The Prince and Me (2004)

Surprisingly satifying romance

From the title of this film, I expected a typical fluffy Cinderella fairytale for kids but was pleasantly surprised, especially by the terrific chemistry between the leads of Paige and Prince Eddie, played capably by Julia Stiles and Luke Mably. It's not a kids' flick, but much more appealing to teenagers and adults and the characters are surprisingly three-dimensional and act like real college students and adults.

Luke Mably is a gem as the handsome, indolent, sophisticated (though completely naive about American ways) European playboy Prince Edvard, undercover as Danish exchange student "Eddie Williams" at the University of Wisconsin to escape the pressures of royal life. He comes to America looking for a good time with easy American girls after being splashed all over the tabloids for his exploits with fast cars and women in his native land and reprimanded by his strict parents, the king and queen of Denmark. The last thing Eddie expects is to fall in love with the one woman apparently resistant to his charms, the hyperfocused, hardworking premed student Paige Morgan, a farm girl completely baffled by why all her hometown girlfriends would give up a chance to go out into the world in favor of marriage and settling down.

The movie is definitely carried by the fantastic chemistry between the two leads, who are believably both sweet and passionate towards one another. The acting is subtle and there is plenty of comedy based on the "fish out of water" scenario, especially coming from the Prince's manservant Soren, as he dryly and snobbishly observes the American lifestyle before succumbing to Xbox addiction over Thanksgiving break. The gradual romantic buildup during the college part of the film is remarkably believable and sweet.

The second half of the film was rushed compared to the first, but I guess that was the fairytale part. They've only just started dating after a few months of flirting and friendship, and suddenly he proposes and she accepts? Seemed very fast to me, but Eddie and Paige are extremely adorable in their lovey-dovey scenes in Denmark that I'll overlook it. The ending seemed a bit awkward (and the director reveals that they didn't quite know what to do--just that they wanted Paige to become a doctor and Eddie to come back for her), and it would have been more believable to not have him show up to surprise her but instead have the audience be surprised that they decided to continue a long-distance relationship when it appeared as if they broke up, but that's JMHO.

There are a couple of nitpicks, one being the timeline of the movie, which appears to happen over one semester ending in the winter, except that it's sunny and green in both Wisconsin and Denmark in late November and December instead of cold and dark. And the people of Denmark allowing Paige to slip away unnoticed during Eddie's coronation even though they noticed her in the crowd when she came to look for him from the paparazzi photos at the U of W is strange too, since she's had many photo ops with Edvard since arriving and would be even more recognizable.

As for the DVD extras, they are pretty cool. The commentary with the director was insightful, and there are nice (though short) interviews with the cast in which Luke Mably and Ben Miller reveal that they went out in character as prince and valet to convince real life people that Luke was the prince of Denmark just to see their reactions. The deleted/extended/alternate scenes are nice too, especially the scenes of Eddie and Paige post break up where you see Eddie studying hard and dealing with everyone knowing he's the prince and watching Paige get accepted to medical school from afar, which are quite melancholy, and the additional scenes of Eddie and Paige in Denmark being cozy and adorable together with some funny cut lines from Paige now that she is the fish out of water trying to adapt to royal life. There are also featurettes on the lawnmower race and researching the architecture/fashion of European royalty for those who are interested, a gag reel and the movie's trailer. Overall it's a very cute, enjoyable romantic movie with solid DVD extras. June 20, 2008

Cheesy but cute

If you're looking for a good quality movie, this is not it. Nonetheless, it was cute, had some small level of moral value, and had a happy ending. February 17, 2008

*I LOVE IT!*

I just love this movie.It is a great fairy tale type movie.Keeps you entertained.One I can watch over and over.Julia Stiles is great in this movie. February 3, 2008

Fun Fluff

I am old enough not to believe in this fairy tale, but always young enough to enjoy the Cinderella "You Can Have It All" approach.

Not only does the hard-working Cinderella have beauty, she has brains. She's going to get the Prince and be a medical doctor too. Does it get any better than that in movieland? I enjoyed this movie and would recommend it to anyone looking for a some light entertainment. Well, any woman that is. It's a gender-specific thing. January 18, 2008

The Prince and Me

I love this movie, I can watch it over and over again. It is fanciful and romantic, it just makes you smile. I would say it is more of a movie for the female genter or the romantic male. You must follow-up with the sequel, "The Prince and Me 2". Although the female actress is different in the 2nd movie, you must finish this story with the 2nd movie. January 12, 2008

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