(Karen) "with director Mike Newell and stars Ralph Fiennes and Kate Hudson attached" 'scuse me while I bang my head against the wall. There, I feel better.

Why a headbang? This project scored a perfect 10 on my Rafe-o-meter, which I use to measure all of CF's potential projects.

(THR article))Maybe it's because I'm a Brit," Webber jokes. "We're supposed to be repressed, aren't we?" LOL! I can see em' already, Colin Firth, once again playing the part of a *repressed*.......(Dutch)artist. Who cares! Bring it on, I'm ready for the smoulderama!

Regarding the anonymous set report from Trauma, I've been assured that there won't be a need for subtitling in this film. There's only one Scottish accent and one Cockney. As far as raunchy content goes, this one scene isn't representative of the whole film.

I assume my WAGW DVD will be on the doorstep this afternoon. The "official" web site mentions Easter Eggs. Has anyone identified these yet? Being a middle-aged, NPR listening woman, I have no inclination to fiddle with the DVD player to find them. ;-) ;-) ;-)

(Karen) As far as raunchy content goes, this one scene isn't representative of the whole film. Ohhhh....blast! And I was so hoping it would be! ;-D (Meredith) The "official" web site mentions Easter Eggs. Has anyone identified these yet? I found a listing for only one so far (there should be more). Here's a link to finding Peach & Pear's audition: http://www.dvdeastereggs.com/showEgg.php?eggid=1207&grabEggs=w I haven't had time to check that one out...hope it works. Off to look for more!

There's a *very* brief Colin interview in the section where you mix Daphne's clothing to match the ensembles worn in the film. I don't want to tell you how many attempts it took me before the DVD apparently got disgusted and gave me the answers.;-) Anyway, when you make it though all 4 outfits, there are brief interviews with AB, CF, and OJ. (Janet)I can't believe how unbelievably gorgeous he is in this film! I know, IMO, he looks even better in this than in BJD! If anyone wants to join me in a good old-fashioned drool session, BYOB (Bring Your Own Bucket) and let's do it! Great (and very welcome) update on Trauma, Karen!

This seems very silly to me, but every time I look at the cover to WAGW, I imagine RL from Tumbledown in his big silly hat. I just am waiting to hear a string of soldier profanities or him asking if anoyone would like to see the pictures of his brain. Does anyone else get that mental image or have I just been watching Tumbledowm too recently?

I've added the picture accompanying the Premiere write-up to the GWAPE gallery http://www.firth.com/gwape_gal1.html

(Karen)I've added the picture accompanying the Premiere write-up to the GWAPE gallery Those hands, that concentrated gaze. SWOON!

cool pic karen, thanks. i strongly suspect they used it for the poster (after a couple of retouching moves, ie stubble clearing and skin smoothing).... i actually like the close-up poster better than the first one you posted, esp. the cracked painting feel they gave it. ok, i know, no hands on the second one, but i really like the retouching work they did with it. thanks for all the goodies everyone (and the bunburying jokes re: trauma, ha!)

OMG, that photo! I think I'm going to need CPR to stay conscious during GWAPE, as I feel light headed just looking at that image. Thanks, Karen, for uploading it. Gee, are we all going to buy the poster for the film? ;-) (Mari) I know, IMO, he looks even better in this than in BJD! I was thinking the same thing, Mari. I've never before voiced this to anyone, but I always thought Mark Darcy's hair looked odd from the beginning of film (reindeer jumper scene) to the Smug Married dinner party scenes. Hi hair was kind of poufy and odd-shaped in the front. To redeem myself (and his hair;-)), I thought that his hair looked much better from the ciggie shop scene till the end of the film. I will save my Henry-specific drooling for another time. ;-) (Karen) This project scored a perfect 10 on my Rafe-o-meter, which I use to measure all of CF's potential projects. Excellent concept, IMO. Oh, God, not Easter eggs. *groan* I never could make the "bagpipe" easter egg on Moulin Rouge work. I just hope they aren't too tricky.

OMG! My face is numb....I have lost all feeling in my limbs.... That stubble...that hair...that dead sexy shirt...that intense look. I'm done for...a goner. Gotta make a physical appointment to see if the old ticker can take a jolt. Who am I kidding, even if they told me to stay away, I couldn't... Nice piercer! Wonder if he's available for...nevermind...I'll just go sit in front of the fan and cool off for a minute. Thank you Karen!!!!

Woke up and peeled face of of computer screen to thank Karen. ;-)

Thanks Karen...now let's hope Rafe bows out of more films like this one;-)

Thanks for the new capture, Karen. Better and better! - I'm off to look for more Easter eggs. (I did stumble upon Pear and Peach's audition last night.) - Just a fluke!

Karen, that picture has sent me over the moon. I've been in trouble since yesterday afternoon with HD now JV. Many thanks... Wonder what kind of piercer he is? (Janet)I'm off to look for more Easter eggs. Don't miss the outtakes after the etiquette section (does that count as an easter egg) (Mari)I don't want to tell you how many attempts it took me before the DVD apparently got disgusted and gave me the answers.;-) LOL, my daughter and I were rolling on the floor trying to get them right. We had just watched the film, too. My DVD froze at one point during this. I thought I would die. Thought I broke Henry. (Mari)I know, IMO, he looks even better in this than in BJD! If anyone wants to join me in a good old-fashioned drool session, BYOB (Bring Your Own Bucket) and let's do it! I agree that HD looks better than MD. I thought MD had so many different looks in BJD...of course most were AFG, but HD looks so AFG throughout the film...eh after Morocco, of course. I'll gladly bring my own bucket, I think I need two..I'm already in Vermeer drool mode. (Karen)I've been assured that there won't be a need for subtitling in this film. Ok, multi-region DVD player now on hold...

Ew. Am not as enamoured of the Colin Kevorkian do-it-yourself piercing pic as you ladies. Am getting a Sweeney Todd flashback here.;-)

(Mari) Ew. Am not as enamoured of the Colin Kevorkian do-it-yourself piercing pic as you ladies. Am getting a Sweeney Todd flashback here.;-) Whew! Got almost down to the end of the postings and thought I'd be the first one to be a bit less than enamored of it. For me, it borders on sadistic looking. He looks a little too determined vs. full of sensuality and she pains me to watch her waiting for the pain. Though am impressed at Scarlet for making that come through so well. It's just a snapshot, so it might register different with me when I see the whole scene.

. He looks a little too determined vs. full of sensuality He's an artist, a perfectionist...not a masochistic predator. Why else make her pierce both ears. I think he's playing it right.

(Evelyn) Why else make her pierce both ears. I always thought it was for several reasons. That he wanted to see her in the earrings, that he knew it was probably her one time to ever wear anything like that...so let her wear both of them, even if it was for only a couple of hours and then because he was an artist and the aesthetic of the whole thing (balance and beauty and such...). But I really think it had more to do with seeing her in both earrings...a bit pervy really, but I like!

(Karen)Why a headbang? This project scored a perfect 10 on my Rafe-o-meter, which I use to measure all of CF's potential projects. The head bang was rid my head of the picture of Kate Hudson sporting the Pearl Earring. (Evelyn) He's an artist, a perfectionist...not a masochistic predator. Why else make her pierce both ears. I think he's playing it right. I agree. That picture makes me even more antsier for this film. And that's good Trauma news from Karen. Maybe in the dicier bits they'll have subtitles ala Trainspotting.

I decided to take my 2 sons to the Burrell Collection (an art gallery and museum in Glasgow) today, partly to escape my obsession with all things CF. There was a special exhibition of works normally housed in the National Gallery for Scotland. I was admiring a beautiful painting called 'Christ at the House of Martha and Mary'. The Artist? - Jan Vermeer (an early work) I give up!

