The movie tells the story of Armelle, who lives a quiet and useful life until the day her husband (who has royal blood) suddenly becomes first in line to inherit the throne. This is an unexpected development, as the prince has an older brother who was considered the more logical candidate. Armelle's life becomes, if not hell, at least purgatory : she has to give up her job, fritter away her energy on meaningless ceremonies and look ravishing every single moment of the day, even when suffering from jet lag or culture shock. No help is to be expected from her husband, who was spoiled rotten by his mother, the coldly vicious queen Eugenia.
Poor Armelle is mocked, judged, betrayed and humiliated wherever she goes. Will she remain a victim - or will she find the confidence and the means to fight back ?
There is much to like in this comedy. Lemercier clearly did her homework and much of the satire or parody is spot-on, complete with fine sartorial details concerning royal fashion do's and don't's. Her own performance as Armelle is excellent, too. The movie also asks a number of astute questions about our continuing fascination with royalty and about media phenomena such as "people's princesses".
A number of the outdoor scenes were shot in my own city, Mechelen (which you may know as Malines). The city, and especially its splendid cathedral, looks good enough to eat. (Thank you Mrs. Lemercier and remember, you're always welcome !) In real life, of course, Mechelen has often been visited by kings and queens, which adds a nice layer of meta to the movie.
Sadly the movie is marred by some vulgar jokes and lazy plot twists. The ending, too, might have benefited from some tighter editing and better writing.
A pleasant movie, but sadly not a masterpiece.
Poor Armelle is mocked, judged, betrayed and humiliated wherever she goes. Will she remain a victim - or will she find the confidence and the means to fight back ?
There is much to like in this comedy. Lemercier clearly did her homework and much of the satire or parody is spot-on, complete with fine sartorial details concerning royal fashion do's and don't's. Her own performance as Armelle is excellent, too. The movie also asks a number of astute questions about our continuing fascination with royalty and about media phenomena such as "people's princesses".
A number of the outdoor scenes were shot in my own city, Mechelen (which you may know as Malines). The city, and especially its splendid cathedral, looks good enough to eat. (Thank you Mrs. Lemercier and remember, you're always welcome !) In real life, of course, Mechelen has often been visited by kings and queens, which adds a nice layer of meta to the movie.
Sadly the movie is marred by some vulgar jokes and lazy plot twists. The ending, too, might have benefited from some tighter editing and better writing.
A pleasant movie, but sadly not a masterpiece.