Un mariage de princesse

I remember seeing the first movie not expecting much from it, but when I walked out I was pleasantly surprised! When I saw the previews to this movie I thought "Oh god! Another movie ruined by a sequel!" I was slightly wrong in my thinking, because this was in fact a cute, light-hearted, feel-good movie. Maybe it's not as good as the first, but I still thought it was rather enjoyable. Anne Hathaway is a great actress and I'm so glad her talent was discovered and recognized. Julie Andrews gave a great performance as the former Queen of Genovia. This movie may have been predictable and a big ball of fluff, but what do you expect to a sequel to a Disney movie where Pixar wasn't involved? I would recommend this movie to anyone, just as long as you go into it knowing it's different from the first. I'm just praying there won't be a third movie.

What does it mean to be a princess? Besides wearing tiaras and twin sets, dancing at balls…attracting fame and fortune simply for being beautiful? A princess is stuck forever in extended adolescence – she only has the trappings of power. Symbolically, at least, a queen has real power, and does not necessarily need to be beautiful.

For hundreds of years, fairy tales have filtered through our consciousness to involuntarily fuel our dreams. In the last century, what began as cautionary tales to lecture children have been sugar-spun into a Disneyfied notion of desire. But with Disney's latest, Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, the recent trend of recasting fairy tales to reflect modern ideals continues, albeit with a gentler hand than yesteryear's feminists.

Simply, it's not enough to be a princess anymore. Although ostensibly a conventional tween romantic comedy, Princess Diaries 2 features a heroine who is more independent than Drew Barrymore's character in Ever After (1998) and less frustrated than Julia Stiles' Mary Donaldson clone in the The Prince and Me (2004). And, even better, in Princess Diaries 2, there are no handsome princes, just boys on the side.

I'm not a fan of much of director Gary Marshall's work – although Pretty Woman's a classic, Runaway Bride, Raising Helen and the original Princess Diaries are very ordinary films. But in this enchanting sequel, he and screenwriter Shonda Rhimes give us a character who's not just beautiful, klutzy and funny. Mia Mignonette Thermopoulos Rinaldi is growing into her power.

Princess Diaries 2 begins five years after the original at Mia's 21st birthday party. After the schemings of John Rhys Davies triggers an ancient Genovian law, Mia has one month to marry, otherwise she will forfeit the throne. As two very different suitors court her, Mia relies on her now affectionate relationship with her grandmother, Queen Clarisse (Julie Andrews), to guide her. Meanwhile security chief Joe (Hector Elizondo) woos the Queen.

There are hackneyed moments, the worst of which is a pajama party featuring dozens of little princesses who are designed to reflect their aspirant audience. Although enjoyable, this scene serves no dramatic function, except perhaps to showcase Julie Andrew's expertise in mattress surfing. The change in Queen Clarisse's character is also unexplained – she's transformed from being an acerbic biddy in the first film to being the dream grandmother. However, this film is entertaining, humorous and has a positive message. The cast and characters are also strong, particularly Anne Hathaway as Mia, and there's plenty of chemistry between her and Nicholas (Chris Pine). Heather Matarazzo and Fat Louie the cat also make brief appearances.

Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement improves on the original, and will be a particular hit with its target audience: tween and teen girls. But this film's got enough substance to appeal to an older audience…if you let it. ***/***** stars.

How refreshing to attend a non-animated, G-rated movie and enjoy it! As a 41-year-old woman attending with an 82-year-old friend, I expected a light, pretty, romantic fairy tale, and that's exactly what I got. Never saw the first movie, but the "catch-up" work at the beginning made that a non-issue.

Surely, no one would go to this movie expecting to find the meaning of life portrayed on the screen. Come on, folks, this is a Disney princess flick with Julie Andrews and a G-rating; is anybody expecting deep philosophy?

Chick flick? Of course! Especially appealing to young (under 18) chicks? Definitely! Enjoyable to other adult women and men who just want a happy trip to fantasy land with no worries about sex, blood, or blue language? Absolutely!

Take this film at face value and you'll enjoy it. If you can't do that, don't bother seeing it. There are plenty of other "profound" movies out there to inspire, teach, or depress you! Go for a good time and you'll have it.

Disney have proved yet again why they are a head and shoulders above the competition when it comes to producing movies that aren't admittedly brain food, but are "good clean fun", (if you'll forgive the cliché), for kids. For every little girl who ever dreamed of becoming a princess, this film is the perfect way to spend two hours.

True, it was grossly unfaithful to Meg Cabot's original novels, but still managed to convey the charm and slick veneer that has come to be associated with Disney, and the valuable message of independence for little princesses everywhere.

For the more mature audience, this is a happy chance to revisit childhood, or simply breathe a sigh of relief that what your child is watching is not in any way compromising or damaging, and will not have to be explained later.

Good message. Solid performances. Sweet (if bland and predictable at times) story line. Great movie!

Highly recommended for two hours of escapism on a summer's afternoon.

The sequel is still funny and it's worth watching to hear Julie Andrews sing again. The "mattress surfing scene is wonderful especially when the Queen (Andrews) pops in and everyone thinks OMG the party's over. But NO! Anne Hathaway is absolutely gorgeous, so guys will of course enjoy the "eye candy" and the ladies have some pretty hunky guys around too. The real story of this movie though is the fleshing out of the relationship between Joe (Hector Elizondo) and the Queen. That's the most interesting subplot in the story and the most enjoyable too. The ending is somewhat of a predictable surprise. I found it to be enjoyable. Not as witty as the original but still worth the watch.