What’s cornier than a reality-show marriage proposal and less likely than Simon Cowell winning the Nobel Peace Prize, but manages to be quite charming in spite of itself?
The answer is The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, the somewhat eagerly awaited sequel to The Princess Diaries, which was a surprise hit back in 2001.
Garry Marshall, who returns as director, has a reputation for wringing magic out of scant material, and does not disappoint here.
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement picks up five years after the first film — despite the fact that the original came out three years ago — as Princess Mia (Anne Hathaway) graduates from college in the States and is whisked via private jet back to the fictional land of Genovia.
In less than a month, Mia will inherit the crown from her grandma, Queen Clarissa (Julie Andrews), who will retire to civilian life. But the devious Viscount Mabrey (John Rhys-Davies) has other plans and bullies Parliament into enforcing an antiquated law requiring the queen to be married.
This leaves Mia, her grandmother and the rest of the staff scrambling to beat the clock and help Princess Mia keep her date with destiny.
Hathaway made an auspicious film debut as the geeky teen that transforms into a princess. With her beauty as natural as her ability, the actress made the metamorphosis believable. She is the rare performer who can play klutziness and elegance with equal skill.
In fact, according to the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com), Hathaway clinched the role of Mia by falling off her chair in her audition. She is equally as good in the sequel, in which she is required to be a little more graceful yet not totally accident-free.
Andrews, who was little more than extra marquee firepower in The Princess Diaries, is given more freedom here and is quite delightful. She even gets a chance to sing, albeit in a duet with Raven (the former Raven-Symone).
Another pleasant development is the outgoing queen’s blossoming romance with her long-trusted bodyguard Joe (Hector Elizondo). Elizondo is one of those rare actors who could make ordering a pizza look like a life-or-death decision and adds much here with both his comic timing and intensity.
Few directors can mingle overbearing sentimentality with shtick like Marshall and, to be honest, few choose to. Yet, like the great sluggers of baseball, Marshall is a swing-for-the-fences kind of guy. When he misses, he misses big (see Exit to Eden), and when he connects, he can hit one into the cheap seats (Pretty Woman).
With The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, Marshall’s directorial bat manages to get a piece of the cinematic ball, even if it’s only a ground-rule double.
But more often than not, the movie is entertaining and funny, and even manages a few moments of magic.
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
G
Playing at area theaters
Two-and-a-half reels out of four
Recommended Rental
Connie and Carla
PG-13
Available Tuesday
In box-office terms, Connie and Carla — Nia Vardalos’ follow-up to her enormous unexpected hit My Big Fat Greek Wedding — was a big fat bomb. It grossed under $8 million nationwide, and then disappeared without a trace. Yet critics didn’t seem to hate it as much as the public did. I thought it was campy, touching, funny and contained wonderful performances. Although it made fun of both drag queens and dinner theater, it did so with knowledge and love. Video was made for movies like this. Lighten up, take a chance, enjoy.
