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Princess Diaries A Royal Treat submitted by: Lisa D. source: The Calgary Sun Date: August 3, 2001 By LOUIS HOBSON, CALGARY SUN For Julie Andrews, The Princess Diaries has the sweet aura of deja vu. It's the story of the unlikely transformation of an awkward duckling into the most magnificent of swans. In the stage version of My Fair Lady, Andrews played the student of the tyrannical Professor Higgins who miraculously passes a one-time flower girl off as a princess. In The Princess Diaries, the roles are reversed. Andrews is the tutor who has only a few weeks to turn a gawky San Francisco teenager into a proper European princess. Mia Thermopolis (Anne Hathaway) has no idea she is the heir apparent to the throne of Genovia, a small European nation. Mia's mother (Caroline Goodall) never told her daughter the true identity of Mia's dead father. She wanted Mia to have as normal a childhood as possible. That becomes a tenuous option when Queen Clarisse Renaldi (Andrews) turns up with the news that if Mia doesn't ascend the throne in a month's time, she forfeits the entire Renaldi claim to the monarchy. It's a simple Cinderella story with Robert Schwartzman's scruffy aspiring musician doubling for a prince and Mandy Moore's snotty classmate standing in for the meanest of step sisters. There's even a false prince (Erik Von Detten) who only dates Mia for the most selfish of reasons. Mia's allies are Lilly (Heather Matarazzo) a punkish rebel and Joseph (Hector Elizondo) Clarisse's chauffeur. Plot-wise there's nothing particularly ground-breaking about The Princess Diaries, but its execution sets it apart from and above similar fare. This is family entertainment in the best and truest sense of the word. It's a charming story that transcends gender and age entertaining with sprightly ease. It helps that Andrews is playing the Queen Mother. She has the regal bearing but, more importantly, Andrews gives Clarisse a warm, sly sense of humor. Garry Marshall (Pretty Woman) directs with a deft touch. He balances the slapstick with gentle, insightful humor. The Princess Diaries is a crowning achievement because it royally entertains every member of the family. - - - SUN RATING: 3 1/2 out of 5 Site design by: Dolphin Webpage Designs © 1996-2001