(Dorine) He looks a little too determined vs. full of sensuality (Evelyn) He's an artist, a perfectionist...not a masochistic predator. Why else make her pierce both ears. I think he's playing it right. I didn't mean my remark as a commentary on how I think he played it. As I said, I can't make a good judgement on it til I see the whole scene. A snapshot of one point in time can be misleading and certainly look very different than reality.

I guess, in other words, I'd rather look at the poster or the other pics that are out. :-)

Hi Karen, By the time you read this you will probably already have discovered that firth.com is being diverted by zoneedit.com. :-((

From the Times: COLIN FIRTH does not have the face of a happy man. It settles naturally into an expression of vague discomfort as if it has just noticed something with the potential to ruin his day. And he looks more uncomfortable than ever in What a Girl Wants, a sticky-sweet Cinderella story that requires him to don leather trousers and play air guitar. I imagine it�s a scene that will come back to haunt him in years to come when he�s picking up an Olivier award. Loosely inspired by William Douglas-Home�s 1956 West End hit The Reluctant Debutante (filmed two years later with Rex Harrison and Sandra Dee), this is a star vehicle for Amanda Bynes, whose Tigger-like perkiness on the Nickelodeon children�s channel has made her a star among American pre-and-barely-teens. Bynes plays 17-year-old New Yorker Daphne, who heads for a fantasy London and the country manor of her long estranged aristocratic father, Henry Dashwood (Firth), who never knew she existed. It�s all culture-clash goofiness from there on. When not trying to fit in or loosening up her dad (cue that air guitar moment) and the toffs-and-tiaras set (�No hugs,� bristles Eileen Atkins as Henry�s reformed-snob mother, �we�re British. We only show affection to dogs and horses�), she�s outsmarting the wicked step-relatives (Anna Chancellor and Jonathan Pryce, no doubt thinking of their pay cheques) and gawking at touristy London with her instant, cute boyfriend, complete with let�s-go-shopping montages. OK, the film is for Bynes�s teen fans but even they might squirm at the overwrought �you�ve gotta be yourself� message. It�s so predictable � guess if Daphne will reunite her parents and whether Henry will choose political office or being a dad? � that all that�s left to watch is Firth�s innate earnestness sitting uneasily in formulaic fluff and Bynes acting madcap; she�s not as adorable as the movie thinks she is.

(Evelyn)He's an artist, a perfectionist...not a masochistic predator. Why else make her pierce both ears. I think he's playing it right. I think your argumentation is right and agree, but as Dorine said, hard to judge from a still shot. (Dorine)I guess, in other words, I'd rather look at the poster or the other pics that are out. :-) The poster is all I need right now - just beautiful :-) (Janet)I give up! Please don't ever get pass this stage - it's too rewarding in the drooldepartment. Timeconsuming, yes - but worth every minute ;-) Thank you for the Trauma informations and GWAPE picture, Karen. And thank you all for the articles, news etc !

From free paper, Metro, this morning; an excerpt from www.metro.co.uk... 60 SECONDS EXTRA!: Actress Kelly Preston lived with George Clooney and then Charlie Sheen before marrying John Travolta in a Scientology service in 1991. She starred as Tom Cruise's sex-obsessed girlfriend in Jerry Maguire and with Travolta in Battlefield Earth, but took time off to have children. She returns to the screen this week in What A Girl Wants. What's the new film about? I play Libby Reynolds, an American woman who had a relationship with an English guy, Henry Dashwood [Colin Firth]. After we broke up, I found out I was pregnant, but I was so devastated I never told him. Now that my daughter, Daphne [Amanda Bynes], is a teenager, she wants to meet her father so she takes off to England to find him. I love this movie. It had such a great script and I think it has a great message. I'm a single mother in it and it says there are lots of different kinds of families out there. It's a family film but also a romantic comedy. Did you get on with Colin? I loved him. He's so English but also very mischievous and funny. There's a scene in the film where he's rocking out and playing air guitar in front of a mirror and it's hilarious. Does your husband mind you kissing your co-stars? Well, John doesn't like it. It's his least favourite thing. You have to put it into perspective though, and remember it's just work.

From the Evening Standard: Rated x (poor). DG's comedy stars a fun-size Jennifer Aniston Clone named AB who lives with her boho mother (KP) in NY's Chinatown. The two are given to trading declarations such as "I love you a million Swedish fish" and "I love you a million M&M's". But that doesn't stop the girl disappearing across the Atlantic in search of her biological father , HD - an aristocrat, played by a stuttering CF, who has renounced his title to run for parliament but is hanging on to his country estate, mysteriously located in central London. The England that Daphne explores is a divided place. On the streets everyone is either a hippie or a punk or a Rasta. Everyone in the interior scenes - all filmed in stately homes - is either a member ofthe Royal Family impersonated by a lookee-likee, a surly posh chap fixated on racial purity, or a well-known Equity face, indulging in that genteel whoring for which respected British actors assume they will be forgiven. JP, one of the chief offenders, makes it through to the end by delivering his lines in a quivery breathless voice that suggests that he is being gently fondled by someone just out of earshot. EA, conversely, gives it all she can muster. "I am British!" she booms. "We only show affection to dogs and horses". The film is firmly alllied to the former species, but it doesn't deserve a pat on the head from anyone.

Thanks for the reviews. I'm not in the least surprised by them! However, my daughter(16), her friend and my niece(13) all loved it. And they all fell for Oliver James. (I'm going to have to hide my DVD, lest it gets damaged!) So it definitely works for the audience that it is, after all, aimed at. The bonus is, that those of us to are mums or aunts, have a legitimate excuse for repeated viewing!

(Evening Standard)" a well-known Equity face, indulging in that genteel whoring for which respected British actors assume they will be forgiven. JP, one of the chief offenders, makes it through to the end by delivering his lines in a quivery breathless voice that suggests that he is being gently fondled by someone just out of earshot." ROTF. Funniest lines I've read yet.I must admit the former has always been my contention too. Thanks Allison. At least no one has said it's the worst movie they've seen this year.

(Times) I imagine it�s a scene that will come back to haunt him in years to come when he�s picking up an Olivier award. Wishful thinking if the reviewer thinks Colin's going to go back on stage. ;-D

From the Financial Times by Nigel Andrews The sense of two continents separated by a common malfunctioning of the brain is evident is What a Girl Wants. I never heard such giggling at a press show. But how else to respond to the tale of a dippily anodyne American teenager (Amanda Bynes) discovering that her father is an English peer (Colin Firth) about to shrug off his title to fight for a Commons seat? She vaults the Atlantic to meet daddy, encounters the national froideur ("No hugs, dear, I'm British," says dowager aunt Eileen Atkins), falls for a penniless guitarist (Oliver James) who seems to get gigs at every royal garden party, and falls over Prince Charles and HM the Queen, played by spitting lookalikes. Very scary.

TV Times 9-15 August Rating: 2/5 Chirpy teenage TV star Amanda Bynes plays the daughter of a wedding singer (Kelly Preston) from a 17-years-ago �marriage� to an English nobleman (Colin Firth) whose adviser (Jonathan Pryce) soon saw the �unsuitable� American off. Now Bynes is in England to hunt down Firth. There are a few good lines amid a mass of offensive (and outdated) English stereotypes and, fortunately, Eileen Atkins as Firth�s mother has them all. �No hugs,� she says. �I�m British. We only show affection to dogs and horses.�

(Times) I imagine it�s a scene that will come back to haunt him in years to come when he�s picking up an Olivier award. (Karen) Wishful thinking if the reviewer thinks Colin's going to go back on stage. ;-D I'm still wishing... (wonder where my Hamlet tix are?) (Evelyn)At least no one has said it's the worst movie they've seen this year. No, that honor seems to be going elsewhere this year...

