IMDb RATING
5.4/10
18K
YOUR RATING
A regular guy from America becomes king of England after a royal wipe-out puts him next in line.A regular guy from America becomes king of England after a royal wipe-out puts him next in line.A regular guy from America becomes king of England after a royal wipe-out puts him next in line.
Roger Ashton-Griffiths
- Royal Photographer
- (as Roger Ashton Griffiths)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
It's not stupid, it's charming. A bit old-fashioned and corny, yes, but entertaining and amusing and well worth the time! I just saw this for the second time on cable TV and liked it just as much as the first time!
Goodman performs bravely and exquisitely as the good-hearted buffoon who overcomes the stuffiness and snobbishness of a group of bluebloods too good for their own bodily functions.
Goodman performs bravely and exquisitely as the good-hearted buffoon who overcomes the stuffiness and snobbishness of a group of bluebloods too good for their own bodily functions.
I can't help but chuckle every time I see this film, but I know that just the thought of something like this happening makes about 100 people with calculators sit up and start crunching numbers of the possibility of something like this happening.
John Goodman plays a down on his luck performer that, as it turns out, goes from distant family to the throne of England to instant family on the throne. The only problem is that he's had no refinement and leaves a lot to be desired in the courtesy department. If one plus one equals two, then this combination equals a comedy that can't be matched...on ANY level.
I'm not saying this is the best comedy of all time, but what I am saying is that this film, if you rent it, is a nice quiet evening that will not offend many people and leaves the lead actor in a familiar base for him: a place where he's supposed to seem unfamiliar. Everybody remembers him as Dan Connor, but how many of you reading this remember he was the head football coach in Revenge of the Nerds? Goodman was an excellent choice for this part because of his range as an actor and his on-screen chemistry with Camille Coduri was priceless, too, as I felt that they represented the kind of relationship that everybody would like.
So, hats off (or crowns, if you will) to David S Ward for this film. I just got in here to give this comment and my next stop is to see what else this director has done. 7 out of 10 stars.
John Goodman plays a down on his luck performer that, as it turns out, goes from distant family to the throne of England to instant family on the throne. The only problem is that he's had no refinement and leaves a lot to be desired in the courtesy department. If one plus one equals two, then this combination equals a comedy that can't be matched...on ANY level.
I'm not saying this is the best comedy of all time, but what I am saying is that this film, if you rent it, is a nice quiet evening that will not offend many people and leaves the lead actor in a familiar base for him: a place where he's supposed to seem unfamiliar. Everybody remembers him as Dan Connor, but how many of you reading this remember he was the head football coach in Revenge of the Nerds? Goodman was an excellent choice for this part because of his range as an actor and his on-screen chemistry with Camille Coduri was priceless, too, as I felt that they represented the kind of relationship that everybody would like.
So, hats off (or crowns, if you will) to David S Ward for this film. I just got in here to give this comment and my next stop is to see what else this director has done. 7 out of 10 stars.
I LOVE this movie! I know that when it came out it was largely ignored...by both the critics and the movie going public...but I found this film to be just simply fun to watch...a wonderful movie to just get caught up into. It has no pre-texts of social or political idealism. It doesn't try to solve the worlds problems with it's message. And it doesn't aim to make us, the viewers, think overly hard about where the movie is leading us. It does, however, present us with totally believable characters who we quickly become emotionally invested in. Sure the opening plot structure is contrived but that is half of the charm of the film's setup. It is a good absurd introduction to the twists of the movie.
I must confess, being half Cherokee Indian and half English, I was drawn to this movie if for no other reason than I had always heard about that half of my family's history and imagined who they were and how they lived. As an American, I have also fallen prey to my own sometimes myopic world view. King Ralph was an enjoyable way to contemplate the place that a monarchy holds in the hearts of their countrymen.
I don't believe that there is anything inherently wrong with having a movie that doesn't try to enlighten or enrage us. I have always felt that too often Hollywood tries to insert a message or moral slant to a project just because they believe that to not include one makes the movie seem shallow or silly. I say whats wrong with having just a fun movie? To me King Ralph was just such a movie. Of course it had smatterings of political overtones and touches of social commentary, but I feel that this was used to propel the story rather than to try and impart some deeper philosophical meaning to us.
I must confess, being half Cherokee Indian and half English, I was drawn to this movie if for no other reason than I had always heard about that half of my family's history and imagined who they were and how they lived. As an American, I have also fallen prey to my own sometimes myopic world view. King Ralph was an enjoyable way to contemplate the place that a monarchy holds in the hearts of their countrymen.
I don't believe that there is anything inherently wrong with having a movie that doesn't try to enlighten or enrage us. I have always felt that too often Hollywood tries to insert a message or moral slant to a project just because they believe that to not include one makes the movie seem shallow or silly. I say whats wrong with having just a fun movie? To me King Ralph was just such a movie. Of course it had smatterings of political overtones and touches of social commentary, but I feel that this was used to propel the story rather than to try and impart some deeper philosophical meaning to us.
When the entire British royal family is wiped out in an "awful" accident, the American bar entertainer Ralph Jones (excellent: John Goodman, he makes up for most of the boring parts of the plot) becomes the new King of England. After a few adjustment problems with his new job (clothing, manners etc.) he falls in love with a young woman he meets at a local strip club. Problems emerge when his secretary tries to marry him to the Finnish princess to seal a business deal for a few English companies. All in all, a good movie with some great lines but also some boring parts.
John Goodman stars as the title monarch in this royal comedy.
Ralph is a Las Vegas lounge singer badly in the need for some
moolah when a group of British councilmen approach him one night
and bear him the news that Ralph is the new king of England
after the whole royal family has been wiped out in a freak
accident! Reluctantly, Ralph takes the job. At first, he seems
like a fish out of water, the fact being that he is an American
first of all, and that he is also a total slob! Being king might
not be so good after all.
This movie is funny because Goodman does a nice job being a
lovable slob trying his best to be the royal figurehead of the
Britain. Peter O'Toole is also good as Willingham, the
aristocrat whose job is to look after the newly appoi
Ralph is a Las Vegas lounge singer badly in the need for some
moolah when a group of British councilmen approach him one night
and bear him the news that Ralph is the new king of England
after the whole royal family has been wiped out in a freak
accident! Reluctantly, Ralph takes the job. At first, he seems
like a fish out of water, the fact being that he is an American
first of all, and that he is also a total slob! Being king might
not be so good after all.
This movie is funny because Goodman does a nice job being a
lovable slob trying his best to be the royal figurehead of the
Britain. Peter O'Toole is also good as Willingham, the
aristocrat whose job is to look after the newly appoi
Did you know
- TriviaAccording to an interview with John Goodman in the article "'No Leading Man, King Ralph Insists" published in the February 12, 1991 edition of the Los Angeles Times, Goodman denied his new leading man status in this movie, and said he was still just a character actor. Goodman said: "Don't call me a leading man. This is just another part, with a lot more lines. The only difference for me this time, was that I didn't have time to fool around when I wasn't working. When you're the leading man, your meter's running all the time, and you're always working. There's no goof-off time. But that still doesn't make me a leading man. I'm still just a character actor. Nobody's ready to call me Mel Gibson, Jr., and I don't think anybody's ready to pay good money to see me get the girl in the movie. I know I wouldn't go see something like that."
- GoofsWhile the film states that the entire British royal family had been killed and an heir cannot be located, the actual line of succession to the British throne extends to hundreds of nobles and other monarchs throughout Central and Western Europe. An even longer, extended list tracing the royal family as far back as 1800 extends into thousands of possible heirs. Thus, even if the immediate British royal family were to die, there would be many people left in the line of succession who would not have been in the country.
- Quotes
Phipps: Sir Cedric! Sir Cedric! Good news. We've finally found an heir!
Sir Cedric Willingham: That's wonderful, Duncan. Who is he?
Phipps: His name is Jones. Ralph Jones.
Sir Cedric Willingham: Is he everything we've hoped for?
Phipps: [embarrassed] Well. He has his strengths and his weaknesses. You see, he's
[uncomfortable pause]
Phipps: American.
Sir Cedric Willingham: Quickly, Duncan! The strengths!
- SoundtracksGood Golly Miss Molly
Words & Music by John Marascalco and Robert 'Bumps' Blackwell
End Title Performance by Little Richard
Produced by Jeff Lynne
- How long is King Ralph?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- King Ralph
- Filming locations
- Highclere Castle, Highclere Park, Highclere, Newbury, Hampshire, England, UK(Lord Graves' house - exteriors)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $23,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $34,002,045
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $8,327,550
- Feb 18, 1991
- Gross worldwide
- $52,487,045
- Runtime
- 1h 37m(97 min)
- Color
- Sound mix
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