The Prince and Me (2004)
"The Prince & Me" (original title)

At a Wisconsin university, local farmer's daughter Paige Morgan is intrigued by odd Danish exchange student Edvard 'Eddie', who is ignorant of many aspects of daily life, such as all ... See full summary »

Director:

Martha Coolidge

Writers:

Mark Amin (story), Katherine Fugate (story),

Stars:

Julia Stiles, Luke Mably, Ben Miller

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Julia Stiles	...	Paige Morgan
Luke Mably	...	Eddie
Ben Miller	...	Soren
Miranda Richardson	...	Queen Rosalind
James Fox	...	King Haraald
Alberta Watson	...	Amy Morgan
John Bourgeois	...	Ben Morgan
Zachary Knighton	...	John Morgan
Stephen O'Reilly	...	Mike Morgan (as Steve O'Reilly)
Elisabeth Waterston	...	Beth Curtis
Eliza Bennett	...	Princess Arabella
Devin Ratray	...	Scotty
Clare Preuss	...	Stacey
Yaani King	...	Amanda
Eddie Irvine	...	Eddie Irvine

Storyline

At a Wisconsin university, local farmer's daughter Paige Morgan is intrigued by odd Danish exchange student Edvard 'Eddie', who is ignorant of many aspects of daily life, such as all domestic chores (no wonder, he's the incognito heir to the royal throne of Denmark, his roommate Soren a court minder) but well versed in other matters, such as Shakespeare. They become friends; encouraged by her best friend to invite him to the Morgan family farm. He not only makes a good impression on her parents and brothers but triumphs in the rustic lawnmower race. Only after some paparazzi track Edvard down to film them kissing and he has returned home because the king is gravely ill does Paige realize he may be her true love, and flies to Copenhagen. Initially, the court, especially queen Rosalind, opposes a commoner bride, but Edvard sticks to his guns before accepting to succeed his abdicating father. Paige's public performance soon improves enough to win the royal family's blessing. However, she...

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Plot Keywords:

love | prince | wisconsin | queen | university | 

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Taglines:

Finding your inner princess can be such a royal pain.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some sex-related material and language

Details

Official Sites:

Paramount [us]

Country:

USA Czech Republic

Language:

English Danish German

Release Date:

2 April 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Prince & the Freshman

Filming Locations:

Canada

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$116,278 (South Africa) (15 April 2005)

Gross:

$254,987 (South Africa) (29 April 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lions Gate Films, Sobini Films, Epsilon Motion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the release of this movie, the real heir to the Danish throne, Kronprins Frederik, married his Australian wife Mary Donaldson, a commoner, later known as Kronprinsesse Mary.

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Goofs

When the professor is writing the breakdown of the final grades on the blackboard, he writes the number 10. In the next shot it disappears and he writes it again.

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Quotes

Paige: Denmark isn't ready for a Queen like me.
Eddie: Well then they'll have to be. Because I am.

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Connections

Features Halo (2001)

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Soundtracks

"Golden Earrings"
by Jay Livingston, Ray Evans, and Victor Young

User Reviews

It's a fairytale, what more can I say?

As transparent as it is absurd, "The Prince and Me" is nothing more than a regurgitation of the classic royalty-or-famous-person-meets--unsuspecting-commoner-and-they-fall-in-love- and-live-happily-ever-after fairytale that has been passed down from generation to generation. But thanks to the charms of the established young actress, Julia Stiles, and the new up and coming Brit, Luke Mably, mixed with the somehow amusing screenplay by the writers of the soon to come Kate Hudson picture "Raising Helen", "The Prince and Me," succeeds in its genre.

Set in Wisconsin, Paige Morgan (Julia Stiles) is a driven pre-med student who is determined not to be weighed down by a careless romance, and Prince Edward (Luke Mably) of Denmark is the restless king to be who is avoiding royal responsibility to be a rebellious college kid in the States. Despite his odd, self absorbed manner, and trailing assistant, nobody seems to guess his true identity, and Paige believes he is a foreign exchange student. The magnetism between Stiles and Mably cannot be denied, and when their two opposite characters attract, there are definitely fireworks. The cat and mouse chase exposition is much more interesting than the over the top finale, but it helps develop the story so you are still paying attention at the end.

And of course, Paige teaches Eddie about love and work ethic, while Eddie teaches Paige about poetry and the pains and pleasures of wealth and privilege. This dull, predictable, and recycled premise has been used many a time because with the right stars and right lighting, it easily reminds the audience of the innocence, joy, and surprises that are found in love. And that is truly the greatest story ever told, so why not tell it over and over and over and over again? Thus, an enjoyable cinema experience is practically guaranteed if you put the idea in capable hands.

Modest humor and sincere characters bring the story to life. The glimpse into Denmark royalty is intriguing and believable, and the film's characters are impossible to dislike. Stiles and Mably give equally thorough performances and I wouldn't mind seeing them pair up again for a more thought-provoking project.

Since the dialogue was satisfying, it is surprising the script at large wasn't a bit more realistic or original. But I assume that wasn't the aim, and am in a forgiving mood today.

In fact, I am glad that "The Prince and Me" didn't attempt to venture into more dramatic territory, for that would be unnecessary, and merely pretentious. Director Martha Coolige knows what "The Prince and Me" is and she doesn't try to make it anything more, so it stays on track with an obvious and clear goal in mind.

"The Prince and Me" won't change or challenge you, but it just may uplift you for the movie's duration plus two or three, maybe even five, minutes afterward, so why not pay the five to eight bucks? But if you seek more than temporary well wrapped candy, hunker in on the two leads or just avoid the picture completely.