The Herald review: With: Amanda Bynes, Colin Firth, Anna Chancellor, Jonathan Pryce, Eileen Atkins WHAT A Girl Wants takes its title from a song by Christina Aguilera, which probably counts as a kitsch retro reference as far as its target audience is concerned. Next to the film's ultra-perky teen star Amanda Bynes, Aguilera is a wrinkly old showbiz survivor whose advanced age can be calculated by the rings in her bellybutton. Bynes is a product of the voracious US "tween" culture, a movement born of the realisation that you're never too young to contribute to the swollen bank balances of squeaky-clean, manufactured role models. What A Girl Wants capitalises on the klutzy, cutesy persona Bynes has honed over almost a decade of small-screen celebrity. She plays Daphne, a kooky (ie flamboyantly annoying) 17-year-old who yearns to find her real father. In a flagrant sop to dreamy American teens that just won't work on this side of the pond, he turns out to be an aristocratic English MP (played by a suitably embarrassed-looking Colin Firth). Off she goes to the funny old UK to kick him into touch with, like, what a girl wants. Which is to cause chaos in his household, behave inappropriately at posh functions, and show everyone her midriff, shortly before calming down enough to join in the reinforcement of all his conservative (and, implicitly, Conservative) values. Oh, and to get off with an appalling, soppy English boy, whose apparent function is to remind audiences that not everyone in Britain has a title. "My parents are as poor as church mice, and they're the happiest people I know," he smugly notes, before the film returns to its feverish fetishisation of privilege and elitism. Throw in dumb tourist shots of London edited together with blithe disregard for geography, and stereotypes about the Brit mentality that would have seemed narrow and archaic in 1952, and one wonders why this is even being released over here.

This may not be the prevailing English view of WAGW, but I thought some of this writer's comments were interesting. Posted at the imdb: A Brit's view of Hollywood's view of England Perhaps I've just bought myself a one-way ticket to the Tower of London by admitting this but in fact I really loved this film. In fact, it was one of the most entertaining I've seen in months (and believe me, I see a lot of films). Okay, so some of the standard ingredients in a Hollywood view of England are present and correct. There is the obligatory tour of London taking in all the traditional sights. Then there's the use of cockney rhyming slang (apples and pears = stairs, frog and toad = road, etc, you get the picture) by the locals to establish that we are in England. Perhaps it's just me but I've never heard anyone speak like this (perhaps I should get out from the palace more). Mercifully at least in this case, having quickly established that we are in England (by the sightseeing tour and the cockneys speaking cockney), the locals then start talking normally - well at least what passes for normal in England. Most of the Brits are portrayed as being eccentric upper class and repressed or crashing patronising snobs. And yes, all the characters are portrayed in the broadest of strokes with the bad characters being irredeemably bad with no saving graces whatsoever. Poor Anna Chancellor draws the shortest of short straws as the evil stepmother-to-be (is there ever any other kind? If any oppressed minority gets a worse press than the English, it's stepmothers and stepdaughters - they're always evil). The problem here of course is that having become engaged to marry such an awful character whose appallingly bad character traits must be obvious to everyone shows exceedingly poor judgment on the part of Colin Firth's character, Henry. However, on the other hand, it does get some things right. (1) A Lord cannot be elected to the House of Commons without renouncing his title (a surprisingly small detail for a Hollywood film to get right) (2) Henry rails against the gutter press, name checking several actual British tabloid newspapers `The Sun' and `The Daily Star' (3) Jonathan Pryce's treacherous political spin doctor is named Alistair (well it made me laugh, especially as Tony B. Liar's own press secretary Alistair Campbell is big news in England at the moment for spinning stories even more fantastical and unlikely than this one) (4) Clarissa advises Daphne not to be a `plonker' (possibly the first time I've heard this word used in an American film - do Americans know what this means?) (5) Daphne's love interest is Ian Wallace (Oliver James), a young Englishman who is neither too upper crust or repressed or a forelock tugging cockney geezer. In short, a relatively normal person (also a first for a Hollywood film - Harry Potter excepted, o course). However, the one important thing which this film manages to get right is the one that many others fail at, namely, it manages to make you care about the characters. From the moment you see Daphne looking longingly at the fathers and daughters dancing together on the dance floor at the wedding at the film's beginning, you want her to find her father and after listening to her mother's story of how her romance with Henry was so cruelly ended, you want her mother, who still clearly loves Henry after all these years, get back together with him. Okay, so this is a fairy story and the ending is never really in any doubt with both the good and bad characters getting what they deserve. But then this is not a film where you want to be surprised by the way it ends. You want it to end the way you expect and you'd be disappointed with anything less than a happy ending. And while most of the characters are stereotypes, at least they are affectionately meant in the most part. Plus, and this is important, this is a supposed to be a comedy. It's okay to poke fun at national stereotypes in a comedy. It's much more unforgivable in a film purporting to be a realistic serious drama, such as the vicious church burning back stabbing baby eating one-dimensional sadists in English uniforms in `The Patriot' or the omission of any British contribution whatsoever in Spielberg's otherwise excellent `Saving Private Ryan' (shame on Robert Rodat who wrote both). Amanda Bynes, who I've only seen previously in `Big Fat Liar', is a talented actress and on the strength of this, her first lead role, she should go far and it's great to see Kelly Preston playing a goodie for once after years of playing her own share of evil bitches. Eileen Atkins, as Henry's mother, Jocelyn, is an inveterate scene stealer and gets the best line in the film `No hugs, dear. I'm English. We only show affection to dogs and horses'. But the real star here is dear old Colin Firth, an actor that I've not liked an awful lot up until now, saddled with playing a succession of unsympathetic characters - even as Mr Darcy, dare I say it - with only the other Darcy from `Bridget Jones's Diary' coming close to being likeable). Which is why I think that it's such a shame when I say that I suspect that given the type of film that this is, it is not one that Colin Firth will probably want to count as a career highlight on his c.v. But he should because as far as I'm concerned, he's never been better. The scenes where he lets loose and starts to have fun, is just a new side of him which I've never seen before (although his last film, `Hope Springs' did hint towards this change of direction for him). His best moments in the film, however, those where he says nothing at all, letting his face speak for him. And it speaks volumes. It would be a shame, therefore, if his work here gets ignored by people who see this film as a piece of disposable fluff for adolescent female teenagers.

I think that was written by his Dad ;-)

(Allison) I think that was written by his Dad ;-) Too obvious. Must be UK drooler ;-) (A Brit's view of Hollywood's view of England) Plus, and this is important, this is a supposed to be a comedy. It's okay to poke fun at national stereotypes in a comedy. It's much more unforgivable in a film purporting to be a realistic serious drama, such as the vicious church burning back stabbing baby eating one-dimensional sadists in English uniforms in `The Patriot' or the omission of any British contribution whatsoever in Spielberg's otherwise excellent `Saving Private Ryan' (shame on Robert Rodat who wrote both). How right you are, brother. MG and SS should've known better too. Don't worry, I know, in my best Jessica Rabbit voice, Brits aren't bad, they're just cast that way ;-)

I think that was written by his Dad ;-) LOL, I suspected as much. Re: Saving Private Ryan--sorry, but it's perfectly understandable to me that Steven S. focused on an American unit. Would another country's unit be out looking for an American boy to return him home? No. And the movie never implied that Americans were alone in the fight. Furthermore, do other countries make movies about American army units? No, but they might make them about their own, which again is perfectly understandable to me. Here's some nice news: The 28th annual Toronto International Film Festival has announced five more Special Presentations today, and leading the list is the latest from the man behind Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill. Director/Screenwriter Richard Curtis helms an all-star cast including Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Laura Linney, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Bill Nighy, Keira Knightley, Martine McCutcheon and Rowan Atkinson in the Special Presentation of a work-in-progress, LOVE ACTUALLY � the ultimate romantic comedy that weaves together a spectacular number of love affairs into one amazing story. The film is produced by Duncan Kenworthy and Working Title's Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner.

