WHAT A GIRL WANTS

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 4 out of 5

Because of: brief crude language

Rated:

Regardless of the title, this film really doesn't have anything to do with the sugary bubblegum pop song by the same name. It's actually a touching chick flick with heart. Every girl longs to wake up one day and learn they're secretly a princess... Daphne Reynolds (Amanda Bynes) isn't a princess, but she's the next best thing. Her father is Lord Henry Dashwood (Colin Firth), a British politician in Parliament. Only he doesn't know she exists. Her parents met in a dinky third world country when her mother was a struggling musician and her father out to 'find himself' before settling down and taking over the family business. After being married by a Bedouin priest, they returned to England to make it legal... but when Henry's father and his advisers got wind of the relationship, they took measures to get rid of the spunky American girl he was so in love with. 

Libby (Kelly Preston)was sent back to New York believing Henry wanted the relationship ended... and poor Henry was told she ran off with another guy. Then Daphne came along... and ever since she's been dreaming of that special father/daughter dance. Deciding to take measures into her own hands, Daphne books a flight to London. She arrives in a world much unlike her own full of stuffy British ideals and adorable accents. Checking into a third-rate hotel she's swiftly befriended by the bellboy, Ian. Then comes the bombshell... Lord Henry Dashwood has given up his seat in the House of Lords to run for general Parliament. Urging him on is his scheming fiancée Glynnis and her bratty daughter Clarissa. That's when Daphne drops in on their lives... and Henry finds himself second-guessing a life he never had... and yearning to know a daughter he never knew existed.

But this 'scandal' could do serious damage to his flawless reputation and jeopardize his chances of winning the popular vote. Daphne has suddenly become a princess in a magnificent English manor... but her American ideals and dress code stand out like a sore thumb around Henry's upper class royal friends. Everything father and daughter know and love will be turned inside out as they both struggle against popular opinion to know the truth... that family means more than just DNA. Going in I was anticipating more prep-school and less heart. The movie is cleverly written and revolves around dry British humor as well as some slapstick elements to please American preteen audiences. But actually the heart of What a Girl Wants revolves around the importance of a father/daughter relationship. Daphne never had a father to give a card to and kiss on Father's Day. She didn't have a dad to walk in the park with or dance with at weddings.

Any woman who had or has a wonderful relationship with her father will find themselves enjoying the film for the deeper moments between these two very different and yet so much alike individuals. What it boils down to is wealth and business don't mean a thing if you haven't a family to share it with. Henry's character is that of an ideal gentleman, willing to risk his political career to see his daughter happy. Daphne is also willing to give up some of her wilder ideas to help her father maintain a strict code of ethics. The good guys are all selfless and moral. The bad guys are low-life scum balls. Too many movies blend the lines between good behavior and being good. Most teen films promote abstinence as a bad word, and too swiftly engage their teen couples in improper or immoral behavior. It's refreshing to see a film, then, which encourages some restraint and stresses the importance of family... and what's more, the importance of fathers' positive influence in their daughters' lives. Even so, What a Girl Wants isn't quite perfect. No movie is, but this one manages to stay suitable for most audiences.

Daphne's romance with Ian is kept to a gentle kiss. There are three mild abuses of deity, a couple of crude terms, and one profanity. Someone says "You scared the bejesus out of me." Some mild innuendo intrudes, most of which will go over younger viewer's heads. The way Daphne dresses is completely centralized around the American girl concept, which means a lot of hip huggers and tank tops. There are only two things I found offensive and both were played for laughs. One is a comment about a dog having bitten off someone's private part (the quip is that the real shame remains the man hasn't stopped reproducing), and the fact that the love of Clarissa's life is a snotty young British lord with a fetish for squeezing girl's backsides. He only does it once as a gag at the end of the film.

Yes, What a Girl Wants is shamelessly trying to profit from last year's surprise blockbuster The Princess Diaries. What makes it work is the audience is enjoying themselves too much to care. With the perfect blend of American ideals networked with British chivalry and more than a few laugh-aloud moments, this movie is a wonderful step in the right direction and an ideal choice for teens searching for worthwhile entertainment in Hollywood's bumpy streets. It proves to be more meaningful than the previews insinuate, and a heck of a lot more fun.

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