The Student Prince

This proved to be a mostly pleasant, if somewhat episodic romp by two "outsiders" in the old-boy network of Cambridge University, one attracting ridicule because he is the ill-educated(but street-smart)bodyguard-cum-nursemaid of a Royal Prince, one the nerdy Royal Prince, himself. The two heroes triumph over all, of course, each "finding" himself in the conventional way, and they each wind up with Their Own True Love, meanwhile, the two actors play off each other most amusingly The humour is throwaway, but unexpected, and effective in eliciting constant guffaws from this, normally, staid viewer. The only fault I found with this highly enjoyable movie, was its occasional soppy moments, and a mean-spirited anti Royal tone throughout. The writer and director must be even more Republican than I.

In this comedic drama based loosely on Prince Edward at Cambridge, we find Geordie policeman-turned royal guard Barry Grimes (Robson Green) dealing with both his charge, a naïve prince (Rupert Penry-Jones), and an American Fulbright student (Tara Fitzgerald). Green is absolutely brilliant as the guard who gets more than he bargains for: both an appreciation of literature, and love. As Grace, Tara was great as the free-spirit who becomes the object of both Grimes and the Prince (BTW: Her accent was very good, with only the word "appreciate" giving her away). And that's what you'll do when you see this film: appreciate. With a Cyrano undercurrent and some very funny guard-Prince mentoring scenes, this is one you'll want to watch again and again. If Robson Green is not careful, with previous performances in "Reckless" and "Touching Evil", he will become as well-known (and loved) in America as he is in Britan.

This is a sweet movie that will especially feel charming for fans of Robson Green and Rupert Penny Jones. I have always liked Tara FitzGerald as well, but her horrible attempt at an American accent kind of ruined her performance. (Simon Curtis should know better, since he's married to an American.) The interaction between Green and RPJ is delightful and humorous.

I caught this show (our reference was The Prince of Hearts) I found most of the characters delightfully written and interesting - got hooked into them right away. Robson Green was mesmerizing. I 'liked' the character straight off.He reels you in to the story immediately. The satire is witty and gives a proper slice of the ways Brits do what they do. Made me long to be back again. Definitely enjoyable - the scene where Barry tries to help the Prince get the girl is a scream.

"The Prince of Hearts" is another winner for Robson Green, the charming British heartthrob/actor/singer. He once again shows his comedic talents (evident in "Reckless" and "Ain't Misbehavin'") as Barry, the Royal Protection Unit guard. As much as I like him in this, I have to admit that Rupert Penry-Jones really steals the show as the Prince with no name. He is at once sensitive and vulnerable yet aloof and distant. It's clear that he's a bit slow intellectually, but he makes up for that in his actions (at the end of the show). Tara Fitzgerald was charming as Grace Wilson, the American girl with whom Barry and the Prince both fall in love.