The Telegraph's review: What a Girl Wants PG cert, 105 mins All elements of this umpteenth teenybop Cinderella are laughably terrible: Yank princess-in-waiting Amanda Bynes, whose winsome mugging is just irritating, and, as her long-lost British dad, Colin Firth, who miraculously fails to be bad. Typecast as stiff politician Lord Henry Dashwood, Firth turns a valiantly blind eye to the double-deckers endlessly circling his massive estate, conveniently situated as it is for easy central London tourist access. (Actually, it's West Wycombe Park.) A lot more watchable than The Princess Diaries, for which the puppyishly effortful script deserves chief praise.

The Sun's review: What an audience detests WHAT A GIRL WANTS Cert PG, 105min NOW I�ve seen some real shockers while I�ve been doing this job � but I don�t think anything comes close, or will come close, to What A Girl Wants (mind you, I�ve yet to see J-Lo and Ben Affleck in Gigli). From its appalling script to its ridiculous attempts to pander to all the preconceptions the Americans have about the English (double-decker buses driving past a stately home, in the middle of London?) this is a movie that stinks. Daphne Reynolds (Amanda Bynes) lives with her Bohemian mum Libby (Kelly Preston) in New York. All her life she�s wanted to meet her estranged dad, Lord Henry Dashwood (Colin Firth) and so one day decides to head over to England to look him up. She finds him running for political office and engaged to the dodgy Glynnis (Anna Chancellor). Needless to say, her arrival changes his outlook on things and he soon reverts to his true, hedonistic self, clad in leather trousers and playing air guitar in front of his gilt-edged, full-length mirror. This does not even come into the �so bad it�s good� category. Avoid at all costs.

Hey, daddy Firth or not, they got it right... However, the one important thing which this film manages to get right is the one that many others fail at, namely, it manages to make you care about the characters. A lot more watchable than The Princess Diaries, for which the puppyishly effortful script deserves chief praise. His best moments in the film, however, those where he says nothing at all, letting his face speak for him. And it speaks volumes. I don't know about his dad, but whoever wrote this must lurk here...I think all of us at one time or another said this about Colin in this film...and others of course;-) My cup is half-full...and that's OK. Thanks Mari, Allison, and Emma.

What a Girl Wants (PG) By BBC Radio Times Based on a play by William Douglas Home and previously filmed as The Reluctant Debutante with Sandra Dee and Rex Harrison in 1958, this lightweight rom-com is as hidebound as an old corset but will no doubt delight the pre-teen market for which it was designed. This modern-day Cinderella tale begins with 17-year-old Daphne Reynolds (Amanda Bynes), the love child of an American mother (Kelly Preston) and titled Brit Henry Dashwood (Colin Firth), leaving her home in New York's Chinatown to go in search of her long-lost father. Of course, our uptight lord is ensconced within the British establishment, though he's about to give up his title to stand for the House of Commons - despite the opposition of devious adviser Jonathan Pryce. Into this stiff-upper-lipped arena comes our teenage heroine and after the usual fish-out-of-water calamities, Dashwood and Daphne learn to like as well as love each other, as in all the best father-and-daughter fantasies. Director Dennie Gordon's film has the odd moment of wit and Colin Firth brings some class to the proceedings, but otherwise this is the British portayed in a condescending American way - cute, lovable or odd.

Peter Bradshaw from The Guardian (1/5 stars) Those coprophiliacs and masochists among us - counting the days until they can see Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck in Gigli - will have to content themselves in the meanwhile with this. What can I say? It sucks; it blows; it bites; it swallows; it chokes and it dies. It's an icky daddy-daughter comedy about a bizarrely imagined tourist England that can only exist in the minds of Hollywood executives, featuring British character actors abasing themselves horribly for the money. Colin Firth plays "Lord Henry Dashwood", the son of an earl or duke presumably, at any rate a gen-yoo-wine English toff who, like Tony Benn, has renounced his hereditary peerage to stand as an MP, though for what party we are not told. [Ed note: Is this relevant?] The teen star is moon-faced muppet Amanda Bynes: a way-cool American girl who plays his secret daughter, the product of a long-lost love affair; she lives with her mom in New York and comes over to thaw his uptight Britishness with her vibrant American-ness, resulting in a creepy and unwholesome love story.

From the Evening New by Angus Wolfe Murray: SHE wants daddy. It's official. Based on the movie adaptation of William Douglas Home's theatrical hit The Reluctant Debutante - which looked out of date even before Vincente Minnelli went to shoot it in Paris in 1958, with Rex Harrison and Sandra Dee - Dennie Gordon's 2003 version resurrects the worst aspects of English class snobbery in a film that makes you squirm with embarrassment. Daphne Reynolds (Amanda Bynes, an American star of TV kids shows) has been brought up in New York by her hippy, folk-singing mom (Kelly Preston), who has never looked at another man since being dumped by her "husband" before he realised she was pregnant. His name is Lord Henry Dashwood (an uncomfortable looking Colin Firth). One day, on the spur of the moment, Daphne flies to London to check him out. He lives in a stately home with a butler, servants, a mother (Eileen Atkins) who wears gardening clothes, his bossy fiancee (Anna Chancellor) and her spoilt teenage daughter (Christine Cole). He's a politician, being groomed as the next PM by a Machiavellian agent (Jonathan Pryce), who happens to be his fiancee's father. To call him wet would underestimate his inability to make decisions. He is, in the true sense of the word, a dummy. Daphne livens things up - not difficult in the circumstances - and discovers that the upper-classes are narrow-minded, opinionated and stupid. Dad's okay, because he tries to protect her from the worst excesses of fuddyism, but goes along with the idea of presenting her to society. The film is a throwback to those dusty days when Kenneth More and Sylvia Syms - she's here, playing a Royal - were in everything. All in all, this is warmed-up Fifties tosh.

coprophiliacs I'm sorry, this is too big a word for a tween movie review. ;-)

That's not that half of it. ;-D

Thank you all for the reviews and news. Someone mentioned figuring out, what Lady Dashwood said to Daphne as they walked to the stairs at her first party. A friend suggests it to be the latin phrase "Qui patitur vincit." Perhaps it translates into something like "(He) Who suffers (or endures) conquers (or succeeds). Anyone remember their latinlessons? ;-) coprophiliacs (Dorine) I'm sorry, this is too big a word for a tween movie review. ;-) LOL (Evelyn)At least no one has said it's the worst movie they've seen this year. You knew, it had to come - didn't you? ;-) : (The Suns reviewer) NOW I�ve seen some real shockers while I�ve been doing this job � but I don�t think anything comes close, or will come close, to What A Girl Wants (mind you, I�ve yet to see J-Lo and Ben Affleck in Gigli).

mind you, I?ve yet to see J-Lo and Ben Affleck in Gigli). He'll have an anxiety attack. These reviewers take things sooooo seriously.

