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THE PRINCE & ME

Review by Chastity Campbell

Starring: Julia Stiles, Luke Mably, Ben Miller, James Fox, Miranda Richardson
Director: Martha Coolidge
Video: 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Audio: 5.1 Dolby Digital
Studio: Paramount
Features: See Review
Length: 110 Minutes
Release Date: August 10, 2004

Film ***

Starring the beautiful and talented Julia Stiles, The Prince & Me is definitely a must see!!

Stiles’ plays the very focused and driven Paige Morgan.   Paige is currently attending the University of Wisconsin, and vying for a spot at John’s Hopkins Medical School.  She has her future mapped out with no detours plotted along the way.   However, life has an altogether different plan for Miss Morgan.

Prince Edward of Denmark is bored, and in need of some fun.  It seems unlimited wealth and power doesn’t make the young man happy anymore.   He craves freedom, excitement, and above all else, choices.  Yes, Edward would simply like to be able to make choices good or bad, as long as they are his to make!

Now it starts out simply enough, but soon become more than the wily Prince bargained for.  Edward sees a video offer on TV for Girls of Midwest America Gone Wild.  He’ll go to America, enroll at the University of Wisconsin, and sow some royal oats, before coming back to Denmark and taking over the crown.  

Life and its choices are seldom as simple as we like to think they are.  Paige and Eddie find this out the hard way as their paths cross, and forever change their destiny.   Oooooh… that sounded all Star Warsish, didn’t it!!  Paige’s dreams get derailed when she finds out the man she loves, is really a Prince, and he’s been lying to her.  At the same time the Prince gets called home by mummy, and has to leave the love of his life behind.

I love Julia Stiles!  Well, I don’t LOVE her, but I really enjoy watching her onscreen!  I think she is one of the few young Hollywood fems that have the rare ability to blend their own personality into a role, and still make it seem fresh and new every time.  Stiles is definitely going to be around for a while, and hopefully sometime soon a sizeable role will come along for her that will show the rest of the world what a class act she really is.

While I have never had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Luke Mably onscreen before this film, I can definitely say, Hollywood watch out, cause here comes another hottie!  Oh yes, and he can act, too!! 

Mably is not very likeable during the first half hour or so of this movie.  He does manage to bring his character around though, and once he does you won’t be able to keep yourself from falling in love with his boyish smile and good looks.   Oh yes, and he can act too!  

Will Paige follow her heart, or her school schedule?   Will Eddie take the throne and lose the girl?   You’ll just have to pop in this DVD and give it spin to find out what happens between The Prince & Me!

Video ***

Presented for your viewing pleasure in a 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen format, this DVD is as pleasing to the eyes as it was to the ears!

The colors were bright and vivid almost bursting from the screen.  There was a lot of natural lighting utilized for the outdoor scenes, which helped lend to the realism of the film. 

There was only a slight bit of softness and fuzzing around the edges, but it didn’t detract from the over all look and feel of the DVD.   There was no dirt or graininess visible, which leads me to the conclusion that this DVD was a pleasure to watch! 

Audio ***

Great films and extra features can be made or broken by audio quality.  I’m happy to say this DVD’s audio got the royal treatment!

The audio through both film, and extra features, was crisp and clean with no audible flaws.   Levels remained constant throughout, with no drop outs or bouncing.

I really enjoyed the balance achieved between dialogue and music bed.  One didn’t seem to overpower the other, as is common in Hollywood today.   That is a refreshing change of pace as far as I’m concerned.

Features ***

This DVD was also given the royal treatment when it came to extras, and who better to benefit from that than us!

To begin our bountiful harvest of extras, you can sit down in your living room with director Martha Coolidge as she goes over the many ideas and images that helped her create this fun little flick.

“The Lawnmower Race of The Prince & Me”, “The Look of The Prince & Me”, and “Inside The Fairy Tale: The Prince & Me” are three featurettes that give you a very open and honest window into the making of this film.  From the beautiful royal ball gowns right down to how to race a lawnmower properly, you’ll definitely get an education watching these extra features!

There are eight deleted and/or extended scenes for you to enjoy.  In addition, there is an alternate ending included, which makes me very pleased that they used the one they did. 

A gag reel full of laughs and giggles is only a click away, along with various other movie previews, and the original theatrical trailer for The Prince & Me!

Interactive menus, and varied language selections round out this DVD’s extras!

Summary: