In her first film role, Anne Hathaway hints at the depth of talents she commands. She plays Mia Thermopolis, a teenage girl who is mostly unseen by her classmates except when they target her for ridicule. She lives in a converted fire station with her mother, and devotes herself to her one friend, Lilly Moskovitz (Heather Matarazzo), whose life revolves around countless causes.
When Mia's grandmother tells her she is the legal heir to the throne of Genovia, she is caught off-guard, but she agrees to a series of training exercises designed to refine her carriage and her manners (a la "My Fair Lady"). At the end of the training, she is to announce her decision---whether to become the princess or not----at a ball.
This is not a complicated story. There is the popular boy she has eyes for. And the boy with better intentions. And she must make a decision that will transform her life, just as they are trying to transform her. The viewer might hope that Mia could reinvent the princess role instead of it reinventing her, but that remains for the final act.
Hathaway is a skilled actress. It is fun to watch her as her talents are being honed. Julie Andrews plays the Queen grandmother, and is well suited for the role. Mandy Moore, in a non-singing part, plays Lana, the head mean girl who torments Mia. And Hector Elizondo plays Joe, the Queen's right-hand-man and confidante. As in "Pretty Woman", he is one of the bright spots in this film.
When Mia's grandmother tells her she is the legal heir to the throne of Genovia, she is caught off-guard, but she agrees to a series of training exercises designed to refine her carriage and her manners (a la "My Fair Lady"). At the end of the training, she is to announce her decision---whether to become the princess or not----at a ball.
This is not a complicated story. There is the popular boy she has eyes for. And the boy with better intentions. And she must make a decision that will transform her life, just as they are trying to transform her. The viewer might hope that Mia could reinvent the princess role instead of it reinventing her, but that remains for the final act.
Hathaway is a skilled actress. It is fun to watch her as her talents are being honed. Julie Andrews plays the Queen grandmother, and is well suited for the role. Mandy Moore, in a non-singing part, plays Lana, the head mean girl who torments Mia. And Hector Elizondo plays Joe, the Queen's right-hand-man and confidante. As in "Pretty Woman", he is one of the bright spots in this film.