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Princess Diaries, The
Walt Disney Pictures


8.1

based on 27 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 49 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

FILM:

MPAA RATING: G for General Audiences

Starring Julie Andrews, Anne Hathaway, Hector Elizondo, Heather Matarazzo, and Caroline Goodall

Shy teenager Mia Thermopolis (Hathaway) is thrown for a loop when, from out of the blue, she learns the astonishing news that she's a real-life princess! As the heir apparent to the crown of the small European principality of Genovia, Mia begins a comical journey towards the throne when her strict and formidable grandmother, Queen Clarisse Renaldi (Andrews), shows up to give her "princess lessons." (Walt Disney Pictures)

GENRE(S):	Family/Kids
WRITTEN BY:	Meg Cabot (novel) Gina Wendkos
DIRECTED BY:	Garry Marshall
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: December 18, 2001 Video: December 18, 2001 Theatrical: August 3, 2001
RUNNING TIME:	115 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

This charming, if unnecessarily coronation-length production gets the duckling-to-swan ambivalence just right.

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

This stylish Disney production is an ideal family film.

USA Today Susan Wloszczyna

Isn't always perfect. But it fills an empty spot in the hearts of girls of all ages who have been pining all summer for a movie like this.

Portland Oregonian Chris Hewitt

It's such a delightful, amusing fairy tale that it leaves you wanting more.

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

Entertaining and pleasing for children and parents, and not in the schizophrenic way of most kid's movies, which toss naughty in-jokes over the kiddies' heads.

Chicago Tribune Loren King

Manages to wring some originality out of its fairy-tale plot. This freshness compensates for the expected hackneyed qualities in this Cinderella tale.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

A rarity: A fun, entertaining 'G' movie.

Village Voice Ed Park

A modest, enjoyable fairy tale that easily outcharms its animated stablemates of the past decade.

Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan

Fitfully amusing comedy from director and one-time sitcom king Garry Marshall, the fantasy is alive and well among little girls of all ages.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

A mixed bag with a huge amount of heart.

New Times (L.A.) Robert Wilonsky

This innocuous, frothy fairy tale isn't so off-putting as you might imagine, thanks in large part to Andrews' ageless charm.

LA Weekly Hazel-Dawn Dumpert

The director is Garry Marshall, but The Princess Diaries is no where near as nauseating a fairy tale as Marshall's "Pretty Woman."

Mr. Showbiz Kevin Maynard

Families already know exactly what they're in for, and they're likely to leave the multiplex high on the hum of a charming cast, sunny San Francisco locations, and a suitably happy ending.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

Fluffy, candy-colored and aimed directly at tweens -- girls between the ages of 10 and 12.

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

The extent to which The Princess Diaries succeeds is the result of how pretty Hathaway at first mimics, then internalizes, Andrews' essential majesty.

New York Daily News Jami Bernard

Prepubescent girls might get a few safe giggles while others around them are yawning.

Washington Post Rita Kempley

The movie updates Disney's blueprint without altering it in any meaningful way.

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

Goes on much too long, stretching a modest story into a marathon that outlasts its welcome by about 30 minutes.

Boston Globe Joan Anderman

Unfortunately, the filmmakers seem to have forgotten that comedy is a requisite feature in a comedy.

Miami Herald Christine Dolen

If Andrews oozes regal poise and Hathaway radiates movie star allure -- and they do -- credit the actresses, not this flimsy fairy tale.

The New York Times A.O. Scott

This is "Pretty Woman" for children.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

Occasionally funny but more often hackneyed, schmaltzy, predictable and overdone fairy tale that seems longer than 100 choruses of ''Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious."

Variety Robert Koehler

Exudes a pre-fab quality.

Austin Chronicle Marrit Ingman

Critic-proof moviemaking, a candy pink wish-fulfillment fantasy prominently peppered with pubescent pop platters.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

A march through the swamp of recycled ugly duckling stories, with occasional pauses in the marsh of sitcom cliches and the bog of Idiot Plots.

Chicago Reader Lisa Alspector

Trite transformation comedy.

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

Such weak medicine. Sure enough, it goes down. Keeping it down is another matter.

The average user rating for this movie is 8.1 (out of 10) based on 49 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

G.M. D.K. gave it a9:
Who wouldnt like this witty G-rated comedy? People who thought "The Lord of the Rings" was the worst movie ever.

Pat C. gave it a3:
Another inspired premise emphasizing human worth and beauty pre-digested by the formula police into a putrid swill of Hollywood vomit.

Jamie C. gave it a 10:
This movie is so cute and fun! i loved it! it is the perfect movie for anyone, not just kids. this deserves 5 stars!

Spawn gave it a 0:
Will H. you da man cause that movie sukced. The quaurtet has been finished. The four worst movies ever a Confessions of a teenage drama queen, 13 going on 30, Princess diaries 2 and this!

Will H. gave it a 1:
Where was the swearing and sexual innuendos?!?! Seriously, this movie was terrible. How any particular group of people, including 10 year old girls, can sit through movies like this astounds me.

Chad S. gave it a 5:
Unless you're a nine-year old girl, the hunting of the future Princess Mia of Genovia by an overeager press, puts a serious damper on "The Princess Diaries", with the death of Princess Diana still relatively fresh in our minds. At the beach, a kiss is transformed by the print and broadcast media into a scandal. This is when "The Princess Diaries" starts to falter, because the public life that greets Mia when she finally ascends to the throne, is too much reality for this fantasy film to suppress. Before we reach this impasse, the seen-it-before swan lessons that Queen Clarisse (Julie Andrews) imparts to her granddaughter is handled nicely, and Heather Matarazzo, as Mia's best friend, livens potentially boring girl-girl rap sessions, because she's real. Matarazzo can't simply change her hair, pluck an eyebrow here and there, and emerge as a princess. Matarazzo's genuine geek factor helps make Anne Hathaway's cloaking of her hotness possible. "The Princess Diaries" feels dated, since most girls would rather be a supermodel.

Sophe gave it a 10:
I loved the movie!

Princess Diaries, The Walt Disney Pictures

Princess Diaries, The
Walt Disney Pictures