Rating: 
Summary: CHARMING ADULT FAIRYTALE...
Review: Based upon a true story, this is a charming film with wonderful performances by a stellar cast. It tells the tale of a mysterious young woman (Phoebe Cates) in nineteenth century England, who is found wandering the countryside dressed in outlandish clothing and supposedly speaking no English. She is taken in by a kindly aristocratic family, and she gulls them into believing that she is some sort of exotic, foreign royal, Princess Caraboo.Princess Caraboo charms all who meet her. Everyone is intrigued by her. Just who is she and where is she from? The Greek butler (Kevin Kline) thinks that she is an imposter. The aristocratic couple ( Jim Broadbent and Wendy Hughes), who virtually adopt her, believe her to be the real deal. The skeptical academic (John Lithgow), who specializes in Southeastern Asian languages and dialects and was brought in to try and determine her origin, is not immune to the charm of Princess Caraboo. Even the intrepid reporter, Mr. Gutch (Stephen Rea), who is onto something that may reveal the mystery of Princess Caraboo, falls under her spell. Phoebe Cates outdid herself, giving a wonderful performance in an inherently difficult role that calls for speaking very little, and when she does speak it is, for the most part, to utter what sounds like gibberish. She is very expressive and totally charms the viewer. Jim Broadbent and Wendy Hughes are terrific as the aristocratic couple. Kevin Kline gives an over the top performance as the wily Greek butler. John Lithgow is outstanding as the academic and drolly funny. Stephen Rea is wonderful as the conflicted reporter, giving a well nuanced and sensitive performance. All in all, this is a perfectly delightful film, which is suitable for the entire family. The DVD itself offers high quality visuals and audio, but offers no special features or bonus extras.
Rating: 
Summary: Phoebe,you did it! Thank you!
Review: I first saw her movie when I was 8 and now I'm doing my master's degree.As a truely loyal fan,one thing I always feel sad is she's in too many 80's sex-comedy stereotype movies and be in few good movies(except Gremlins 1,2) because I know she's a talented actress who can do something better than kissing or giggling.When she got married with Kevin Kline 10 years ago and having 2 children I didn't expect to see her in any movie until I saw Princess Caraboo.I wonder if only last decade she's more selective with her role or took such a wonderful one like Princess Caraboo,she'd be the brightest actress now. Princess Caraboo is what Phoebe fans long to see and so does everyone.This movie makes you love her even more. Thank for the BEST and MOST BEAUTIFUL performance you give,Phoebe.You may not know how much you make fans happy but I'm here to tell you. Thank you!!
Rating:
Summary: Pleasant performances, "charming" film
Review: In the early 19th century, a woman in foreign garb is found walking the English countryside. Her language is a mystery. Is she the lost princess of South Pacific island, a lunatic, or someone else entirely? This is the central question of Princess Caraboo, whose title character is wonderfully played by the alternatively child-like and proud Phoebe Cates. Kevin Kline and John Lithgow deliver very funny performances as, respectively, the suspicious Greek butler of the family that "adopts" Caraboo and a professor called in to determine whether she's a fraud. Through it all, Stephen Rea provides a quiet, consistent presence as a journalist fascinated by Caraboo's story, whatever it may really be (though Rea's hair is disturbingly similar to Richard Simmons' here). This is a good rental film, filled both with these performances and gorgeous scenes of the English countryside. And it is not without a relevant message: do we not hope that those around us may turn out to be more than they seem, so that we may either profit by our association with them or, if they turn out to be infamous, come out looking superior? A pleasant 4-star diversion.
Rating:
Summary: Charmed, I'm sure
Review: Phoebe Cates is nothing short of charming in this unexpectedly wonderful movie. But why unexpected? With the likes of Jim Broadbent, John Lithgow, and Kevin Kline in supporting roles, this movie was bound to be at least competent. And it is far more than that. We popped this movie in the VCR after Thanksgiving dinner and soon had three generations of our family happily involved in discovering whether the title character was truly royalty or perpetrating an elaborate hoax. The English accents and the bumbling adults may be too much for the very youngest viewers, but from pre-teen on up, this was a crowd-pleaser. I don't think it was made with children in mind, but without sex, strong language, or violence, it is perfect for anyone with a decent attention span. If you like period pieces and beautiful photography, romance and mystery, and good acting, I think you will thoroughly enjoy Princess Caraboo.
Rating:
Summary: Charmed, I'm sure
Review: Phoebe Cates is nothing short of charming in this unexpectedly wonderful movie. But why unexpected? With the likes of Jim Broadbent, John Lithgow, and Kevin Kline in supporting roles, this movie was bound to be at least competent. And it is far more than that. We popped this movie in the VCR after Thanksgiving dinner and soon had three generations of our family happily involved in discovering whether the title character was truly royalty or perpetrating an elaborate hoax. The English accents and the bumbling adults may be too much for the very youngest viewers, but from pre-teen on up, this was a crowd-pleaser. I don't think it was made with children in mind, but without sex, strong language, or violence, it is perfect for anyone with a decent attention span. If you like period pieces and beautiful photography, romance and mystery, and good acting, I think you will thoroughly enjoy Princess Caraboo.
