Princess

I didn't expect much from this movie but it entailed everything you want in a romantic movie... I simply loved it

It's definitely a TV movie, but if you keep that in mind you might actually enjoy it. The story is at times cute, but whenever the fairytale side of it comes up it can be a little cheesy. The graphics are you typical TV movie graphics, nothing great. However, I will say the wardrobe that Nora Zehetner (Princess Ithaca) wears is absolutely beautiful, in fact in the first gown she wears she almost looks like Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday (not that I'm comparing this movie to Roman Holiday in any way). She really does look like a princess. As long as you know what you're getting with this movie and not expect more, you may actually enjoy it.

While not as polished as some recent big-screen releases on the same concept, Princess has its own brand of accessible fairy-tale charm for kids and tweens of today.

The modern characters are recognizable types and the princess appears as almost a human version of the best old-school Disney princesses, from her dark curls and dainty tiaras to the succession of gowns that will make any young princess-wannabee's heart beat faster.

A couple of things dragged my score for this flick down a couple of points: 1. The mystery behind the princess takes a long time to come to the fore, and 2. too much screen time is given to the not-very-interesting travails of our hapless hero, most likely to spare the limited CG budget.

Still, the scenery is gorgeous, the princess adorable and determined, and the story touches lightly on the motif that any girl, anywhere, might find her life-mission and her happiness.

Classical princess fairy tales never go out of fashion: this time the story is set in present day America, where a reclusive girl named Ithaca (Nora Zehetner) lives in a luxurious castle with many servants and is seen as an eccentric princess of sorts by the locals. When a handsome but not very wealthy young man named Will Humphries (Kip Pardue) gets to meet her at a charity ball, it seems to be love at first sight for both of them. But she is not an ordinary princess, and there are many obstacles hindering their romance – both regular and more otherworldly ones.

At first the movie seems terribly clichéd in its overflowing romanticism: the laughably emotional music, the idyllic castle setting, the richly coloured cinematography and even some sweeping camera movements aggressively rub the style in the face of the audience. However, considering its background as a modern day princess tale, all this can be accepted as awareness of the conventions of the fairytale genre. The actual romance between the two leads is very hackneyed boy-meets-girl stuff, but the fantasy elements help to move the attention away from the by-the-numbers nature of the romantic plot line. In any case, the beautiful Nora Zehetner suits her role well, vastly overshadowing the rather bland Kip Pardue.

The adventure story regarding the search for the next princess is fairly entertaining for what it is, even though the CGI effects are anything but good-looking. There are also run-of-the-mill comedic scenes that may amuse undemanding audiences, mainly based on Matthew Edison's character as Louis, Will's loudmouthed friend frustrated with his pregnant wife Sophie (Mayko Nguyen). In summary, Princess achieves what it was going for fairly well. The movie's goals may not have been very ambitious, but the different elements of the story manage to support each other and keep the whole from feeling overly trite. I think friends of princess fairy tales can easily enjoy the light little movie regardless of age (even though certain scenes may feel a bit too exciting for the very youngest viewers).

This film is refreshing, original, intriguing, romantic, and fun for all ages. What initially seem to be familiar "princess and castle" scenarios soon reveal the most unusual and original writing. The viewer cannot look away for a moment, so entertaining and intriguing is every scene. And the film proves a production can be clean and decent and still fascinate. There is also a positive, altruistic cause being worked toward, reflecting the good in us all.