The Prince and Me is a 2004 motion picture, directed by Martha Coolidge, and starring Julia Stiles, Luke Mably, and Ben Miller, with Miranda Richardson, James Fox, and Alberta Watson. The film features a cameo by Eddie Irvine, a retired Formula One driver.
In the plot, a Wisconsin student meets a Danish prince, who persuades his Royal family to accept a commoner bride.
The film marks the return of Martha Coolidge to the big screen after a 7 year absence, and her service as the first female president of the Directors Guild of America.
The movie is loosely based on the true story of Mary Donaldson, who married Prince Frederik of Denmark.
Plot
Paige Morgan (Julia Stiles) is an earnest student, focused on going to medical school, becoming a doctor, and not looking for any distractions. Prince Edward (Luke Mably) wants to escape from the pressures and restrictions of his royal life, so he treks to Wisconsin and poses as "Eddie", an ordinary college student.
Paige and Eddie begin to fall in love but Paige doesn't yet know Eddie is a prince. Only after they kiss in the library and are disturbed by paparazzi is Eddie forced to admit his secret. Paige is furious that he lied to her, and Eddie with his cover blown cannot continue to act as an ordinary student and returns home.
Paige has second thoughts and pursues Eddie her fairytale prince to Denmark. They are reunited and Edward is in line to become King. From only a short time in the palace, the reality of what it would be like a queen dawns on Paige. She has to choose between two choices—becoming a princess or the doctor she's always wanted to be.
Paige graduates and goes on to medical school, while King Edward declares that he will wait until she is able to marry him.
Cast
- Joanne Baron as Marguerite
- Sarah Manninen as Krista
- Tony Munch as Keith Kopetsky
- John Nelles as Race Announcer (as John E. Nelles)
- Claus Bue as Lutheran Archbishop
- James McGowan as Photographer
- Jean Pearson as Photographer
- Dagmar Blahova as Lady in Waiting (as Dasha Blahova)
- Henrik Jandorf as Prime Minister
- Niels Anders Thorn as Thomas Anderson
- Jesper Asholt as Cab Driver
- Andrea Veresova as Eddie's Girlfriend
- Winter Ave Zoli as Eddie's Girlfriend
- Jennifer Roberts Smith as John's Wife
- Zdenek Maryska as Corporation Negotiator
- Vladimir Kulhavy as Union Negotiator
- Garth Hewitt as Desperate Dan
- Patricia Netzer as Royal Palace Maid (Brigget)
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Reception
Critics gave the film mixed reviews. Rotten Tomatoes rated it 27% basedon 116 reviews giving it a overall "rotten" rating. They describe the film as "bland, fluffy, and predictable bit of wish fulfillment".[1] Metacritic reported the movie had an average score of 47 out of 100, based on 31 reviews.[2] The Christian Science Monitor's David Sterritt gave the film a good review, stating that the movie was "quite appealing, thanks to good-humored acting and to Martha Coolidge's quiet directing style." Meanwhile, Manohla Dargis of The Los Angeles Times criticised the movie, calling it "a blandly diverting, chastely conceived and grammatically challenged fairy tale"[3] USA Today commented that The Prince and Me was overall "well-meaning, cute, sweet" but that the film could have been improved with "a bit more quirkiness and a little less formula."[4]
Filming Locations
- York University was where the bar scene was filmed. The bar at York University is named The Underground.
Discrepancies between the movie and reality
- Though the plot revolves around the Danish royal family, very little information provided in the film seems to be factual, and places such as Folketinget and Amalienborg look nothing like they do in reality.
- Denmark does not currently have a king. Denmark is ruled by Queen Margrethe II, and her husband is the French-born Prince Consort of Denmark.
- The name, King Haraald, is not a real name. Harald V is the name of the king of neighbouring Norway. Harold Godwinson was the last Anglo-Saxon king of England in the 11th century. Harold is the name of the fictional king in Shrek 2.
- The names of Danish crown princes, and hence kings, have by tradition alternated between Frederik and Christian ever since the 15th century.
- As opposed to what the plot claims, Denmark did not have a parliament in the 13th century.
- The film depicts the Royal Family as having a substantial political influence. In reality, Denmark is a constitutional monarchy where the Queen and the Royal Family are above party politics. Instead, the role of the monarchy is mainly to represent Denmark abroad while serving as a unifying institution at home. However, the Queen does have a constitutional role in appointing the Prime Minister of Denmark and members of the Cabinet, as well as giving royal assent to bills passed by Parliament. (This power, however, is purely traditional and the King/Queen is not allowed to oppose any proposed law, or deny to apoint the democratic-elected Prime Minister.
- The movie was released one month before the real life marriage of Crown Prince of Denmark. Prince Frederik married Mary Donaldson, an Australian commoner. Mary did not know that Frederik was a prince when they first met, which was in a bar during the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
Sequels
The film was followed by a straight-to-DVD sequel, The Prince and Me 2: The Royal Wedding (2006), starring Mably and Kam Heskin and 2008 sequel The Prince and Me 3: Royal Honeymoon. It has now[when?] been confirmed that The Prince and Me 4 has started shooting in early 2009, rumors in Thailand.
References
External links