Rating:
Summary: Delightful, magical story with some minor social commentary
Review: Princess Caraboo is simultaneously a wonderful fairy tale of a lost princess who survives harrowing adventures in a foreign land, and also a light treatment of a period of social unrest and class struggle in historic England. The fairy tale is the more compelling of the two aspects, which makes this movie a wonderful film for adults and children alike. Cates' unswerving imperial manner juxtaposed with her childlike wonder are engrossing not only to us, the audience, but to the people swept up in her adventure, especially the wonderful Stephen Rea as a cynical journalist transformed by her strength and beauty. The social commentary is touched upon only lightly and occasionally, making the resolution to the question of the princess somewhat of a letdown; we aren't really given anough information to understand how she got to where she did. (Sorry for the vagueness -- I'm avoiding spoilers, here.) However, the concurrent resolution of the problems of Mrs. Warren, the kind lady who took in the princess, is worth whatever confusion or incompleteness there might be. Overall, this is a delightful story for all ages, which sparks the imagination and holds your interest until the very last moment.
Rating:
Summary: Delightful, magical story with some minor social commentary
Review: Princess Caraboo is simultaneously a wonderful fairy tale of a lost princess who survives harrowing adventures in a foreign land, and also a light treatment of a period of social unrest and class struggle in historic England. The fairy tale is the more compelling of the two aspects, which makes this movie a wonderful film for adults and children alike. Cates' unswerving imperial manner juxtaposed with her childlike wonder are engrossing not only to us, the audience, but to the people swept up in her adventure, especially the wonderful Stephen Rea as a cynical journalist transformed by her strength and beauty. The social commentary is touched upon only lightly and occasionally, making the resolution to the question of the princess somewhat of a letdown; we aren't really given anough information to understand how she got to where she did. (Sorry for the vagueness -- I'm avoiding spoilers, here.) However, the concurrent resolution of the problems of Mrs. Warren, the kind lady who took in the princess, is worth whatever confusion or incompleteness there might be. Overall, this is a delightful story for all ages, which sparks the imagination and holds your interest until the very last moment.
Rating:
Summary: lavish costume comedy
Review: PRINCESS CARABOO walks a fine line between costume drama and comedy, and combines the two genres perfectly! Phoebe Cates turns in the finest performance of her career as the young woman who passses herself off as an Indonesian princess and becomes the toast of international society. The supporting cast includes Jim Broadbent, John Lithgow, Kevin Kline and Wendy Hughes, who are all delightful and quirky in their performances. A mixture of ANASTASIA and Jane Austen, PRINCESS CARABOO is a tasteful, old-fashioned romp.
Rating:
Summary: Is It True, Do You Think?
Review: This is a thoroughly charming story. Phoebe Cates is a marvel, and puts in a terrifically nuanced performance. Stephen Rea is a perfect Gutch, a subdued rabbit of a reporter who has the journalistic sense to sniff out and test a story, and yet may not have the nerve to shake up his life in order to claim the woman he loves. Yeesh, that sounds like something out of Danielle Steele, but trust me, the story is ravishing, but not the least gushy or "rouged". Reminds me, though, that the other thing we've seen Cates in, was a Steele-ish series, and ... well, Cates is a perfectly beguiling Caraboo/Baker (so beguiling a Caraboo, it is really a shock to find that she is actually Mary Baker), which you may not expect from the sort of "potboiler" casting of this other, Steele-ish thing. Lithgow as a skeptic-don-turned-true-believer ... I am not a huge Lithgow fan, but he is perfect is this supporting role; he carries off both ends of the transition admirably. I am astonished to read that a reviewer finds fault with Kline. Both Lithgow and Kline perform with expertly-gauged restraint; in comparison, Jim Broadbent's Mr Worrall is buffoonish, but this too is in perfect service to the story. Indeed, there is a (distant) comparison to be made between Broadbent/Kline and Bertie Wooster/Jeeves ... the light-of-intellect master, and the shrewd-but-always-decorous servant. Even Kline's zealous "testing" of Caraboo in the Worralls' absence, is brilliantly measured. The whole cast perform wonderfully; the camera-work is a delight; the story is enchanting. If you haven't seen it, why, remedy this appalling oversight immediately!
Rating:
Summary: Is It True, Do You Think?
Review: This is a thoroughly charming story. Phoebe Cates is a marvel, and puts in a terrifically nuanced performance. Stephen Rea is a perfect Gutch, a subdued rabbit of a reporter who has the journalistic sense to sniff out and test a story, and yet may not have the nerve to shake up his life in order to claim the woman he loves. Yeesh, that sounds like something out of Danielle Steele, but trust me, the story is ravishing, but not the least gushy or "rouged". Reminds me, though, that the other thing we've seen Cates in, was a Steele-ish series, and ... well, Cates is a perfectly beguiling Caraboo/Baker (so beguiling a Caraboo, it is really a shock to find that she is actually Mary Baker), which you may not expect from the sort of "potboiler" casting of this other, Steele-ish thing. Lithgow as a skeptic-don-turned-true-believer ... I am not a huge Lithgow fan, but he is perfect is this supporting role; he carries off both ends of the transition admirably. I am astonished to read that a reviewer finds fault with Kline. Both Lithgow and Kline perform with expertly-gauged restraint; in comparison, Jim Broadbent's Mr Worrall is buffoonish, but this too is in perfect service to the story. Indeed, there is a (distant) comparison to be made between Broadbent/Kline and Bertie Wooster/Jeeves ... the light-of-intellect master, and the shrewd-but-always-decorous servant. Even Kline's zealous "testing" of Caraboo in the Worralls' absence, is brilliantly measured. The whole cast perform wonderfully; the camera-work is a delight; the story is enchanting. If you haven't seen it, why, remedy this appalling oversight immediately!
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