Although a bit formulaic with the "ugly duckling" storyline, this movie really was a great way to spend two hours. The basic storyline has Mia (Anne Hathaway), an unpopular (to put in mildly) school girl finding out that she's the heir to the throne of a small European kingdom when her long-lost grandmother (the legendary Julie Andrews!!!) shows up to claim her for the throne.

The rest of the movie basically shows Mia taking the hilarious steps to refine and (physically and socially) transform herself for the throne while she tries to survive the tenth grade, find the right boyfriend and battle off the paparazzi. While the plot may sound cliché, the movie really is a great flick taking you back to those less than secure days of high school. You'll really feel for Mia as she battles her own self-doubts, feelings, emotions and those sometimes cruel classmates of hers (including pop superstar Mandy Moore).

Highlights:

- The first state dinner!!!

- Beating the ticket!!!

- Those high school adventures...

- The hilarious lessons in etiquette...

- The makeover...

- A young girl finds herself!!!

The best scenes in the movie for me were the "State Dinner" and the part where they tried to beat a ticket from a cop.

THE DVD FEATURES:

Overall, Princess Diaries DVD is basically a great representative of what most DVD movies SHOULD be like as it is just chalked full of great extras.

1. 8 deleted scenes from the movie, including commentary from director Gary Marshall introducing each scene and then subsequently explaining why they were cut from the movie. GREAT extra.

2. Behind-the-scenes documentary/featurette "A New Princess." Truly one of the better behind-the-scenes documentaries I've seen with tons of cast and crew interviews, including looks at the different cast members and why they were cast for their specific roles. You'll get to see a lot of the cast interaction including a cast and crew party.

3. Two music videos including Myra's "Miracles Happen" and Krystal Harris' "Supergirl." These were cool...

4. TWO OPTIONAL AUDIO COMMENTARIES: One from Gary Marshall and one from Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews. The commentaries actually run throughout the movie where they explain and give their thoughts on each scene.

Summed up, this is basically a really, really good DVD and definitely a must-see if you really liked the movie. Disney's done a great job on it.

Overall, if you dig those "teen/chick" types of movies, you'll go for this one. I'd equate this to a cross between "Miss Congeniality" and "Never Been Kissed." It's a fun movie to kill a few hours with or to catch while on a date. If you're a guy, I'll guarantee your spouse/girlfriend will probably like it...

THE VERDICT:

The Movie: Recommended

The DVD: Highly Recommended If You Really Loved the Movie

Pros:
1)"The Princess Diaries" offers quality entertainment fit for the entire family. There is little, if any, swearing which is excellent for the younger audience (or for the older audience if you are like me and dislike tastless profanity!)
2)The overall moral of the story is rather elementary, but well executed i.e. there is more to being a princess than having power and vast lands.
3)Julie Andrews offers a wonderfully elegant performance without the ostentation.
4)The humor in "The Princess Diaries" is actually funny... All too often films claim to be funny, but instead of offering decent humor they use sexual jokes and gutter humor versus true comedy.

Anyway, you get the point..

Cons:
1)One scene of the film that irritated me greatly dealt with the princess's physical make over. A short explanation: The princess is a klutzy, unattractive young woman whom undergoes a make over under the orders of her grandmother, the queen. When the make over is finished, the princess loses all of her physical klutziness and instantly becomes an irresistable young woman who can do no wrong. (This ficticious attitude last a while, then the flim takes a more realistic approach to princess's make over i.e. a little make-up being applied does not connotate that you will not trip over your own shoes...)

That is about it for the deadly Cons.

Overall, go see the movie with your family. Enjoy the simple plot, indulge in the clean script, and be swept into a modern fairy-tale.