Ev, you spoke too soon; here's the Mirror's review: WHAT A GIRL WANTS Aug 8 2003 THE John Leslie saga, a government in crisis over the death of Dr David Kelly, Beckham's transfer to Real Madrid, Robbie Williams' concerts at Knebworth and record heatwaves. Just some of the things for which the eventful summer of 2003 will be remembered. But for me, there will always be another very special golden memory. How could I ever forget that this was when I saw the worst film ever made. Congratulations to director Dennie Gordon for delivering a "comedy" which had me in stitches for all the wrong reasons. This scarcely believable catastrophe is so relentlessly bad that it left me helpless with laughter over the sheer, stunning depth of its ineptitude. Most of the feeble action unfolds in "swinging" London, with every single street scene featuring at least two double-decker buses, a black cab, a minimum of three good old British bobbies, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and Tower Bridge. They failed to include any bowler hats or Beefeaters but I'm sure this was just an honest mistake. One assumes that eminent British thespians Colin Firth, Jonathan Pryce, Anna Chancellor and Eileen Aitkens developed a strong sense of post-industrial irony to justify their participation in an asinine movie which reduces the entire United Kingdom to nothing more than a cliched theme park. As we endure a moron's eye view of a l'il ol' England exclusively populated by pompous Lord Snooty types and Royal Family "look-alikes" who look nothing like the Royal family, the relentless stereotyping borders on racism. Based on William Douglas Home's play The Reluctant Debutante, the story revolves around unpleasantly hyperactive American barbarian Daphne Reynolds (Amanda Bynes) and her quest to be reunited with her long-lost father, Lord Henry Dashwood. I shook my head in dismay at poor Mr Firth who, after his starring role in the hopelessly unromantic non-comedy Hope Springs, has chalked up his second massive turkey of the summer

(Evelyn)These reviewers take things sooooo seriously. Having just read some of the reviews including the Mirrors, I can only agree.

I'm not going to let it get to me, I'm not. Just one comment along the lines of my post a few days ago regarding lack of creativity among the critics. How many of these reviews included the phrase "an uncomfortable looking Colin Firth"? Say what they may about the film...I don't think he looked uncomfortable at all in this role. In fact, I thought he played this part very, very well, indeed. Do these people all get together and decide beforehand what will be the catch phrase of the reviews?... My cup is still half-full...so there;-) Thanks, Mari and Karen...I think;-) (Annette's translation)"(He) Who suffers (or endures) conquers (or succeeds). ...GWAPE and LA can't come soon enough!

(Mirror) I shook my head in dismay at poor Mr Firth who, after his starring role in the hopelessly unromantic non-comedy Hope Springs, has chalked up his second massive turkey of the summer I was more afraid someone was goingt to write this. (since I knew Gigli hadn't opened there yet)

From the Independent (Charlotte O'Sullivan), one out of five stars: In What A Girl Wants , feisty US teen Daphne (Amanda Bynes) arrives in London, determined to get to know her father, Lord Henry Dashwood (Colin Firth). Thanks to his Machiavellian advisers, he and Daphne's mother (Kelly Preston) split up years before. Dashwood doesn't even know he has a child; is on the verge of seeking election as a Tory MP; oh yes, and is about to marry a bitch of a woman (Anna Chancellor), with a vicious daughter of her own. Cue hilarious results, as this pair try to get Daphne in trouble, the advisers try to decide if an illegitimate daughter is a curse or a blessing, and our heroine tries to decide who she, like, really is. Bynes has the sort of eyes that make you think of marbles colliding with a cold "chink". As for London, it's never looked more cut-and-paste. The only respite: a half-light shot of Bynes's hairy back - the one reality they couldn't tweak.

More From Screen Daily on Mari's news above (Colin the forgotten man): Love Actually gets world premiere at Toronto Jeremy Kay in Los Angeles 08 August 2003 04:00 The world premiere of Richard Curtis� romantic comedy Love Actually and North American premieres of Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu�s 21 Grams, Jim Jarmusch�s Coffee And Cigarettes and Philip Saville�s The Gospel Of John will screen as special presentations at the Toronto Film Festival. Also included is Lost In Translation, Sofia Coppola�s follow-up to the acclaimed The Virgin Suicides. The festival runs from Sept 4-13. Curtis� romantic comedy Love Actually will be presented as a work in progress and is the first directorial outing for the screenwriter of Notting Hill and Four Weddings And A Funeral. Fusing 10 love stories mostly set in London, the film features an all-star ensemble including Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman and Laura Linney. Duncan Kenworthy and Working Title�s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner produced. The drama 21 Grams is the follow-up to Inarritu�s acclaimed Amores Perros and features a red-hot cast of Naomi Watts, Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro as damaged strangers drawn together after a freak accident. The film is due to have its world premiere in Venice later this month. Jarmusch�s Coffee And Cigarettes is the feature film installment in a series of shorts begun in 1986. Cate Blanchett, Roberto Benigni, Steve Buscemi, Tom Waits and Iggy Pop play characters who reflect on mundane details of life in a series of 11 vignettes. Saville�s Gospel Of John is a three-hour contemporary version of the Biblical story narrated by Christopher Plummer and starring Henry Ian Cusick as Jesus. Saville filmed the 1997 comedy-drama Metroland in 1987. Lost In Translation, Sofia Coppola's second film after The Virgin Suicides, stars Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson as an actor and photographer�s wife respectively who befriend each other during a magical night-time encounter in Tokyo.

Whoops, hit the submit button too soon. Oliver James was interviewed on Channel 4�s RI:SE this morning. The interviewer�s name is Iain. I�m only reporting on the part referring to YKW. Iain: Now, Colin Firth co-starred in the film. Was it daunting with him? How did you break the ice? OJ: We watched the World Cup together actually, because when we were filing, it was the World Cup last year. He�s a nice guy. Iain: Is he all right? OH: Yes. He�s too charming really. I was learning to play the guitar because, of course, my character is a musician and he just picked it up and he could do these amazing jazz riffs (???) or he would sit down at the piano and play a concerto and have all these, like, funny quips.

Christopher Tookey, Daily Mail Verdict: I think they owe us rather a large apology Rating: One turkey �How to succeed in society by being really trying� Once or twice a year there comes along a movie that�s so atrocious it�s a hoot. What a Girl Wants, an inept rip-off of The Princess Diaries puts the �Duh! back in Cinderella. It�s a hilariously stupid American tourist�s eye view of modern Britain. The teen heroine is a sparky, relentlessly cheerful New Yorker called Daphne (Amanda Bynes) who falls over a lot, bangs her head and generally behaves in a way that is mean to indicate to us that she�s either a lovable free spirit or incurably brain-damaged. Like any good American teenager of the Bush era, she dreams of meeting her Tony Blair, I mean Prince Charming � that�s Lord Henry Dashwood (Colin Firth), a dashing British peer who doesn�t know he�s Daphne�s dad. This is because his evil spin-doctor (Jonathan Pryce, slumming again) broke up Lord Henry�s marriage to Daphne�s mother, Libby (Kelly Preston), by telling her that Henry suddenly didn�t want her and she must leave the country, then assuring Henry that Libby had done a runner and wouldn�t see him any more. I know, I know. You�re wondering why (a) neither Lord Henry nor Libby checked the veracity of the spin-doctor, and (b) why Libby, who�s so hard up that now she�s a wedding singer, didn�t sue Lord Henry for millions of pounds in alimony and child support. All I can say is: hey, I�m reporting this stuff, not writing it. Poor deserted Daphne has no designs on Lord Henry�s fortune. It�s more of a spiritual need to meet her dad. �I feel like half of me is missing,� she complains, and she doesn�t mean her brain-cells. So Daphne flies off to London, but her timing is unfortunate. Lord Henry has just given up his seat in the Lords to pursue a supposedly glittering career in the Commons as Tory candidate. He�s stinking rich with a country estate slap in he heart of London � and, get this, he has the Metropolitan police guarding his front gate. Mind you, Daphne outwits the police easily by scaling a wall � one of the few concessions to realism in the entire movie. Lord Henry also has a scheming fianc�e (Anna Chancellor, reprising her Duckface from Four Weddings, but mixing in a little Wicked Witch of the West). Lord Henry�s initial reaction to the revelation that he has a daughter is to look severely constipated. Then he worries about the impact on his political reputation. Daphne makes her way in top English society, and even charms the Royal Family � of which she is apparently an instant member (39th in succession to the throne, no less). She scandalises the British by wearing jeans (apparently we haven�t seen these garments before). She pushes a Hooray Henry into the water at the Henley Regatta (serves him right for calling the lower orders peasants). She even does the unimaginably un-British thing of dancing to loud rock music which � horror! � causes a chandelier to break. According to the movie, this ranks as front-page headline news in the Daily Telegraph, much to the spluttering amusement of its critic, sitting immediately behind me. Daphne tries heroically to conform to the English way of doing things in, say, the Fifties (and I mean of course the 1850s), and predictably starts losing her identity as an utterly conventional modern teenager. With each new social gaffe by his daughter, Lord Henry�s ratings in the opinion polls plummet � how nice to see an American movie with so keen an insight into the judgmental ultra-conservatism of the British electorate. But don�t worry � it all turns out well in the end, as long as you don�t expect the teenagers to grow up. What happens instead is that the adults become more juvenile to make the teenagers feel at ease. In a scene of excruciating embarrassment, Colin Firth even squeezes himself into tight leather trousers and plays air guitar. It�s as cringeworthy as Tony Blair trying to et matey with schoolchildren around the time of a General Election. This moronic piece of hokum, distantly related to a creaky old play by William Douglas Home (filmed in 1958 as The Reluctant Debutante), may conceivably appeal to extremely na�ve young girls in the Midwest of America, with a desire to be princesses in the British Royal Family, as long as it doesn�t involve marrying Prince Charles. It�s ideally suited to the sort of young women who talk to their friends on cellphones during the boring bits of other movies. For anyone more sensitive or sophisticated, it�s an exasperating insight into the way the British are seen in America. Hot on the trail of the appalling Hope Springs, this is the second stinker in a row by Colin Firth, who eventually repents of his character�s exaggerated Englishness and tells Daphne�s mum: �I think I owe you rather a large apology.� Not half as large an apology as you owe us, Colin.

