59 of 64 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Cute and sweet "CHEMISTRY" you'll love to watch!, March 30, 2004
Wisconsin-born Paige Morgan (Julia Stiles) thinks boys are a distraction. In fact, she never dates, preferring to keep her mind on her pre-med college studies: she's worked hard for everything she's got, having grown up poor. Prince Edvard "Eddie" of Denmark (Luke Mably) has the opposite problem: he has grown up surrounded by wealth and privilege (having been groomed since birth to become the next ruler of his country). Only thing is: he's not ready for the responsibility! The Prince rebels against his parent's upbringing, deciding to go to America to meet girls.
Along with his trusty servant/bodyguard Soren (Ben Miller), the Prince enrolls as a student at a Wisconsin college; they arrive and immediately set off to the local hangout to find some of these Wisconsin girls. It is there that Eddie runs into Paige, who is working; she dislikes him from the start, as he acts as less than a gentleman to her. When Eddie pairs up with her as her lab partner the next day in class, she's not about to change her mind about him...after all, he's just a rich playboy. Isn't he?
Although Eddie started off with Paige on the wrong foot, he quickly realizes that she is the girl for him: the ONLY girl for him. He apologizes for his earlier behavior and the two become friends, and then something more. But when Paige discovers that her Eddie is actually Prince Edvard Valdemar Dangaard, soon to be 51st ruler of Denmark, she is understandably upset that he lied to her...but will she forgive him? And if she does, will the Prince be able to convince his parents to accept a poor Wisconsin girl as the future queen of Denmark?
There are hardly any content issues, for those of you concerned about taking your kids to see the film: there is hardly any language (one swear word, and one use of "bloody"), some time spent at the local student hangout (has a few drinks at a bar), and a brief scene where a girl and guy are kissing and his shirt comes off, but they are interuppted.
From the beautiful scenery and dream-like sequence of events (that come across VERY realistically), this romantic film is definitely worth the watch! The chemistry and love that blossoms between Paige and Eddie is so sweet and believable that you can't help falling in love with the characters themselves, and wishing that every girl could end up with their Prince Charming and live happily ever after!
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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I LOVED this movie, April 1, 2004
By A Customer
Julia Stiles and Luke Mably were awesome. I saw this movie and loved it. It is the type of movie that can make you smile. I enjoy movies that can make you smile. As for the weather... WHO CARES? The weather added to the storyline, how manytimes has Cinderella gone to the ball in snow? I can't wait till this movie comes out on DVD. The story was like a real fairy tale. Tell me one girl who does not want to get wrapped up in a fairy tale once in a while? We are raised from the beginning of childhood life that fairy tales are just that... in this movie Paige is given the chance to live a true fairy tale. After realizing that she also remembers her dream, she remembers she will never give that up for anyone, not even prince charming. Paige is going to change the world. I loved that aspect of the movie. I want to see women who want to change the world and will work as hard as they have to in order to do so. I dont know, I guess I am just a hopeless romantic or something. But really, I think I just enjoy smiling every once in a while in the world we live in. Go see this movie, It was a real love story to lift your spirts.
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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A cute tear-jerker: Great DVD to have in any collection, February 18, 2006
First, a little background of myself - I'm an U.S. Air Force officer, with background in both physical sciences & project management. I tend to steer towards movies that either make me think, or invoke emotional responses (interpret at will). I also gravitate toward movies that have fantastic soundtracks.
I first sought this movie out because my wife enjoys cute love movies, and because Julia Stiles plays roles in love stories quite well. The premise itself is a cute one - two people who are made for each other question their lifelong chosen destinies. It touches topics such as class (rich vs. poor), values (working for every penny vs. being spoiled), destiny (pre-destined vs. taking the bull by the horns), to name a few.
I shed tears as I watched this movie with my wife. Not because it's depressing, but because the movie strongly reminded me how lucky I am to be married to my wife, and how a combination of perfect timing, maturity, and perspective got me to recognize true love at the right time in my life. In essence, the movie reminded me how my wife (just a friend @ point of enlightenment) saved me from pursuing an insular, safe life.
Ok enough about my runin with Kleenex -
You can easily watch this with teenagers (most boys won't sit still for this movie). It reinforces the notion that true love can be had for those who are willing to accept it. In short, it's a cheery movie you'd want to have out for viewing, when you have friends/family over for the weekend.
Miranda Richardson and James Fox play the role of queen & king quite nicely. They create a good level of tension with the prince, displaying tension that just begs to be resolved before the movie ends. Eliza Bennett hams up the role of the younger sibling princess quite nicely - especially playing a Gameboy while dressed elegantly.
Alberta Watson, as Julia Stiles' character mother, reminds the audience that parents can be a great source of wisdom. The rest of the supporting cast play roles of people you'd probably find in normal life - college dorm settings mostly.
The movie does a great job of showing how the two main characters grow and change for the better. Rather than seeing one person become a different person within one frame, you can easily see the progression over the entire stretch of the movie.
The movie's soundtrack is fantastic. It's a good synthesis of new and vintage materiel - I learned who Tom Waits was due to listening to the music. Plus, I discovered another fantastic contemporary composer, Jennie Muskett.
I gave this movie 5 stars, because it reminded me how lucky I am to be married to my wife (made me think), got me to shed tears (the emotional response), and because I discovered Tom Waits and Jennie Muskett along the way (the soundtrack thing). Plus, I ended up buying it too, because I don't tire of watching it with my wife.
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