Original Release Date: August 11th, 2004
Genre: Comedy, Family, Romance
Tagline(s):
- You are cordially invited to the royal event of the season. R.S.V.P. This Summer
- To get the kingdom of Genovia... There's just a little hitch.
- She needs the rock to rule.
- It can take a lifetime to find true love; she's got 30 days!
- The throne is all hers...but there's a little hitch.
Filming Locations:
- European Village set, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA
- Los Angeles, California, USA
- Santa Clarita, California, USA
- Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA
Company:
- BrownHouse Productions (as A Brownhouse and Debra Martin Chase Production)
- Walt Disney Pictures (presents)
Plot Summary
The film opens with Mia Thermopolis, Crown Princess of the fictional country of
Genovia, graduating from Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School. Mia,
Joe, and Fat Louie the cat all fly to Genovia for Mia's 21st birthday and
for her to take her grandmother, Clarisse Renaldi's place as Queen of Genovia.
At her birthday ball, she has to dance with all the eligible bachelors. She
accidentally steps on a mysterious young man's shoe and dances with him. When
Mia's tiara falls off, Viscount Mabrey catches it and it is revealed that
he's planning to steal her royal position.
Later, Viscount Mabrey mentions another heir to the crown, his nephew Lord
Devereaux. Mia cannot be Queen unless she gets married in 30 days. Clarisse
invites Lord Devereaux to stay at the palace and Mia is shocked when she
sees he is the man she flirted with at the ball, Lord Nicholas Devereaux.
Mia is joined with her best friend Lily Moscovitz and later they search
the possible husband. Mia chooses Andrew Jacoby, Duke of Kenilworth and
days later they are engaged. Mabrey and Nicholas plot against the engagement
and so Nicholas starts flirting with Mia.
Princess Mia starts to practice firing a flaming arrow as part of the ceremonies
for when she is crowned Queen. At a garden party, Mia gets annoyed seeing
Nicholas with Lady Elissa. They argue near an isolated fountain and Nicholas
suddenly kisses Mia. After that Nicholas gets second thoughts about stealing
the crown and Mabrey realises that Nicholas has fallen in love with Mia.
Later, Mia is practicing archery when Nicholas tells her that he's leaving,
but he wants to meet Mia for the last time. Mia is upset, but agrees to
meet him. They go to the lake, dance and fall asleep. When they wake up,
Mia sees a man in a boat videotaping them. Mia thinks Nicholas set her up
and storms off. When she gets back home, the video has already been broadcast
on TV. She apologizes to the disappointed Andrew and together do they realize
that they don't love each other. But he says that he has promised to marry
her and a gentleman never breaks his promise.
When Mabrey leaves for the wedding, Nicholas is debating on whether he
should go also. Gretchen tells him that his uncle set up what happened at
the lake. Nicholas leaves for the ceremony on his grandfather's penny-farthing
bicycle, the only means of wheeled transport available. Meanwhile Mia is
walking down the aisle, but runs out realizing she can't marry Andrew. Clarisse
goes after her and tells her not to make the same mistake she did and give
up finding love. Mia walks back inside, saying she wants to become Queen
without a husband, but Mabrey says his nephew should be King. Nicholas declines
the crown, Parliament votes and the law is changed. Clarisse asks Joe for
his hand in marriage and they get married. Mia becomes Queen, but not before
Nicholas confesses his love for her.
Facts & Trivia
Julie Andrews loves fresh flowers, and convinced Garry Marshall to use
only real flowers in the arrangements inside Rinaldi Castle. During the
filming, she was constantly adjusting the arrangements, removing dying blossoms,
etc. The centerpiece of the kitchen table (in the scene where Nicholas tops
his chocolate mousse) got switched from a large piece (as seen in the background)
to the cluster of small flowers seen in the final cut - the original arrangement
got in the way of the filming.
One of Mia's brush-off lines for Nicholas is, "It should take you
exactly four seconds to cross from here to that door. I'll give you two."