I think I owe you rather a large apology.� Not half as large an apology as you owe us, Colin. And you thought he should have shown up at the premiere? ;-) I just hope he earned a very large amount for this

(Tookey) According to the movie, this ranks as front-page headline news in the Daily Telegraph, much to the spluttering amusement of its critic, sitting immediately behind me. LOL! This is good. Hot on the trail of the appalling Hope Springs, this is the second stinker in a row by Colin Firth, who eventually repents of his character�s exaggerated Englishness and tells Daphne�s mum: �I think I owe you rather a large apology.� Not half as large an apology as you owe us, Colin. This is bad. :-(

(Tookey) According to the movie, this ranks as front-page headline news in the Daily Telegraph, much to the spluttering amusement of its critic, sitting immediately behind me. (Karen)LOL! This is good. Hot on the trail of the appalling Hope Springs, this is the second stinker in a row by Colin Firth, who eventually repents of his character�s exaggerated Englishness and tells Daphne�s mum: �I think I owe you rather a large apology.� Not half as large an apology as you owe us, Colin. (Karen)This is bad. :-( I thought just the same reading the review. It's a comfort though to have GWAPE and LA to look forward to. If they are half as good as we hope them to be - it could perhaps be the "apology" the critics ask for. Fortunately some people like the movies, well - WAGW anyway ;-) I think the critics focus a lot on the British/American angle. Being neither, I do not have a problem with this at all. I still think the movie delivers, what Colin called it to be: A fairytale! Some like fairytales (including me) and some don't - end of story :-)

(Mari) I know, IMO, he looks even better in this than in BJD! If anyone wants to join me in a good old-fashioned drool session, BYOB (Bring Your Own Bucket) and let's do it! I agree with you Mari. IMO he looks even better than Mark. I can't take my eyes off him. I thoroughly enjoy this film. My cup is full, regardless of what the critics say. I am sensitive and sophisticated and this movie made me happy. That's what counts to me. I thought Colin was great, I'm sure no challenge for him, but he produced. As of this morning my Blocbuster was completely out of WAGW for rental had only a handful of DVD's left and two videos left, one of which I purchased in addition to my DVD earlier in the week for bedroom use as I have no DVD player there. Henry rocks my world. The store clerk commented on how popular this movie was. I told him I was in it for the Dad. He's so hot. The clerk laughed and said I was not alone as so many "older" women had bought this movie. So I told him now he knew why. I really hope he's in for a percentage of the video take. He may be very much surprised. Talk about the American perspective of the Bitish, that critic has obviously never interviewe an American mid-west teen. Talk about pre-conceived notions. I can see where CF may not feel it worthy as far as dramatic skills, but for what it was meant to be it was perfect and so was he. Henry rocks.

Fairy tales do not equal concessions to realism . (Annette) I still think the movie delivers, what Colin called it to be: A fairytale! Did they trash The Princess Diaries, too? Because you know, teenagers finding out they're princesses of tiny countries is right up there on the "Happens every day" meter. ;-) And need I mention James Bond. Not half as large an apology as you owe us, Colin. (Karen)This is bad. :-( Yeah, ouch! (Oliver James) he would sit down at the piano and play a concerto Colin plays the piano? I knew the guitar. You learn something new everyday.

A&E is re-airing P&P once again, on August 15 and 16. Looks like two 3-hour chunks. Aishling, I was wondering when you'd post that Mail review from Evelyn's favorite critic.;-) (Tookey)it�s an exasperating insight into the way the British are seen in America. No, just a very narrow slice of it. Does *every* movie have to represent a full cross-section of the society in which it takes place? Or is it ever ok to set a film within a narrow segment? I bet these critics just loved Dirty Pretty Things, in which immigrants and asylum seekers sell body organs to survive in London. That is no more "representative" than WAGW, yet it's apparently ok because that's "edgy" and therefore somehow desirable because it shows a very ugly side of life which is what the critics seem to like, to the exclusion of all else. Re: fairty tales, which this is most definitely intended to be. Ever notice how boys' fairy tales (as seen in the comic book adaptations such as Spider Man, The Hulk, X-Men, and even LOTR) are acceptable no matter how outlandish, but girls' fairly tales (finding your dad, getting your parents back together, finding a cute boyfriend, etc.) are trivialized and ridiculed?

(Mari) Ever notice how boys' fairy tales (as seen in the comic book adaptations...) are acceptable no matter how outlandish, but girls' fairly tales (finding your dad, getting your parents back together, finding a cute boyfriend, etc.) are trivialized and ridiculed? Hon, that's one of my all-time fav rant topics. Am considering a book on the subject. ;-D I too love happily-ever-after and romantic comedies...if they're done well.

(Mari)Re: fairty tales, which this is most definitely intended to be. Ever notice how boys' fairy tales (as seen in the comic book adaptations such as Spider Man, The Hulk, X-Men, and even LOTR) are acceptable no matter how outlandish, but girls' fairly tales (finding your dad, getting your parents back together, finding a cute boyfriend, etc.) are trivialized and ridiculed? So very true! And ties in with: (Dorine)And need I mention James Bond. This also seems to be the case with women writers of all sorts and has po'd me off for a very long time. Alice Walker *and* Toni Morrison have gotten the same poop for their *slices* and have been criticized for their negative portrayals of African American men. Women of all races and stripes are consigned to genres (or genders as Bridget would say;-)) Men simply get to be directors, writers, producers etc. Ok, that's my rant. I still think WAGW is a cute film for what it is and I heard parents and kids say that they enjoyed it each time I went to see it.

Our paper had a blurb about WAGW on its release to DVD. Not exactly glowing, but it seemed a smidge more positive and cheered me up a bit after reading the slamming in the British press. I love what they choose to focus on in the very short synopsis. ;-) "WHAT A GIRL WANTS" (PG)/ Grade=C A watery Cinderella tale that never fails to live down your expectations. When someone needs a new dress, you know there's going to be one of those let's-go-shopping montages. What you don't expect to see is Colin Firth wearing leather pants and a muscle shirt. Then again, you don't expect to see the reliably charming Firth slumming in a "Princess Diaries" knockoff starring Nickelodeon poster girl Amanda Bynes. The DVD includes a commentary track, deleted scenes and fashion information.

With each new social gaffe by his daughter, Lord Henry�s ratings in the opinion polls plummet how nice to see an American movie with so keen an insight into the judgmental ultra-conservatism of the British electorate.. Oh, I guess the British electorate is immune to scandal hurting ratings in the opinion polls. Guess that just happens in middle America...Give Me A Break! Again, what do these people think they are reviewing? This is a family film fergodsake. It's a wonder with reviews like these that anyone in the UK ever goes to the movies...IMO...they're over the top.

OK, only time for a very small rant. How can a remake of a movie which was made originally in 1958 be described as "an inept ripoff of 'The Princess Diaries'" and "a 'Princess Diaries' knockoff" if 'The Princess Diaries' was made only two years ago??? This sort of inept ripoff of a critique really torques my jaw. Perhaps these critics are like chickens, and wake up in a new world every day, with nothing older than a couple of years able to be retained in memory... 'nuff said.

A watery Cinderella tale that never fails to live down your expectations. When someone needs a new dress, you know there's going to be one of those let's-go-shopping montages. What you don't expect to see is Colin Firth wearing leather pants and a muscle shirt. Then again, you don't expect to see the reliably charming Firth slumming in a "Princess Diaries" knockoff starring Nickelodeon poster girl Amanda Bynes. This sounds vaguely familiar, as if they took it from a previous review (and more than likely did) and just added a blurb about the DVD.

Here's the DVD review from Thursday's Philadelphia Inquirer. I see it's gone out on the wires which means other smaller papers will pick it up for use. 'What a Girl Wants' Starring: Amanda Bynes, Colin Firth, Kelly Preston, Oliver James Former Nickelodeon star Bynes stars in a remake of "The Reluctant Debutante" as an American love child in search of her British aristocrat father. Though it's ostensibly designed for young girls and teens, it's more likely to please their mothers as Firth, the thinking man's Hugh Grant, steals the picture as Lord Dashwood. Jonathan Pryce and Eileen Atkins co-star. Bynes provides audio commentary, and the DVD offers features on the movie's fashion sense.

(Philadelphia Enq.) Firth, the thinking man's Hugh Grant Wan't it the thinking woman's Hugh Grant in the original review though? :)

Normally I don't do this, but here's someone who's excited to see WAGW in England: ;-D my name is __________ and i am 15 years old (16 in a month!) yippee!. i checked out your website, because i am 100% in love with colin firth, from the age of six, when i first saw him in pride and prejudice. p and p is my favorite video, espcially the bit where colin jumps in the water. he's really cool as well in bridget jones diary, and so fitt! i cant wait til next friday when me and my boyfriend ____ go to see his new film, what a girl wants, i reckon that is going to be such a cool film. anyway i'm from birmigham, and live with my mom, dad, and two dumb no brains older brothers _____ and _____. just to say what a fab, wikid website you have and thanks for the cute pictures of colin firth. love from ________

I bet these critics just loved Dirty Pretty Things, in which immigrants and asylum seekers sell body organs to survive in London. That is no more "representative" than WAGW, yet it's apparently ok because that's "edgy" and therefore somehow desirable because it shows a very ugly side of life which is what the critics seem to like, to the exclusion of all else. (Mari) Re: fairty tales, which this is most definitely intended to be. Ever notice how boys' fairy tales (as seen in the comic book adaptations such as Spider Man, The Hulk, X-Men, and even LOTR) are acceptable no matter how outlandish, but girls' fairly tales (finding your dad, getting your parents back together, finding a cute boyfriend, etc.) are trivialized and ridiculed (Mari) You've put into words exactly what I was thinking! Two excellent points, Mari. I've stopped reading film reviews by British critics.

Anybody know about a two-page article, with photos, in today's Daily Express?

Oliver James' interview on TV via Aishling)... Iain: Is he[CF] all right? OH: Yes. He?s too charming really. I was learning to play the guitar because, of course, my character is a musician and he just picked it up and he could do these amazing jazz riffs (???) or he would sit down at the piano and play a concerto and have all these, like, funny quips. Knew he played the guitar, but didn't know he played the piano. I think DM journalist-slug wrote that review *before* he saw the movie.

(Mari) Re: fairty tales, which this is most definitely intended to be. Ever notice how boys' fairy tales (as seen in the comic book adaptations such as Spider Man, The Hulk, X-Men, and even LOTR) are acceptable no matter how outlandish, but girls' fairly tales (finding your dad, getting your parents back together, finding a cute boyfriend, etc.) are trivialized and ridiculed So true, so true Mari. It's still a man's/boy's world no matter how far we've come. I feel as you do. This movie is truly a fairy tale for young girls, and women who want the Dad ;-) never professed to be anything else. So I feel the Colin bashing by the British Press is definitely unfounded. I loved this movie, thought it one of the best of its gendre and he was fantastic. Could it be I am more intelligent than all these esteemed critics? ;-) Would they be bashing him if he was a voice in a cartoon? And so many really big stars are doing them. They don't get bashed or told they're doing something beneath them. IMO this movie is the same thing. Meant for children and me and to be fun, nothing more. They are taking themselves way to seriously and I sincerely hope Colin is laughing at them all the way to the bank.

(Pam)They are taking themselves way to seriously and I sincerely hope Colin is laughing at them all the way to the bank. Me too, Being British, I'm sure Colin knows exactly what the critics are like. I don't think he chooses roles based on what he thinks the critics will like. I like the Philadelphia Inquirer review of the DVD, thanks Mari...and thanks Karen for posting that note from our young lady from the UK;-)

And, finally, from Philip French in Sunday's Observer: According to Sigmund Freud, 'the great question that has never been answered' is: 'What does a woman want?' Freud, who turned down a lucrative Hollywood offer from Samuel Goldwyn, would not have been satisfied by What a Girl Wants, a remake of the William Douglas Home play, The Reluctant Debutante, first filmed by Vincente Minnelli in 1958. The 17-year-old Amanda Bynes, leader of America's current posse of 'tween-queens', stars as Daphne Reynolds, who comes to London in search of her father, Lord Henry Dashwood (Colin Firth), future Prime Minister. He doesn't know of her existence. Her mother, the love of his life, was an American hippie (Kelly Preston) with whom he went through a Bedouin form of marriage in Morocco, though she advises her daughter: 'Getting to know someone just because you share the same DNA isn't the answer.' Apart from this popular use of DNA, little effort has gone into updating Home's play and most of the film's notions about English snobbishness and American egalitarianism are identical with those already stale in pre-Swinging London. Daphne disrupts starchy parties, pushes a toff into the Thames during the Henley regatta, falls into Prince Charles's lap at the Royal Fashion Show, and gets a debs' ball rocking with the help of a British singer (Oliver James), who's been refused a place in the upper classes because his mother married beneath her. 'No hugs please, I'm British,' says her aristocratic grandmother (Eileen Atkins ), but concedes that 'You Rock!' One feels sorry for Atkins, Firth, Jonathan Pryce and other British actors having to demean themselves playing second fiddle to the tiresome Amanda Bynes in such trash. Slightly more amusing and less offensive is the animated comedy Rugrats Go Wild, this week's other American film, a product of Nickelodeon, the TV company of which Amanda Bynes is a major star....

Amazingly, the Sunday Telegraph (female reviewer) has a good review, for WAGW. "If you can cope with all the... (cliches) and with the pronounced incestual undertones - Rex Harrison was in his fifties when he did this sort of thing in The Reluctant Debutante but Firth is still very much a romantic lead - then WAGW is a surprisingly good bet. This girl wants a sequel." I'm sure the other reviews (male) will be awful!

