Review of The Princess Diaries

I was completely expecting to despise this movie. The only reason I watched more than five minutes is because I was lazy. Fortunately, it turned out to be quite good. I mean, yeah, it is sort of trite. It doesn't ask for too much. You know, be yourself kind of thing. Anne Hathaway is at first provided with hair, eyebrows, and glasses that don't make her ugly at all. In fact, when she gets her magical makeover, she's no more pretty than before. So what makes this movie good? Well, Julie Andrews, for one. It's just wonderful having her back in a movie, for God's sake. But it would be a very slight film if it weren't for Ms. Hathaway. She's a very rare breed indeed: she's Hollywood A-list material, easily one of the most beautiful faces out there. But she's also a fine actress. Her character is the typical accident-prone, romantic comedy type, but Hathaway provides her with so much character that it's difficult not to be swept off your feet. Even in scenes that were clearly terrible, she shone through. I laughed at jokes that were quite bad. Her character's growth was nothing but cliches, but she convinced me. Also of note is the excellent supporting cast: Hector Elizondo especially, but also Heather Matarazzo, so great in Welcome to the Dollhouse, and Sandra Oh, who was great in Don McKellar's film Last Night. Most people are, of course, still going to hate this movie. That's fine – there is plenty to frown upon. Young girls will very much like it. It's very harmless. The lessons taught are all valuable ones, however cliche. 7/10.