The Princess Diaries (2-Disc Collectors Set)

It's not spectacular and there are better Disney movies that deal with the same issues yet resulting in some more laughs BUT this film is not to be disgarded. With a spectacular breakthrough performance by Anne Hathaway as Mia, a young socially retarded young girl who find out she is actually the heir to the throne of Genosha she of course freaks...I mean, she's already weird enough, now add a tiera. Her grandmother, the spectacular Julie Andrews, is trying to make her presentable enough for the Genoshian ball where she will announce Mia as the new Princess. But will she make it that far? With her newfound popularity Mia is faced with problems she never had before. She used to be invisable...now she has jealous rivals at her school and kocks now striving to get a taste of her...you know, because she's famous. She's now being used and thats not something she likes. This film, while not wonderful, surely has it's moments and while they may be spaced apart, they are still wonderful moments.

My earliest movie memories are seeing Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music. So you might guess that I have a soft spot for her. The Princess Diaries is Julie's return to the studio that made her famous.

Mia Termopolis is your average teenager trying to survive high school. She lives in an old fire house (probably the one from Herbie Rides Again) and he has her own socially impaired friends. She is set to have a quiet and inconsequential life. But one day her life is thrown into upheaval when her grandmother arrives. She has never met her before.

When Grandma arrives it turns out that she is more than just a grandmother, she is the Queen of Genovia. And she has news; Mia is the sole heir to the throne. And she is going to go through a royal makeover for a reception that will announce her to the world. (This is very predictable but still funny.)

At first Mia tries to hide her royal secret from everyone. First her friends find out then the news breaks and everyone finds out. This turns her from social outcast to the most popular girl at school. And the dreamboat that she fantasizes over now is after her. This is where the movie gets very predictable with an ending that is even more predictable.

This is a charming film and is a great family film.

The quality of the film is Julie Andrews. She takes a role that could be minor or trivial and shows the star quality that she has. She was even mentioned as a longshot supporting actress Oscar nominee - and that would have been justified.

Anne Hathaway makes a great debut as Mia but at times shows her naivety in the early scenes with Julie. But in the end she shows her ability to be a future star.

Hector Elizondo once again shows why he is a great movie character actor. He is polished and makes the perfect number two man.

Garry Marshall started in sitcoms like The Odd Couple and Happy Days but transferred to movies with ease. This is the first film in which he shows some of his old sitcom tendencies but you can overlook it in the end.

DVD EXTRAS:
A New Princess Featurette - making of featurette with interviews by producers Debra Martin Chase and Whitney Houston, director Garry Marshall, actors Anne Hathaway, Heather Matarazzo, Mandy Moore

Deleted Scenes with Introduction by Garry Marshall - 8 deleted scenes with commentary

Audio Commentary by Garry Marshall
Audio Commentary by Julie Andrews and Anne Hathaway

Music Videos - Miracles Happen by Myra and Supergirl by Krystal Harris

This 2 disc set is great. It has the Fullscreen and widescreen versions of the movie. It also includes deleted scenes,bloopers and of course Gary Marshall and his friends puppets :).

It also gives you a little sneak peek into Princess Diaries 2 which is a fabulous continuation of the story.

This movie is the best, and I don't know if it would be in your interest
but if you like princesses and you like to wonder what princesses do
this is the movie for you!!

Mia Thermopolis (Anne Hathaway) is a normal 15-year-old whose one goal in life is to be invisible, and maybe catch a kiss from Josh Bryant (Erik Von Detton),the most popular boy in school. She lives with her mother, Helen (Caroline Goodall) and cat Fat Louie in a refubrished firehouse in San Francisco while going to Grove High School. Mia doesn't really think her life will ever change until her grandmother (Julie Andrews) comes to town and tells her she is actually a princess! Even though she doesn't like it at first, Mia accepts the changes in her life. Mia is forced to take princess lessons with the promise of that she can back out of the deal at any time. She also befriends her head of security, Joe (Hector Elizondo), who also wants to get romatically involved with Mia's grandmother. After a makeover, Mia tries her best to fit in more with the in-crowd, especially the most popular girl in school, stuck-up cheerleader Lana Thomas (Mandy Moore). Of course that doesn't sit well with her grandmother, Mia's best pal Lily (Heather Matarazzo) or Lily's twin brother Michael(Robert Schwartzman, who has a crush on Mia. Now Mia must learn to find out who she really is and be herself. All that, and see if she is ready to be a princess.

Great movie, I recommened this movie to all!