Should you watch this at weekend movie ticket prices? If you like British films.
Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? Yes.
Secret ending? No.
Running time: 97 minutes (~1.5 hours)
“A Royal Night Out” is a British period comedy about a pair of sheltered British princesses who spend a night out anonymously. In the process, they discover that there’s more to life, and to themselves, than they could have ever realised. It stars Sarah Gadon (Princess Elizabeth), Bel Powley (Princess Margaret), Emily Watson (Queen Elizabeth), Rupert Everett (King George VI), and Jack Reynor (Jack).
“A Royal Night Out” is classic British comedy, set in a more innocent, nostalgic time period. While it relies a great deal on dialogue and performances to bring out the humour in the film, there’s also a decent plot and good character development for the two princesses. It manages to hew to the archetype of the royal fish out of the water, while staying clear of the cliches that are naturally associated with such situations, presenting a heartwarming comedy that leaves you feeling good as you leave the cinema.
Highlights
Classy and confident style
It’s a movie about royals, and it shows. Even accounting for the more intelligent standard of British comedy, the film is directed with a distinct sense of class and elegance, being always careful to portray the princesses as women of fine upbringing. Even the less savoury characters are treated with dignity and pride, resulting in a film that constantly reminds us that even though it’s their off day, Elizabeth and Margaret are princesses through and through.
Elizabeth’s character development
Elizabeth begins as a charmingly naive girl, who meets the outside world with wide-eyed wonder, and slowly progresses into a more confident woman who truly understands what it means to be a princess of the royal family. Yet despite this coming-of-age for Elizabeth, she retains this sense of genuine interest and wonderment at the reality beyond the palace, striking a great balance between innocence and growth.
A well-meaning but ditzy Margaret
Margaret acts as the comic foil for Elizabeth, experiencing the world the way you’d expect a wealthy princess to. Her plot may be less intense than her sister’s discovery of the world around her, but it serves as the light-hearted counterpoint to the more serious emotions that Elizabeth goes through. Ultimately, it’s her good-natured that shines through despite her lack of control, and it’s this defining trait of hers that allows her to shine like the royalty she is.
Interesting backstory for Jack
While Jack starts off as a stereotypical jock, he also evolves into a fairly complex character as the movie progresses. We see the different dimensions of his character and how he makes such a good match with Elizabeth, what with their views on how the world should operate versus how the world really is like. In the end, he’s as important a character as the two female leads are, and brings the touch of the Everyman to the movie.
Letdowns
Pace is rather slow
Due to the lack of action and a distinct paucity of visual humour (there are moments, but they’re few and far between and hardly highlighted), the film can come across as rather ponderous at times. It’s not to say that it’s not interesting, just that a little less time could be spent being so introspective, and a little more time spent on advancing the plot further.
“A Royal Night Out” is a charmingly simple film that highlights the best of humanity through the optimistic lens of its characters. The time period that it’s set in also helps to accentuate that positivity of the human spirit, creating a pleasant viewing experience for all.
“A Royal Night Out” opens in cinemas 28 May, 2015 (Thursday).
This review was also published on Yahoo.
Leave a Reply