- What a Girl Wants (film)
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For the Christina Aguilera song, see What a Girl Wants (song). For the B2K song, see What a Girl Wants (B2K song).
What a Girl Wants 
Original theatrical posterDirected by Dennie Gordon Produced by Denise Di Novi
Bill Gerber
Hunt LowryWritten by Jenny Bicks
Elizabeth ChandlerStarring Amanda Bynes
Colin Firth
Kelly Preston
Oliver JamesMusic by Rupert Gregson-Williams Cinematography Andrew Dunn Editing by Charles McClelland Distributed by Warner Bros. Release date(s) April 4, 2003 Running time 105 minutes Language English Budget $25 million Box office $50,732,139 What a Girl Wants is a 2003 film starring Amanda Bynes, Colin Firth, Kelly Preston and Oliver James. Directed by Dennie Gordon, the film is a remake of the 1958 film, The Reluctant Debutante which had a screenplay by William Douglas-Home, based on his play of the same name.
The title, "What a Girl Wants," came from the Christina Aguilera song[citation needed], though ironically that song is not featured in the film or on its soundtrack.
Contents
Plot
Daphne Reynolds (Amanda Bynes) has what every girl wants. This young American girl has a unique style all her own, an unconventional but loving relationship with her Bohemian mother Libby (Kelly Preston) and a future full of possibilities. But despite her remarkable promise, Daphne feels incomplete and alone.[1]
She dreams of one day meeting the father she’s never known, the man Libby loved deeply seventeen years ago, but ultimately left behind because his aristocratic family supposedly found her unsuitable. Determined to live out her fantasy of forging a storybook relationship with her long-absent dad, Daphne, on an impulse, gets on a flight to London, where she quickly discovers that her father is the high-profile politician, Lord Henry Dashwood (Colin Firth), who has controversially renounced his place in the royal succession (Daphne is 39th in line) to run for the House of Commons. Henry opens his life and his social calendar to the daughter he never knew existed, but Daphne’s appearance in his high society creates an uproar that threatens to undermine his political career. Not wanting to jeopardize his campaign for an upcoming election, Daphne stifles her naturally vibrant personality, refashions herself as a proper debutante and plunges into a whirlwind of British social events. But even with Henry’s support, she’s not getting any help from his conniving fiancée or her jealous daughter, who are bent on ruining Daphne at every turn.
With the aid of Ian (Oliver James), a charming and society-savvy local musician, Daphne attempts to prove that love, along with proper etiquette, can conquer all. But Daphne soon realizes she doesn’t like the person she’s becoming in the process. As much as she wants to be her father’s daughter, she realizes it's not worth it if she can’t be herself. Though mostly this is influenced by Henry's fiancée's interference during her debutante ball, when she coldly and cruelly locks Daphne in a closet to prevent Henry from bonding with her. She goes back home but Henry, not before finding out that Libby's banishment was a plot engineered by his fiancee's politically ambitious father, realizes how much he loves Daphne and goes to find her. He brings Ian with him. The film ends with Daphne's mother officially getting married to Daphne's father. Daphne also becomes Ian's girlfriend and she goes to Oxford University so she can be near him.
Cast
- Amanda Bynes as Daphne Reynolds
- Colin Firth as Lord Henry Dashwood
- Kelly Preston as Libby Reynolds
- Oliver James as Ian Wallace
- Eileen Atkins as Jocelyn Dashwood
- Anna Chancellor as Glynnis Payne
- Jonathan Pryce as Alistair Payne
- Christina Cole as Clarissa Payne
- Sylvia Syms as Princess Charlotte
- Tara Summers as Noelle
- Ben Scholfield as Armistead Stuart
- Cassie Powney as Peach Orwood
- Connie Powney as Pear Orwood
- Peter Hugo as Prince Charles
- Matthew Turpin as Prince William
- Elliot Gibson as Prince Harry
Reception
The film was generally unfavorably reviewed, receiving a 35% positive review assessment on Rotten Tomatoes.[2] The San Francisco Chronicle called it a "dreadful teen comedy."[3] The Village Voice described the film as "a sanitized adventure for the Mary Kate-and-Ashley set."[4]
Note
- ^ At the start of the film Libby and Henry are married in Morocco by a Bedouin chief; they are to have a second ceremony in England, but they separate. In the meantime Libby is pregnant with Daphne.
- ^ "What a Girl Wants". http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/what_a_girl_wants/. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
- ^ Guthman, Edward (April 4, 2003). "Film Clips". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/04/04/DD277763.DTL&ao=3. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
- ^ Kamenetz, Anya (April 8, 2003). "Film". The Village Voice. http://www.villagevoice.com/2003-04-08/film/film/1/. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
External links
- Official site
- What a Girl Wants at the Internet Movie Database
- What a Girl Wants (2003) at Rotten Tomatoes
- What a Girl Wants on Yahoo! Movies
Films directed by Dennie Gordon Joe Dirt (2001) · What a Girl Wants (2003) · New York Minute (2004)
Categories:- English-language films
- 2000s romantic comedy films
- 2003 films
- American films
- Coming-of-age films
- Film remakes
- Films set in London
- Films shot in Morocco
- Teen comedy films
- Warner Bros. films
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