Home :: DVD :: Kids & Family :: Adapted from Books  

Adapted from Books

Adventure
Animals
Animation
Classics
Comedy
Dinosaurs
Disney
Drama
Educational
Family Films
Fantasy
General
Holidays & Festivals
IMAX
Music & Arts
Numbers & Letters
Puppets
Scary Movies & Mysteries
Science Fiction
Television
The Princess Diaries (Widescreen Edition)

The Princess Diaries (Widescreen Edition)

List Price: $19.99
Your Price:
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 .. 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 .. 36 >>

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Beauty Can Be Manufactured; Charm Never
Review: "Princess Diaries" travels on the battered path where movies like "Pretty Woman" had been before. But that is not a bad thing. What I don't understand is this:

Anne Hathaway first appears as an "invisible girl," but the fact is, she is fairly visible from the first, and cute and pretty as she is. Clumsy when she gets attention, certainly; yes, she throws up. Unkempt hair, indeed; but she already got attention as she is from a boy Michael. He may not be a hunk, but you know he is a good-natured, kind, and faithful boy unlike Josh. (And remember. Michael, actually good-looking, is played by Robert Schwartzman, son of Talia Shire, F Ford Coppola's sister, which means he is a cousin of Nicolas Cage.) And most important thing is, the heroine Mia may be shy and loses confidence sometimes, but she is proud of her lifestyle, and rightly so. She has a good friend who can understand her; she has a mother who listens to her. Is there anything that you need more?

The biggest problem is that. To me, Mia with glasses and frizzy hair is as attractive as Mia with too clean-cut hair. At least, the former is a unique girl, precious exsistence that boys who know difference always seek for (and that's why Michael comes to notice her, right?). So why change? "Princess Diaries" is enjoyable, I admit, but after Mia changed to a Julia Roberts look-alike, the film starts to meander in its plot. That's understandable because it has nothing to tell any more. Thanks to likable characters (especially Hector Elizondo), the entire movie is not dull, but, girls, I want to ask: Did Mia have to change herself at all?

The film finally gives an answer -- she makes a speech with wet hair, drenched to the skin -- yes, appearance doesn't count, but we all knew that from the first. And overall impression of the film is, it tries to make Anne Hathaway another Julia. Please. Julia is good, but Anne is also good as she is. I believe I am not the only one to feel that bespectacled Anne is as pretty as beautified Anne. Or prettier.

As a whole, "Princess Diaries" is a 3-star movie, funny and charming, but its charm comes from the place where studio executives are not looking at. Anne Hathaway is a real find, and she is worth money you buy tickets with, but like I said, sometimes all you need is just stay as you are. So, one star goes.

Trivia; twin girls seeking for Mia's autograph are director Marshall's real-life grandchildren.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Fun, charming family entertainment
Review: The movie The Princess Diaries is based on a novel by Meg Cabot. It's about a teen named Mia who finds out she is a princess.

Mia is most definitely NOT a member of the "in" crowd at her school. In fact, her goal is simply to survive, pass gym class and remain anonymous. There's something about Mia's experiences in school that I think most of us can relate to, whether it's having a crush on the school jock while the right guy is under your nose, or just the trials and tribulations of gym class.

The best part of this movie is the impeccable casting, particularly in the principal roles. Anne Hathaway is a major find. I didn't even care that she is clearly not 15, because she so immersed herself in the part that, frankly, I forgot she's 21. She was clearly having a ball. She shows major promise as both a comedic and a dramatic actress. She really captured Mia's ambivalence about being royalty. Best of all, she didn't seem to be intimidated by the incomparable Julie Andrews. Andrews was, as always, brilliant. She had just the right note of awkwardness as Clarisse stopped being the Queen of Genovia and started being Mia's grandmother.

Hector Elizondo took what could've been a small throwaway part and made himself integral to the movie. He and Andrews had a nice chemistry, and I wish I had seen more of the romance between their characters. In terms of the supporting players, I thought Heather Matarazzo (as Lily, Mia's best friend) and Robert Schwartzman (as Michael, Lily's brother, who secretly has a crush on Mia) were terrific. These actors rose about the stereotypical way their characters were written to capture the fear their characters were feeling as they sensed Mia slipping away to join the popular crowd.

There were problems with the film, like the pace. It was slow at times, and I think it could've been shorter. Because of that problem the film seemed choppy at times. I would've loved to have seen more scenes of Andrews teaching Hathaway's Mia how to be regal. In general, some of the school scenes were repetitive. These could've been cut, and some of the more interesting subplots (the one with the Baron/Baroness, the hinted at romance between Joe and Clarisse) could have been developed, which would've made it easier to accept the film's length.

Despite these few flaws, I think this is a wonderful movie and I highly reccommend it.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: a cute preteen movie
Review: This movie was really cute with your typical teenage girl that doesn't fit in that dreams of connecting with the "hottest" guy in school.. josh bryant(erik von detten). She dreams of getting her first real "foot-popping" kiss with josh bryant wishing it was real.. but does it really happen?!?! i suggest you watch the movie.. it's really cute for a few good laughs. mandy moore and anne hathaway and erik von detten did a good job in making this movie.. there should be a sequel.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Read the book, and save money and your sanity.
Review: This has to be the worst movie I've see all year!!! If it was possible to give it no stars I would. The book is sarcastic and witty while the movie, sadly, is sachrine drivel. The movie script reads like it was based on a sixth grader's book report of the back of the book. Disney hacked a wonderful book to shreds and commited its burned peices to film. I can't wait for a remake, this book deserves much better than this film could ever hope to provide.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Surprisingly Good Movie!
Review: I was very concerned about seeing this film. Let's face it, the plot has been done over and over again. The frog becomes a prince or princess is a very tired subject, and each year we have at least one movie released that tries it again. But my daughters wanted to see it so what the heck, I went. I was very impressed and entertained.

The plot is your basic frog to royality plot with a few suprises here and there. But what absolutely makes this movie is the cast. Each actor fit their roll perfectly, from Julie Andrews as the queen to Mandy Moore as the snob. My favorite though is Hector Elizondo. For so long he has been a wonderful actor but here he steals scenes without effort as the formal but caring head of security. Other great portayals include Anne Hathaway as Mia (the frog who becomes a princess) and Heather Matarazzo as Mia's best friend.

I would strongly recommend this movie to ANY filmgoer looking for a wonderful movie experience.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent
Review: In my opinion, this is a wonderful movie for the whole family. It is very hard to find a movie with absolutely no "language" in it. The worst word in it is shut-up. My three year old loves it and since we watch the same movie over and over, this one doesn't get too old like some others.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Fun, Sparkling Film
Review: Having read "The Princess Diaries" and "Princess in the Spotlight," I was a little worried about a film version of "The Princess Diaries." Yet, when I saw the film, I was actually very pleased. The actors do a marvelous job, the film moves at a good pace, and the direction is sound. All of the changes made to the script make sense and help the film to flow, rather than ruining it and making it a pain to sit through. I recommend this movie to anyone looking for a funny, fresh movie that does not suffer from the world-weary attitude displayed by so many films today.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I LOVED THIS MOVIE FROM BEGINNING TO END!
Review: Now (that) coming from a guy would sound a little gay but, that doesn't matter, "Princess Diaries" is one of the best movies EVER MADE! It has humor, romance, cuteness, emotional parts, and did I mention one of the cutest young female actresses ever! I hope we can see her in more movies. I really hope they make "The Princess Diaries 2", because there are two books available the first novel (if you read the book and see the movie, you can make an essay with all the differences that are in both), and the second novel is called "Princess In The Spotlight". I really hope that movie will get made soon. Princess Diaries is one of those very rare movies, that don't come around often. It is a G movie but that does not matter. With a solid storyline, great acting, great script, and a great leading lady, how can you go wrong. This is a movie for guys and girls. Well, I gotta go! BUY THIS MOVIE!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: It's So Good You Should See It!!
Review: i think u people should go and see this movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I LOVED IT! (ADRIA SCHMIDT) A GIRLS DREAM!
Review: WOW! THIS IS THE BEST DISNEY MOVIE I'VE EVER SEEN!! FIRST, I'D LIKE TO SATATE THIS MOVEI IS NOT A GUY MOVEI! (DAD DIDN'T LIKE IT...) IF YOU HAVE A WISH TO BE POPULAR, FAMOUS OR TO BA A PRINCESS... THAN THIS IS THE VIDEO FOR YOU GIRLS OUT THERE. IT MADE ME LOOK AT LIFE IN A HOLE NEW AND DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE. I LOVED THIS MOVIE AND I GARENTEE YOU WILL TO.


<< 1 .. 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 .. 36 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates