Was Mädchen wollen

This was a cute, clean movie that you can sit down and watch with your kids. Daphne has never met her father, so she takes off for England to find him. She discovers he is in the middle of an election for some public office. Daphne has to choose between becoming what he wants her to be and staying true to herself. And dad has to make a choice about what is really important.

In response to the reviewer who slammed the movie as being anti British, and saying it was trying to say the American way is better, that is utter nonesense. This was not a typical British family--they were royalty and associated with people like them. Do you suppose the real Queen would find someone like Daphne amusing? Daphne's boyfriend was a decent young man who was also a bit off the wall and his own person--but he was an ordinary English kid, not a member of any royal family. There are circles here in America where Daphne's free spirit attitude would be frowned upon, too. Every country has "classes" that are snobbish and uptight and every country has "Daphnes"--good kids who just want to be themselves.

I saw this film on a plane, which perhaps gives some indication of its overall quality. However, it has its moments of clarity from time to time.

The main problem with the film, though, is the horrible casting decision of selecting Amanda Bynes to portray a "free spirit." This presents a huge stumbling blook to the audience -- how are we supposed to believe that such a doe-eyed girl is a street-savvy New Yorker? Her hair is too straight, her wardrobe too designer to be a really down-to-earth girl. (Also, she's got bank! How else could she have skipped town, on Virgin no less [I wonder how much they paid for that snippet], without getting any money from her mother?) Hearing lines 'you were born to stand out' describing Bynes' character provokes laughter... As if any girl who wears a Kangol hat now and again is cosmopolitan!

Apart from that minor (I jest) flaw, the movie isn't terrible. A few of the characters are mildly interesting, enough to keep me somewhat attentive. The film could certainly stand to do without the cheesy "I yam who I yam" moralizing, but, in the end, the film was entertaining, I stayed awake, and I guess that just about says enough.

I was actually surprised by this movie. Yes, it was probably conceived by a marketing team. Yes, it isn't very original and yes, some of it is embarassingly obvious. That being said, I was very entertained by this movie. I thought it was well directed, and well acted. I wouldn't be surprised to see Amanda Bynes start taking on more serious roles in the future with great success. This movie does what it set out to do: entertain teenage girls. Anyone who is a fan of lighthearted tween comedies should check this movie out. It is better than most of the teenage girl movies out there and much better than that stupid Big Fat Greek Wedding movie. **1/2 out of ****

I saw the movie with my mid-teen sister who's exactly the target audience of this film. Now there are many films that are not for everybody, they do not excel in acting, directing, screenplay or effects to be called a 'good movie'. They are meant for certain part of the audience who, if it sticks to the specific formula, just love them. Now I wasn't meant to love "What a girl wants", but I guess, thinking from my point of view, it's a good diversion from me.

The script is above the level I was expecting and young Amanda Bynes acted quite well. Colin Firth seemed a little wooden. There are bits of little innocent humors in places that makes it a relief to watch. The shooting locations and the sets are fine. The soundtrack too is catchy. So even the storyline is very very shallow, one should not complain or analyze too much about such films.

I was expecting a really bad, boring teen film like the Lizzie Mcguire movie, but this movie was entertaining. It's about a girl in America, Daphne, who goes to England to see her dad for the first time. He's a Lord, who is running for political elections, so of course, his handlers don't want any bad publicity. He takes a liking to her, but his finance and snooty soon-to-be stepdaughter don't like her. Daphne turns out to be a hit with the poparazi and has a lot of fun. After going to so many fancy parties, she starts to forget who she really is, but her new guy makes her realize where her true values lie. Along the way Lord Dashwood sees he's missing out on adventure and his true love, Daphne's mom. Will he give up the political dream to become an adventurer again? Watch to find out, but since this is a light-hearted film, you probably know the answer. There are some funny scenes throughout. And I liked the music.

FINAL VERDICT: An entertaining clean, fun film that all ages can enjoy.