It has Robson Green; it has to be good. Tara Fitzgerald & Rupert Penry-Jones are added bonuses. I thought of other films that captured the Cyrano premise encapsulated in this film. Also, education and Shakespeare are revealed to be important to all of us: rich and poor, dropout or higher educated. No matter what, there will always be films that have been done poorly, and this is not one of them. There will be films done a little better. Think for yourself, and you might agree with me that this one is a little better than most - especially of the USA variety. STUDENT PRINCE is so charming, and its storyline so unforced. The laughs are not belly busters, but the humor is charming, sophisticated, and heartfelt. It was a perfect afternoon diversion: mind elevating and memorable. It's a chick flick that might be appreciated by significant others looking for romance tips and techniques. British, and jolly good!
11 Reviews
Charming TV movie
Lolly839 November 2021
This is a sweet movie that will especially feel charming for fans of Robson Green and Rupert Penny Jones. I have always liked Tara FitzGerald as well, but her horrible attempt at an American accent kind of ruined her performance. (Simon Curtis should know better, since he's married to an American.) The interaction between Green and RPJ is delightful and humorous.
I laughed out loud - a lot
Castor-1123 November 1998
This proved to be a mostly pleasant, if somewhat episodic romp by two "outsiders" in the old-boy network of Cambridge University, one attracting ridicule because he is the ill-educated(but street-smart)bodyguard-cum-nursemaid of a Royal Prince, one the nerdy Royal Prince, himself. The two heroes triumph over all, of course, each "finding" himself in the conventional way, and they each wind up with Their Own True Love, meanwhile, the two actors play off each other most amusingly The humour is throwaway, but unexpected, and effective in eliciting constant guffaws from this, normally, staid viewer. The only fault I found with this highly enjoyable movie, was its occasional soppy moments, and a mean-spirited anti Royal tone throughout. The writer and director must be even more Republican than I.
Another winner for Robson Green
Kiwi-229 November 1998
"The Prince of Hearts" is another winner for Robson Green, the charming British heartthrob/actor/singer. He once again shows his comedic talents (evident in "Reckless" and "Ain't Misbehavin'") as Barry, the Royal Protection Unit guard. As much as I like him in this, I have to admit that Rupert Penry-Jones really steals the show as the Prince with no name. He is at once sensitive and vulnerable yet aloof and distant. It's clear that he's a bit slow intellectually, but he makes up for that in his actions (at the end of the show). Tara Fitzgerald was charming as Grace Wilson, the American girl with whom Barry and the Prince both fall in love.
Could have been good
d319326 October 2021
Maybe if I had watched this film in the mid-90s I would have enjoyed it more. Finding it in 2021 on Amazon Prime, I expected more from a BBC production, and was disappointed. The writing stumbled from one cliche to another, almost everything that happened was telegraphed and expected. The characters had little to no subtlety and behaved predictably. Maybe the style reflects television drama of the time, and we are expecting more complexity and depth now. Short scenes, mostly shot in medium closeups , were appropriate to standard definition television of the time, but the style feels dated now.
The almost universally positive reviews from others date from the 1990s, so it might be unfair to review it from a much later perspective. A few smart lines here and there, a message that literature and poetry matter, some humor, but overall a miss.
The almost universally positive reviews from others date from the 1990s, so it might be unfair to review it from a much later perspective. A few smart lines here and there, a message that literature and poetry matter, some humor, but overall a miss.
Charming and Funny
GBurgMan22 November 1998
In this comedic drama based loosely on Prince Edward at Cambridge, we find Geordie policeman-turned royal guard Barry Grimes (Robson Green) dealing with both his charge, a naïve prince (Rupert Penry-Jones), and an American Fulbright student (Tara Fitzgerald). Green is absolutely brilliant as the guard who gets more than he bargains for: both an appreciation of literature, and love. As Grace, Tara was great as the free-spirit who becomes the object of both Grimes and the Prince (BTW: Her accent was very good, with only the word "appreciate" giving her away). And that's what you'll do when you see this film: appreciate. With a Cyrano undercurrent and some very funny guard-Prince mentoring scenes, this is one you'll want to watch again and again. If Robson Green is not careful, with previous performances in "Reckless" and "Touching Evil", he will become as well-known (and loved) in America as he is in Britan.
delightfully well done - interesting characters
MJ-1224 November 1998
I caught this show (our reference was The Prince of Hearts) I found most of the characters delightfully written and interesting - got hooked into them right away. Robson Green was mesmerizing. I 'liked' the character straight off.He reels you in to the story immediately. The satire is witty and gives a proper slice of the ways Brits do what they do. Made me long to be back again. Definitely enjoyable - the scene where Barry tries to help the Prince get the girl is a scream.
Robson Green should be a star!
FlossieD23 November 1998
Lighthearted, excellent performance by Green- but writing is flawed
rfgraham28 January 2006
What can I say about Robson Green? Talented /Handsome /Charismatic /Dreamy? He is the best in what ever he does. Very talented performances by him and Rupert Penry-Jones The few flaws in this lighthearted film are not theirs. Tara Fitzgerald who was cast to play an American. First, her accent is as far from American. I would like to know, when the writers ever heard and American say, "brilliant" ? It may be common English slang but absolutely unheard of in American speech. Fitzgerald is cast as a girl from a "common" American home life. Very unbelievable in a nasal sounding accent. Listening to her was painful, made only bearable by the thrill of watching a master like Robson Green in yet another talented performance.
HIGHLY ENTERTAINING
Smiley-1923 August 1999
This movie was amazing! I found myself laughed and laughed to see the satire to the Monarchy along with lots of scene when Barry tried to teach Prince "Botty" to win Grace's hearts. Robson Green was charming. I found myself a new favorite actor.
Again, IMDb doesn't list Penry-Jones as a star!
speedo5825 February 2011
Warning: Spoilers
We decided to take the afternoon off today, and picked this film to watch. When the initial credits began to roll, my husband said, "Oh, now I see why we're going to watch this: Rupert Penry-Jones !" He doesn't seem to ever get his due...why do they leave him off the star list? I've been watching him be first a human radio antenna (adorably bumping his head coming back in the window), then a human TV rabbit ears as the untalented brother of the super-talented sisters in Hilary and Jackie, then fighter pilot Peter Gregory in Charlotte Gray. Charlotte Gray is a dark movie, but Rupert Penry-Jones made it memorable, and the comments of Charlotte's roommates gave us some of our favorite comeback lines ("That bloody airman ate all my rations again!" "Mine, too!") Then there was Persuasion which I've watched until I've worn it out, and the MI-5 episodes in which he played Adam, and on and on.
The Student Prince brought some unexpected laughs and we found it delightful. Robson Green and Rupert Penry-Jones gave engaging performances. Green, of course, has been a star for some time. A star was born in this movie, and IMDb didn't recognize it. His name is Rupert Penry-Jones.
The Student Prince brought some unexpected laughs and we found it delightful. Robson Green and Rupert Penry-Jones gave engaging performances. Green, of course, has been a star for some time. A star was born in this movie, and IMDb didn't recognize it. His name is Rupert Penry-Jones.
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