In more recent years the star of The Big Lebowski may have performed more as supporting star, but doing so in great films like The Artist and Argo, I knew this film wasn't going to be good, but I was interested to see him in the days of Roseanne as the big leading star. Basically the entire British royal family are gathered together for a group photograph, and a freak accident kills them all, so the British government get to work tracing the next successor to the throne, and the end result is an unconventional choice, as the only living heir. An American easygoing slob named Ralph Hampton Gainesworth Jones (John Goodman), a Las Vegas lounge singer and piano player, is informed that he is the new king of England, he first sees it as a joke, but Duncan Phipps (Richard Griffiths) and Inspector Thomas 'Tommy' McGuire (Niall O'Brien) explain that Ralph's grandfather, the first Duke of Warren, had an affair with a hotel maid in America, this produced Ralph's father, and he is convinced by a ring matching his. Flown to London he is introduced to all the staff of the British palace, and he is schooled in all history of the British empire and English culture and traditions, including well known meals like "bangers and mash", and the dessert "spotted dick", and although he can relax getting whatever he wants and many other luxuries he comes to realise that being king is hard. In his time as king, while guided by courtier Sir Cedric Charles Willingham (Peter O'Toole), he learns how to play cricket, meets Prime Minister Jeffrey Hale (For Your Eyes Only's James Villiers), doing a knighthood, and the various other royal duties, but Lord Percival Graves (John Hurt) is against an American being the king of England and the Commonwealth, and he is scheming to cause a scandal and force him out. Graves sees his opportunity to cause a scandal and either an abdication or sabotage with Ralph and exotic dancer Miranda Greene (Doctor Who's Camille Coduri) getting very close and slowly falling in love, and the plan is to catch the two of them kissing in a photograph, as he may be required to marry someone of royal descent, and they do get the photograph. Ralph has eventually learnt to be a serious king, and following a bad encounter with the woman he is told to marry, Princess Anna of Finland (Joely Richardson), and causing a breakup with Miranda, he prepares a serious speech to abdicate himself from the throne, he first exposes Graves as a traitor for his scandalous acts, and he informs the government that there is in fact another true heir to the thrown, it is Cedric. In the end, Cedric becomes the new king of England, Ralph makes up with and reignites his romance with Miranda, he is made the third of Duke of Warren, and fulfils his dream to be a rock star with a state of the art studio, he has a young with his duchess, and with a great salary they have a palace of their own in the country, Ralph Jr. may be another heir in the future. Also starring Leslie Phillips as Gordon Halliwell, Julian Glover as King Gustav, Rudolph Walker as King Mulambon of Zambezi and Judy Parfitt as Queen Katherine. Goodman is certainly charming and lovable as the lousy king, and the supporting cast of well known British stars like O'Toole and Hurt are good value as well, of course the story is completely ridiculous, has many predictable moments and characters, and it definitely makes Great Britain and living there look a little silly, it does have amusing bits, but overall it is an average comedy. Okay!
Review of King Ralph