Someone in my family has walked off with the Culture Section of the Sunday Times but from memory, after the usual damning review, he writes something along the lines of: "But this is not a film meant for cynical middle aged film critics such as myself but for preteen American girls who want to marry Prince William". Perhaps someone else can post the proper version.

(bethan's reprise of the telegraph) "(...) pronounced incestual undertones" ah ! my thoughts exactly (cf. spoilers section)... ddon't have much time right now, but would like to elaborate further on the "what's a preteen movie" topic now that we are joined by the uk brigades : maybe @ spoilers ???

Go right ahead @ spoilers

"If you can cope with all the... (cliches) and with the pronounced incestual undertones You have got to be kidding me. Blast!

Update on LA release date for North America and MPAA rating for US: And in what is possibly the strangest release pattern of the year, Richard Curtis's "Love Actually" will sneak in select major markets on November 8, then open on 150-175 screens on November 14, followed by a second round of sneak previews in 800 theatres of November 22 and a wide expansion release into 1800 theatres on November 26. Love Actually (Universal): R for sexuality, nudity and language

Actually that's a pretty interesting and potentially smart idea to platform it (though in an odd way), especially with the Matrix Re-whatever and that Russell Crowe movie coming out within the same couple of weeks, I think. I was concerned about that. LA may be counterprogramming, but it still could get lost in the shuffle. And isn't LOTR - The Quest for an End out around that time, too?

You'd think a review that was kind to Colin would stick out in my mind, ;-D but I can't remember if this has been posted. From zreview: [Plot recap paragraph] The American dream of finding out that you have a rich, unknown relative that will make all of your dreams come true, is bought to the screen again in an extremely sickly sweet and sentimental way. A remake of the 1958 movie �The Reluctant Debutant� starring Rex Hamilton and Sandra Lee, this is just The Princess Diaries all over again. Girl discovers she is related to a rich aristocrat, in this case a Lord not a King, but her American upbringing, while adding street smarts and the joy of all things modern, makes it difficult for her to become accustomed to the pomp and circumstance associated with more civilised society. You get the picture and you know she is going to change him and they�ll live happily ever after. It does have its good points. Amanda Bynes, from TVs The Amanda Show and Big Fat Liar, shows that she is an upcoming teenage actress that has enough personally to make a good screen lead. She is charming, personable and nice meaning that you can�t help liking her endearing qualities. Colin Firth is nicely cast as her reluctant father, as he bungles his way through parenting for the first time. Anna Chancellor is also good as the prospective wicked stepmother. What lets the movie down is the sugar coated, overly sentimental ending that you could see coming from a mile away. While the movie was always destined to end this way, it would have been nice for some inkling of originality to have crept in their. Also, the supporting cast is very underdeveloped. Jonathan Pryce�s Alistair Payne is extremely underwritten and a waste of a talented actor. Kelly Preston is only in the movie for about ten minutes and Oliver James looks like a reject from a boy band which a really posh accent. What a Girl Wants is as sugar coated a teenage �chick-flick� as you could get. While the performances from Amanda Bynes and Colin Firth are good, you just end up wishing that they could have chosen a better film to star together in as this is decidingly average. Star Rating = * * http://www.thezreview.co.uk/reviews/w/whatagirlwants.htm

OH: Yes. He?s too charming really. I was learning to play the guitar because, of course, my character is a musician and he just picked it up and he could do these amazing jazz riffs (???) or he would sit down at the piano and play a concerto and have all these, like, funny quips. (Evelyn) Knew he played the guitar, but didn't know he played the piano. I think I knew that. It came up in an interview at some point. He seemed to be doing his own playing, however briefly, in RV (or was JN's brother doing the playing?) I loved this movie, thought it one of the best of its genre and he was fantastic. Could it be I am more intelligent than all these esteemed critics? ;-) Of course you are. You're here, aren't you? so what if we could all see the ending from a mile off. It's still an enjoyable movie, and HD looks great. (Sunday Telegraph reviewer) This girl wants a sequel." I don't think so. There's nowhere to go with that--it would be a feature-lenght sitcom. This girl will be happy to just watch WAGW again. The release pattern for LA is odd. I can understand starting small, waiting for word-of-mouth and then widening. But sneak--sorta wide--sneak again--wider? Who's the US distributor?

(Evelyn) Knew he played the guitar, but didn't know he played the piano. I think I knew that. It came up in an interview at some point. He seemed to be doing his own playing, however briefly, in RV (or was JN's brother doing the playing?) Didn't he play the piano in PM? I know he did something on the Piano....;-)

The LA distributor here is Universal. I think they're being very creative with the release pattern. November/December is such a crowded time of year movie-wise, and it's a marketing challenge to make your film stand out. They're clearly confident that this will get great word-of-mouth and good critical reviews in the major cities. They'll use both to market it when it goes wide at month-end.

(Beedee)Didn't he play the piano in PM? I know he did something on the Piano....;-) Naughty, naughty Beedee! ;-) Was that really CF playing the piano? I am impressed (though he does have perfect hands for a musician...

(Beedee)Didn't he play the piano in PM? I know he did something on the Piano....;-) Yes he did play musically, among other things on the piano. And I also recall reading something about him playing in RV, although can't confirm it.

Jennifer played the piano in P&P too and she can't strike a note. Don't be misled by musical accomplishments on film. I was impressed that he played off camera; a concerto no less;-) First I heard of it, anyway.

Thanks Karen...I do remember reading that bit about Oliver James, but thank goodness for an almost upbeat one;-)

(Evelyn)I was impressed that he played off camera; a concerto no less;-) First I heard of it, anyway. Me too, to both statements, that is ;-) According to the credits, another bloke played the piano in RV. (Beedee)Didn't he play the piano in PM? I know he did something on the Piano....;-) (Shoshana) Naughty, naughty Beedee! ;-) Not to bring a Playmaker discussion back to life, but I think most of us like what little there is to like in this movie, for just this part ;-P (and perhaps ......... ;-)) (LInda)Thanks Karen...I do remember reading that bit about Oliver James, but thank goodness for an almost upbeat one;-) I'll thank you too. I still think Oliver James is rather cute and plays his part very well. Perhaps he has picked something up from "The Master" ;-)

Box office for the weekend: 6 - What a Girl Wants $352,347 - 250 screens - $1,409/avg -- $352,347 cume

Perhaps some will take solace in this: ;-D Heatwave melts UK box office takings The UK box office was hit over the weekend by a heatwave which saw the country record its hottest ever temperature on Sunday. Many films saw their earnings drop substantially week-on-week, including last week�s leader Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines, which fell 55%. Total box office was notably 13% down week-on-week and 7% down against the same weekend last year. The leader at this weekend�s box office, BVI�s Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl, still took a healthy $6.1m (�3.8m) from 452 sites, including $891,053 (�553,344) on Thursday - its official opening day - from 379 sites. While a strong result, the well-reviewed action adventure may well have performed better had the climate been cooler. However, the extreme heat of Sunday may in fact have driven audiences to seek out the air-conditioning of cinemas. Bizarrely, Sunday was the highest earning day of the weekend with $5.2m (�3.2m) taken across the country compared to Friday�s $4.4m (�2.7m) and Saturday�s $4.9m (�3m). Sunday was also Pirates� highest earning day of the weekend. One explanation of the Sunday rise may have been the addition of UIP�s American Pie: The Wedding which previewed that day only (see separate ScreenDaily.com story) to good numbers - suggesting whatever the weather UIP can expect a hit with the comedy next weekend. Sunday was 17% up on the same day last weekend (Aug 3) and 12% up on the equivalent Sunday last year (Aug 11, 2002).