The Princess Diaries (2001)
I recently read an interview with Julie Andrews in which she revealed that kids today associate her more with The Princess Diaries than Mary Poppins. I hope she’s alright with that: that instead of running up to their beloved nanny for an autograph, they approach Anne Hathaway’s grandmother. Still, she’s one of the most beautiful grandmothers I’ve ever seen; Julie and Jane Fonda have kept every ounce of their beauty as they’ve aged. And it’s really no wonder that Julie, class incarnate, was cast as the royal grandmother. With her tailored suits, pearls, and flawless poise, she’s very believable as a queen.
Every girl’s fantasy used to be living their own version of Cinderella, but things have changed in the modern age. Now, girls dream not of marrying into royalty, but inheriting it on their own – which is why The Princess Diaries was such a huge hit. Every unattractive, awkward, unpopular girl in America identified with Anne Hathaway’s character. She might as well have an “L” tattooed on her forehead. And, miracle of miracles, she gets a surprise visit from grandmother, who she never knew existed, and who tells her she’s actually a princess. It’s a good thing she didn’t get that tattoo.
With humor pretty similar to Miss Congeniality, this Disney flick gives Miss Hathaway as good a makeover as she can get, complete with posture and etiquette lessons and massive eyebrow plucking. But, of course, since this is supposed to appeal to teenage girls, Anne doesn’t completely lose all of her uncouth behavior when she graduates from “princess training”. She’s still allowed to be herself and brings “down to earth charm” to the royal palace, rather than completely falling in line behind Julie Andrews and being poised at all times. It’s very much a love-it-or-leave-it movie, and while I’m perfectly happy to leave it alone, I know countless other girls in my generation loved it. The only aspect I do love is being able to pretend that Julie’s is really playing her 1957 Cinderella character all grown up and showing the ropes to another unlikely “country bumpkin”.
More Julie Andrews movies here!
Every girl’s fantasy used to be living their own version of Cinderella, but things have changed in the modern age. Now, girls dream not of marrying into royalty, but inheriting it on their own – which is why The Princess Diaries was such a huge hit. Every unattractive, awkward, unpopular girl in America identified with Anne Hathaway’s character. She might as well have an “L” tattooed on her forehead. And, miracle of miracles, she gets a surprise visit from grandmother, who she never knew existed, and who tells her she’s actually a princess. It’s a good thing she didn’t get that tattoo.
With humor pretty similar to Miss Congeniality, this Disney flick gives Miss Hathaway as good a makeover as she can get, complete with posture and etiquette lessons and massive eyebrow plucking. But, of course, since this is supposed to appeal to teenage girls, Anne doesn’t completely lose all of her uncouth behavior when she graduates from “princess training”. She’s still allowed to be herself and brings “down to earth charm” to the royal palace, rather than completely falling in line behind Julie Andrews and being poised at all times. It’s very much a love-it-or-leave-it movie, and while I’m perfectly happy to leave it alone, I know countless other girls in my generation loved it. The only aspect I do love is being able to pretend that Julie’s is really playing her 1957 Cinderella character all grown up and showing the ropes to another unlikely “country bumpkin”.
More Julie Andrews movies here!