1. I saw a lot of miracles while I was in Japan. Cue Myra's "Miracles Happen." We'd be riding on our bikes and suddenly I'm jammin'. And foot popping.
2. I had a lot of Canadian friends on the mish. The whole secret to The Princess Diaries is that it's actually about Canada. Don't try and tell me that "Genovia" and "O Canada" don't sound EXACTLY THE SAME. We all know what "between France and Spain" means...
Anyway.
The Princess Diaries, based off Meg Cabot's novel of the same title, is about 15-year-old Mia Thermopolis (Anne Hathaway) who is just trying her best to stay invisible and pass the tenth grade. It's clear after five minutes that Mia is the ugly duckling, the awkward nobody, the gawky unpopular girl who throws up public speaking. She lives with her mom, Helen (Caroline Goodall) and Fat Louie the cat, and hangs out with slightly less unpopular and a little less ugly eccentric Lilly Moscovitz (Heather Matarazzo). Mia's got the hots for the jock, Josh Bryant (Erik von Detten), and he's all sharing saliva with cheerleader Lana Thomas (Mandy Moore) and then Lilly's brother Michael (Robert Schwartzman) has got the hots for Mia. This is high school, guys. Nevermind the fact that Anne Hathaway is 21-years-old when this was filmed. This drama shiz is still totally real. Fantasy macking it with your crush and all.
Anyway, Mia the invisible nobody gets thrown a fast one when her never-before-met perfect poise & posture grandma Clarisse Renaldi (Julie Andrews) shows up and drops the "you're-actually-a-princess" card of this made-up country called Genovia. At first Mia's like, "what??" then she's like, "shut up!" and then Queen Grandma's like, "I beg your pardon?" and the butler's like, "chill out majesty, in America it doesn't always mean be quiet it could be wow, gee whiz, or golly wolly!" and then there's panic and then we found out that the future of Canada lies in Mia's hands. I mean Genovia. (A little extreme plot device, but we'll roll with it).
Garry Marshall was also the director of Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride, and those weird Valentines Day/New Years Day whatever they're called movies. Anyway, this is Pretty Woman G-rated. But what could be just another lame movie to sit through with your 7-year-old, instead Princess Diaries is a delight. It's a clean and witty comedy - not only can your kid AND you enjoy this Disney flick, but you can enjoy it for the same reasons. Marshall doesn't try to make it something it's not with unnecessary innuendos that fly over kids' heads. It's a straight up fairy tale with straight up morals and straight up charm. It's a great movie for our daughters! Two great take home messages:
-There is responsibility in princess-dom! You little girls may dream big, but let's knock some sense into you - no one wants that kind of work and pressure! No one wants a media posse 24/7! Okay, maybe that's just the message that I took out of it. Food for thought, little girl. Grow up and be a lawyer.
-For reals, though. No matter what you look like, it's just important who you are and living that way with integrity. Be yo'self. Maturity comes when you stop thinking about "I" and "me" and what others think. You need to look outside of yourself and use your talents to help other people. Pretty good take home message, eh Canada? Genovia?
A terribly predictable and unoriginal story is brought to life by these skilled actors particularly newcomer (now Academy Award winner) little Anne Hathaway, the ever lovely Julie Andrews, and Hector Elizondo - the butler "you-can-call-me-Joe." (Let's talk about the alluded romance there, huh?) What the plot lacks in originality it makes up for in good acting, a clever script, and character chemistry. Throughout the film, Mia & her Queen-bee grandmother's relationship strengthens and they both learn lessons about family and responsibility. They take a day out on the town where Mia shows her the ropes and the rush that comes from arm wrestling arcade. Just a suggestion, Queen Elizabeth, if you're looking to get out...
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