“What A Girl Wants” (Warner Brothers)
Audiences who loved “The Princess Diaries” are going to go crazy over “What A Girl Wants.” This movie has an even cuter lead star, Amanda Bynes, and a plot designed to enthrall young girls of all ages. It is all about a young girl’s longing for her never known father, and how she dreams he will find her and her mother and make things alright again. Now who can resist a heart tugger like that
Daphne Reynolds (Bynes) and her mother Libby (Kelly Preston) live in New York. Daphne’s father, Lord Henry Dashwood (Colin Firth), lives in London. Henry and Libby separated soon after their whirlwind marriage and he has never been told he has a daughter. But Daphne knows about him and longs to see him.
When she is seventeen she jumps on a plane and flies off for London. Once there she is befriended by a musician named Ian (Oliver James). He encourages her to stick around and meet her father. She does this by climbing over the gate at his estate and knocking on his door, in a manner of speaking.
Henry is pretty excited to find out he has a daughter. His fiance’ (Anna Chancellor) and her snobby daughter (Christina Cole) are not. Neither is Henry’s assistant Alistair Payne (Jonathan Pryce) who was the person responsible for breaking Henry and Libby up.
The film deals with Daphne trying to adjust to London, and with London trying to adjust to her. With Bynes using her considerable talents and charms, this is a very pleasant way to spend two hours. Throw in a likeable Colin Firth and a tender Kelly Preston and you have movie magic.
Eileen Atkins is an added treat as Henry’s mother. The interplay between her and Bynes makes up some of the best parts of the movie. They play well off each other.
The film is rated PG for some mild profanity.
“What A Girl Wants” is what audiences want and need in these days of war and turbulence. It is a pretty little fairy tale, which has all the charm of a “Cinderella” story. Young girls and their fathers should flock to it.
I scored “What A Girl Wants” a longed for 7 out of 10.
©2003 Jackie K. Cooper
