) from England, who is
perfect for her in every way: but can she love him?
Another is in her path as well: a guy named Nicholas
(Chris Pine), with whom she dances briefly at her
birthday ball (she flirts with him mildly).
When Mia discovers shortly thereafter that Sir
Nicholas is actually THE Lord Devereaux that is
trying to steal her crown, she is quite upset!
Nicholas' evil uncle Viscount Mabrey (Jonathan
Rhys-Davies) is determined that his nephew should
rule Genovia -- after all, Nicholas was born and
raised in Genovia, and knows more about the people
than the American born Mia ever could. With time
running out and pressure from all sides for this
arranged marriage, Mia must overcome a few large
obstacles: she must familiarize herself with the
long-standing traditions of Genovia (such as shoot a
flaming arrow through a ring on the night before her
coronation), as well as learn how to be politic in
dealing with sticky situations.
Falling into a fountain, nearly shooting many
people with arrows, stamping her heel on a young
mans foot, climbing down ivy from her window and
much more could hardly be considered ladylike
behavior:
but who has time to be genteel and ladylike when you
only have 30 days to fall in love and marry?
In Disney style, this G offering has very little
objectionable content: there is no bad language to
speak of.
There is a moment where a girl and a guy wake up
together under a tree, but it is adamantly declared
that nothing has happened.
There is mild flirting, a few temper tantrums
(understandable ones), and little else.
This movie is so clean, that I would encourage
you to take young children to see it! Some may say
that it comes off flat and boring, but I didn't find
it so. It wasn't quite as funny as I expected or as
fast-paced as the first, but the storyline is simply
adorable, and what I heard termed once as gentle
fun. Anne
Hathaway gives another great performance as the
oft-clumsy Mia; Julie Andrews is positively charming
as always as the elegant and refined Queen of
Genovia, and even regales us with a tune in this
film: every bit of the price of admission is worth
it, just for this.
The other actors do a fine job as well, pulling off
a cute and not-too-cheesy Disney fairy tale sequel.
And of course, what kind of fairy tale would this be
if Mia and her Prince Charming didn't live happily
ever after, so of course, you can expect a happy
ending: but WHICH Prince Charming she will choose is
an entirely different matter altogether!
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