The Prince & Me (2004)

Romantic comedies don't need to always be about two well-rounded people, because, let's face it; the allure of these films is to escape into a world where we are the adoration of attractive men with quirks. Still, even without fully developed characters we want an interesting concept, or at least a McGuffin to further along the plot. "The Prince and Me" tries to cash in on the childlike dream of becoming a princess, while also following the trend of empowered woman taking down roguish playboys. Sadly the woman in question quickly loses her inhibitions and stops caring about her lifelong dream of becoming a doctor and saving the world, all for the benefit of some dude she's known for four months. As unbelievable as that all sounds, it's also strange that the prince is supposedly Danish and yet speaks with an English accent, as do all the other Danes shown throughout the film. I also take issue with the depiction of Wisconsin as a Podunk state where everyone is inclined to work on farms, as someone who lives in a urban city in the aforementioned state. You can't escape into the trappings of the genre because everything about this film is formulaic, cheap, and thoughtless, which says nothing about the lack of chemistry between the two leads.

I just didn't get it. Not princessy enough for me (barely any scenes in the royal palace!), but not high school enough either. It's just a lot of Julia Stiles rehashing 10 Things I Hate About You and that other dude not being as charming as Heath Ledger.