As Nicholas says, it's taken directly from Holly Golightly in "Breakfast
at Tiffany's". This is a tribute to Audrey Hepburn, who is Anne Hathaway's
idol.
Goofs
Continuity: When Nicholas kisses Mia his lips are above hers but in the
next shot they are lip locked.
Continuity: After Mia falls in the fountain with Nicholas her lipstick
has rubbed off but in the next shot it has been reapplied.
Continuity: In the scenes where Mia is reviewing the troops, there is
a shot where Lily and Nicholas introduce themselves across Andrew ("Best
friend of the queen-to-be. I don't like you.") In a later, related
scene, Nicholas has followed Mia to the tack room. His necktie changes between
the two shots. The director says (in the special features part of the DVD)
that this was actually a shot taken from another scene: the pear tree scene
(which is in the deleted scenes), and put into this scene instead.
Continuity: Before Mia and Nicholas fall into the fountain, Mia is holding
her fan. When she comes out of the fountain, there is no fan in her hand
nor in the fountain. The fan would float if she had dropped it while falling.
Continuity: When Mia sees her apartment inside the palace for the first
time, the view out of the windows show they are on the ground floor. Later
in the movie when she climbs out of the window to meet Nicholas, she climbs
down the trellis from the second floor.
Quotes
Mia Thermopolis: I loathe you!
Nicholas Devereaux: I loathe YOU!
Mia Thermopolis: I loathed you FIRST!
Nicholas Devereaux: [kisses Mia]
Nicholas Devereaux: I'm Nick. Viscount Mabrey's nephew.
Andrew Jacoby: Ah, the chap who's trying to stage the palace
coup. I'm Andrew Jacoby. Nice to meet you.
Lilly Moscovitz: [Thrusting out her hand to shake his]
Lilly Moscovitz, official best friend of future queen. I don't like you.
Nicholas Devereaux: Pleasure.
Nicholas Devereaux: Tell me your greatest desires.
Mia Thermopolis: Tell me a secret.
Nicholas Devereaux: Isn't that the same thing?
Mia Thermopolis: Almost, but anyone can see your desires.
No one knows what's in your heart.
Nicholas Devereaux: [kneels before Mia] If I may be so
bold, I would like an audience with Your Highness.
Mia Thermopolis: [motions for him to go ahead] What is
your dilemma, young man?
Nicholas Devereaux: You are, in fact. I am in love with
the Queen-to-be, and I am inquiring if she loves me, too.
Mia Thermopolis: Do you have a chicken for my table?
Nicholas Devereaux: No. No, my kitchen is empty of chickens.
Nicholas Devereaux: Rapunzel, Rapunzel, with hair so
fine. Come out your window, climb down the vine.
Mia Thermopolis: The feat you ask, dear sir, isn't easy.
And I won't respond to that line, it's far too cheesy.
Mia Thermopolis: [stepping on Nicholas's foot the first
time] Oh! Your foot, I'm so sorry, are you all right?
Nicholas Devereaux: Oh I'll survive, Your Highness, the
fault was entirely my own.
Mia Thermopolis: Are you sure you don't want to exchange
licenses and proof of insurances?
Nicholas Devereaux: No, no. These shoes were a little big
anyway. The swelling should help them fit better.
Nicholas Devereaux: I haven't danced with you since your
birthday.
Mia Thermopolis: That's a fact, not a secret.
Nicholas Devereaux: The secret is, I still want to.
Nicholas Devereaux: [after Mia angrily stomps on his
foot] It's alright, she always does that.
Mia Thermopolis: Oh, well aren't you just... crafty.
Do you want to know what else you were doing while you were doing your little
lie dance?
Nicholas Devereaux: Lie dance?
Mia Thermopolis: Oh, yeah, that is exactly what you did.
Nicholas Devereaux: What is a lie dance?
Media Downloads
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