The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Buena Vista Pictures | Release Date: August 11, 2004 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
43
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 31 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
19
Negative:
5
Watch Now
Stream On
Stream On
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Chicago TribuneRobert K. Elder
Ends strong, in an ultimately smoother, smarter sequel. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleCarla Meyer
Offers enough glossy good cheer to appeal to everyone. Read full review
67
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWinda Benedetti
Fans of the first "Princess Diaries" will find enough laughs and diamonds in the rough to sustain them on their way to this important moral. Read full review
63
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Although all the key players are back - including, fans will be glad to hear, Heather Matarazzo as cynical sidekick Lilly Moscovitz - the freshness of the first is long gone. Read full review
63
New York PostMegan Lehmann
Has just enough fairy dust to charm its target audience. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia Puig
We all love a good fairy tale, but the enchantment is missing in this predictable sequel. Read full review
63
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
As a movie, it's a mixed bag with a huge amount of heart. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
Like its predecessor, it's Hollywood hokum at its most glamorous and effective. Read full review
60
Wall Street JournalJoanne Kaufman
As reassuring and soothing as a nursery story.
60
EmpireIan Freer
Perhaps the best film ever aimed at eight year-old girls to be directed by a 69 year-old man. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jennie Punter
Like the first movie, Princess Diaries 2 relies primarily on the chemistry and screen appeal of Andrews and Hathaway to elevate the storytelling above the level of mush. Read full review
50
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
Whenever Andrews - that incarnation of the sensible and the sensitive - glides on screen, PD2 sparkles. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyScott Brown
The film's generic feminism pales beside its bloated sense of privilege, only underlined by a nonstop cabaret of sideshow acts. Read full review
50
Washington PostSara Gebhardt
Sometimes charming, sometimes a tad too silly and all the time predictable. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleKimberley Jones
Two hours pass painlessly enough, thanks to the affability of its trio of leads, Hathaway, Andrews, and Elizondo. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldChristine Dolan
If Andrews oozes regal poise and Hathaway radiates movie star allure -- and they do -- credit the actresses, not this flimsy fairy tale. Read full review
42
Portland OregonianKaren Karbo
Panders to the worst traits in the target audience of spoiled third-grade girls. Read full review
40
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
Benefits from extremely modest expectations. For it to be anything but painfully arbitrary would count as an accomplishment, so the fact that it's superficially entertaining qualifies as a minor triumph. Read full review
40
The New York TimesManohla Dargis
Mr. Marshall, is not much of a film director. Depending on the budget, his movies look either cheap (like this one) or studio slick ("Pretty Woman"), and tend to have the same flat, presentational visual style that's familiar from most sitcoms. Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineAngel Cohn
Good-natured but overstuffed sequel. Read full review
40
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
Anne Hathaway's charms barely rescue this exercise in lame comedy and romance. Read full review
40
VarietyJoe Leydon
Too blandly insubstantial to expand its appeal beyond its target demographic. Read full review
40
Film ThreatPete Vonder Haar
If there is one high point to be found, it's that Julie Andrews sings for the first time since her 1997 throat surgery. Read full review
40
Dallas ObserverMelissa Levine
Garry Marshall is at it again. He disguises an insidious worship of wealth and privilege as a "feel-good" comedy about a wacky girl whose transition from ugly duckling to swan is supposed to inspire feelings of empowerment. In three words: It's a crock. Read full review
40
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
Slovenly writing by Shondra Rimes doesn't help, and the movie bows out with an omigod-we-forgot-the-feminism twist — too little, too late to redeem this lumpish excuse for a contemporary fairy tale. Read full review
40
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
Andrews is still a treasure, but the series's currency is plummeting. Read full review
38
Boston GlobeTy Burr
So unfocused is Shonda Rhimes's screenplay and so flabby is Marshall's direction. Read full review
38
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Did you (Garry Marshall) deliberately assemble this movie from off-the-shelf parts or did it just happen that way? The film is like a homage to the cliches and obligatory stereotypes of its genre. Read full review
38
PremierePeter Debruge
Threadbare sequel. Read full review
30
Washington PostStephen Hunter
There's not enough story in it to fill a shoebox. Read full review
30
Village VoiceEd Park
Scenes end abruptly, laughs are as rare as yetis, and the overarching question seems to be: Can we turn this into a franchise? Read full review
More From This Movie

43 Critic Reviews

5.7 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 77 Project Hail Mary
2 75 Send Help
3 73 Hoppers
4 72 The Sheep Detectives
5 68 Crime 101
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL