Product Details

• Actors: John Goodman, Peter O'Toole, John Hurt, Camille Coduri, Richard Griffiths
• Directors: David S. Ward
• Writers: David S. Ward, Emlyn Williams
• Producers: Jack Brodsky, John Comfort, Julie Bergman Sender, Mark Rosenberg, Sydney Pollack
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Universal Studios
• VHS Release Date: March 12, 1992
• Run Time: 97 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302113180
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #121,305 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

David Ward made his reputation on his original screenplay of The Sting, but his career as a director has been built on lightweight comedies filled with generous spirit and slight aspirations. King Ralph delivers on that level. After a freak accident kills every immediate member of the British royal family, a search of the royal bloodline uncovers an unlikely candidate: portly Las Vegas lounge singer John Goodman. How will this gauche, exuberant red-blooded American mix with the snooty aristocratic bluebloods? Blustery, big-hearted Goodman brings the common touch to the palace with the enthusiastic spirit of a beer-guzzling, burger-eating Everyman who hammers out a mean rock & roll piano--even at official functions. John Hurt plays his conniving rival, an overlooked lord who plots the King's demise, while Peter O'Toole brings quiet dignity to his role as the King's private secretary and guide through the maze of etiquette and diplomacy. Ward brings a distinctly American sensibility to the British setting--this is definitely slapstick over satire and Goodman is a veritable bull in the royal china shop. This is a modest underdog comedy where white hats and black hats are pretty rigidly defined, but Goodman brings a working class dignity to the role. Watch for Joely Richardson in a hilarious turn as a throaty foreign princess who puts the moves on Goodman. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Funny!!, July 28, 2002

By 

Dana L. Newsom (Deer Park, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: King Ralph (DVD)

This is a great movie - it was made in 1991 but is still hilarious! John Goodman plays an American who inherits the throne in England and has to deal with the culture shock and his new-found royal obligations. If you liked him in the role of Dan Conner on Roseanne, you will enjoy him in this movie. Peter O'Toole plays his loyal assistant who has to teach him how to act like a king and steals many of the scenes much the way Hobson did in the movie Arthur. I highly recommend this movie! It is very funny and one of those movies you can watch over and over and still crack up every time - and the great thing about DVD is you can skip to the highlights!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Goodman Sells A Spectacular Performance!, July 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: King Ralph [VHS] (VHS Tape)

HM King Ralph is an exceptionally well done film, and is hilarious footage for the whole family. The movie King Ralph begins with the recent deaths of the entire British Royal Family. Britains then trace back Royal liniage to find that a Casino gambling American (Goodman) is next in line to the British Throne of Whindom. John Goodman brings laughs and spunk into the walls of Buckingham Palace, and an emotional ending leaves you ready to watch it again!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the best darn film ever made, March 21, 2000

By 

delby ruger (South Haven, Indiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: King Ralph [VHS] (VHS Tape)

in a word: SUPERIOR

Where to begin? The dry subtle wit of that sly thespian, John Goodman? The breathtakingly succinct portrayal of the supercillious and sinister aristocracy? The tear-jerking and anguished forbidden love of Ralph and what's her name? Whoa! This movie's got it all.

Goodman's masterful command of his roll as the common, beer-drinking, blue-collar Everyman (the most riveting depiction ever in film history) obliterates the shackles of his usual Shakespearean type-casting. What can't this man do? He is clearly the perennial uber-chameleon of stage and screen.

Whether you are trying to find meaning in the existential malaise of our time; searching for a film that would inspire and impart the necessary ethical ideals our children so desperately need and yearn for; or maybe you're just in a mood for mesmerizing adventure, rib-breaking humor, and scintillating romance - do your soul a favor: BUY THIS FILM!