The Princess Diaries: Special Edition

Garry Marshal

BY Adam WoerleinPublished Aug 1, 2004

The Princess Diaries is a lot like going on a holiday and seeing the same damn cow 400 times in a row. Why is Gary Marshall a director? Isn't the whole point of making movies to attempt something original? Marshall doesn't even care enough to pretend; I don't even think Marshall has to be on set for any of his movies; did the guy even read the script or just pass it off to some amateur (no offence to amateurs out there, at least they try to be creative) and wait for the cheque to clear? The story here is of an awkward and geeky teenager that's apparently a princess of some made-up European country that's a lot like England. She turns into a gorgeous beauty through a very lengthy and complex procedure called, get this, a haircut. I've never heard of it either. It is supposed to be a huge thing among women, men and children. Even animals get them. You can't even stay mad at The Princess Diaries, not even when you're force fed a stupid, mind-numbing plot, sugary dialogue, or the painful reality that Disney has lost all touch will the real world. The Princess Diaries is for little girls, so keep in mind that little girls won't really give a damn what I have to say and I have no right stomping all over their princess dreams. In fact, I'm fully confident that nobody who has any interest in watching The Princess Diaries will read this review. This is excellent for me because there is absolutely nothing to say, because it has all been said before. Maybe not all about The Princess Diaries, but about the millions out there like it. In terms of extras, the "Living Like A Princess" featurette is an interesting educational documentary about former princess with some cool animation, music and facts. The outtakes aren't really the greatest thing in the world, with lots of dancing, some line screw ups and non-stop giggling, and the deleted scenes are what you expect: scenes that weren't in the movie. The whole movie should have been one deleted scene, it might explain some things. Plus: commentary, more. (Disney)

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