What a Girl Wants (2003)

An American teenager learns that her father is a wealthy British politician running for office. Although she is eager to find him, she realizes it could cause a scandal and cost him the election.

Director:

Dennie Gordon

Writers:

William Douglas-Home (play), William Douglas-Home

Stars:

Amanda Bynes, Colin Firth, Kelly Preston

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kelly Preston	...	Libby Reynolds
Soleil McGhee	...	Young Daphne
Colin Firth	...	Henry Dashwood
Eileen Atkins	...	Jocelyn Dashwood
Jonathan Pryce	...	Alistair Payne
Peter Reeves	...	Sir John Dashwood
James Greene	...	Percy
Amanda Bynes	...	Daphne Reynolds
Steven Osborne	...	Staff Member
Mike Toller	...	Libby's Band Member
Tom Penn	...	Libby's Band Member
Tom Goodfellow	...	Libby's Band Member
James Bell	...	Libby's Band Member
Mindy Lee Raskin	...	Bride
Stanley Townsend	...	Bride's Father

Storyline

Loosely based on The Reluctant Debutante (1958) starring Sandra Dee, this family-friendly comedy features popular Nickelodeon teen star Amanda Bynes in her first feature-starring performance after her debut in Big Fat Liar (2002). She plays teenager Daphne Reynolds, who lives in New York City with her musician mother, Libby Reynolds (Kelly Preston). After she turns seventeen, Daphne is undecided about her future, so she takes off by herself to London in search of her father. She immediately meets cute musician Ian Wallace (Oliver James) before sneaking in to her father's estate to surprise him. He turns out to be Lord Henry Dashwood (Colin Firth), a fabulously wealthy aristocrat who doesn't even know that she exists. He had met her mother in Morocco and the two were married in a tribal ceremony. Upon their return to England, she left him and went back to the U.S. without ever revealing that she was pregnant. The uptight Henry is already flustered by his campaign for election, advised ...

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Plot Keywords:

queen elizabeth ii character | gender in title | girl in jeans | american | england | 

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Taglines:

Trying to fit in. Born to stand out.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Family | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Aside from shooting in London, they also filmed in Morocco and New York City. When Lord Henry Dashwood withdrew his candidacy, he made that speech at the Old Royal Naval College where Cinderella (2015) and Sherlock Holmes (2009) were also filmed.

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Goofs

When Daphne and Ian fall from the boat in to the water, and then climb back in to the boat, she is on the right (camera view). However in the following closeup she is on the left.

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Quotes

Glynnis Payne: Darling, we have to get Lubby here an escort.
Daphne Reynolds: It's Libby, and why doesn't he just ask her himself?

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Connections

References Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)

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Soundtracks

The Way You Look Tonight
Written by Dorothy Fields and Jerome Kern
Produced by Brian Rawling and Robin Smith
Performed by Oliver James

User Reviews

A fun kid film

I was expecting a really bad, boring teen film like the Lizzie Mcguire movie, but this movie was entertaining. It's about a girl in America, Daphne, who goes to England to see her dad for the first time. He's a Lord, who is running for political elections, so of course, his handlers don't want any bad publicity. He takes a liking to her, but his finance and snooty soon-to-be stepdaughter don't like her. Daphne turns out to be a hit with the poparazi and has a lot of fun. After going to so many fancy parties, she starts to forget who she really is, but her new guy makes her realize where her true values lie. Along the way Lord Dashwood sees he's missing out on adventure and his true love, Daphne's mom. Will he give up the political dream to become an adventurer again? Watch to find out, but since this is a light-hearted film, you probably know the answer. There are some funny scenes throughout. And I liked the music.

FINAL VERDICT: An entertaining clean, fun film that all ages can enjoy.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Warner Bros.

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 April 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

American Girl

Filming Locations:

Globe Tavern, 8 Bedale Street, The Borough, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,434,964, 6 April 2003

Gross USA:

$36,105,433

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$50,732,139

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Gaylord Films, DiNovi Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1