The Prince and Me
Paramount Pictures | Release Date: April 2, 2004 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
47
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 31 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
15
Negative:
6
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Quite appealing, thanks to good-humored acting and to Martha Coolidge's quiet directing style. She lets romance and comedy bubble up from the characters instead of imposing gimmicky twists on the story. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
But probably the best thing about The Prince & Me is the way the story doesn't end in the obvious place but keeps going, showing the characters continuing to develop. Read full review
75
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
It's all done with such good heart, and Stiles is so perfectly appealing as one of cinema's most grounded Cinderellas. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
Stiles is lovely, forthright and believable, so much so that when the scene shifts back to storybook Denmark (actually shot in Prague), she grounds this fluff in recognizable reality. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
This is a smart piece of revisionist fluff that dares to question what happens after the royal honeymoon is over. Read full review
70
Washington PostSara Gebhardt
Nothing is new about the movie's premise, but it is entertaining all the same. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
It's a perfect choice for a mother/daughter evening out...decently constructed, solidly performed, and not too naïve. Read full review
63
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
To her credit, director Martha Coolidge has crafted a fairy-tale ending that is both old-fashioned and newfangled, allowing her heroine to have it all. But despite a few magic moments, the rest of the film feels stale. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia Puig
Even its pre-teen audience could use a bit more quirkiness and a little less formula. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The Prince & Me has the materials to be a heartwarming mass-market love story, but it doesn't assemble them convincingly. Read full review
60
Dallas ObserverMelissa Levine
Trashes whatever spirited fun it initially established. Goodnight, Sweet Prince. Dream on. Read full review
60
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Coolidge directs as if the characters were believable human beings--at least until she gets to the end, when Hollywood and fairy-tale conventions have to triumph over humanity and common sense. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
In a series of endings, she, and the audience, are falsely promised that she can have it all. In other words, The Prince & Me is committed to the controversial American policy of No Fantasy Left Behind. Read full review
58
Seattle Post-IntelligencerPaula Nechak
Director Martha Coolidge attempts to keep the film grounded in reality, but the movie flutters away from her control. Read full review
50
L.A. WeeklyRon Stringer
To no one's possible satisfaction -- the non-question of how Paige is to ascend to the throne and retain her personal integrity that The Prince and Me falls, finally and irrevocably, flat. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesManohla Dargis
A blandly diverting, chastely conceived and grammatically challenged fairy tale for our bland, chaste and grammatically challenged age. Read full review
50
PremiereLaine Ewen
Feels more practical than whimsical, more politically correct than sweep-you-off-your-feet romantic. Read full review
50
Village VoiceEd Park
Their opposites-attract trajectory entertainingly reaches an applause-inducing climax -- but heeding Eddie's exegetical advice, Prince refuses to end on such an easy emotional note. Read full review
42
Portland OregonianKaren Karbo
The only thing unpredictable about The Prince and Me is the plot's basic logic. It's unfortunate, because the young leads are appealing and the issues Paige confronts are important. Why couldn't the movie be half as smart as she? Read full review
40
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
An unremarkable romantic comedy that gives short shrift to both romance and comedy. Read full review
40
VarietyScott Foundas
Totally cliched and nearly two hours long, pic takes forever to get to hopelessly obvious places. Read full review
40
The New York TimesStephen Holden
A cream puff with a melted marshmallow inside it. As the temperature rises, the whole gooey thing starts to melt. Read full review
40
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
Silly? Contrived? Vapid? You bet. Put more simply, "The Prince & Me" is . . . cute. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleKimberley Jones
The trouble with retooling fairy tales to jibe with our more enlightened times is that too often the fun gets stripped along with the offensive parts. Read full review
40
EmpireAnna Smith
Disappoints due to poor structure, flimsy characterisation and insufficient wit. Read full review
38
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
It's one of those movies where talented filmmakers waste time with stale, phony material. Read full review
38
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
In its nearly two-hour running time, in its always lugubrious pace, in its almost complete absence of laughs, The Prince & Me is a comedy that plays like a tragedy. No stricken bodies, though, unless you count the ones in the audience slumped back in their seats -- perchance they slept. Read full review
30
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
Few actresses exude restless intelligence as effortlessly as Stiles, which is fortunate, since Martha Coolidge's film relies on that forceful charisma to make it past awful dialogue, contrived situations, and hokey use of Disney-style butterflies. Read full review
30
TV Guide MagazineAngel Cohn
Even the teens at whom this plodding and predictable romantic comedy is clearly aimed are unlikely to be swept away by its contrivances. Read full review
25
New York PostLou Lumenick
May not set back Danish-American relations, but it's amusing to imagine how this schlock would have turned out under Denmark's most famous director, the American-hating Lars von Trier. Read full review
25
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
A royal mess, a lethally stupid romantic teen comedy. Read full review
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