Title: Prince Charming
Stars: Christina Applegate, Martin
Short, Andrea Martin, Billy Connolly, Bernadette Peters, and Sean Maguire
Writer: Doug Palau
Director: Allan Arkush
Running Time: 91 minutes without
commercials
Media: TNT Original Television Motion
Picture (NTSC VHS Screener)
World Premiere Sunday, July 13, 2003,
at 8pm (ET/PT)
Network: Turner Network Television
(Check your local cable/satellite listings for channel)
TV Rating: TV-PG-DLS
Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera
Turner Network Television and Hallmark
Entertainment Productions has teamed up once again to produce a modern retake of
the classic romantic fantasy that still manages to stay true to its fairytale
roots - “Prince Charming.” Prince John (Sean Maguire) is a young handsome
man who is supposed to participate in an arranged marriage with the Princess of
the neighboring kingdom to bring peace to his father’s realm. Unfortunately
John has a weakness for the damsels and after a romp with a one in distress in
the bell tower, he and his teacher Rodney (Martin Short), an aspiring magician
who was supposed to look out for John are subjected to “frogging” and are
transformed into frogs for all eternity, or until the Prince can convince a
maiden not only to kiss him but also to marry him. Five hundred years later,
John and Rodney are accidentally transported to New York’s Central Park. Soon
they are finally restored by chance to their human forms and take residence in
the Belvedere Castle while trying to cope with a world of full of taxis,
skyscrapers, graffiti, and 21st century damsels in the form of
streetwise Kate (Christina Applegate), who has captured John’s heart, but
unfortunately is not the woman he kissed. In order to break the curse forever,
he must convince a Margo (Bernadette Peters), a Broadway diva who bought him
back to human form, to marry him.
When I first saw the materials that
accompanied this advanced screener I was skeptical because I thought in my mind,
“oh not another butchered story to fit in modern times…” However I was
pleasantly surprised that while the film takes liberties from the fairytale, it
remains true to the soul and as a result is a heartwarming TV movie the whole
family can enjoy. Martin Short is quite endearing as the aspiring magician and
squire to Prince John. While the sequences where we see the characters as CGI
animated talking frogs look a little too fake even for television, there is
something funny about hearing Short’s voice come from an animated character
and while I’m not sure if this was intentional or just my own imagination, but
it seemed in one short scene Short’s frog counterpart began to dance just
briefly reminiscent of The WB network’s signature top hat frog mascot.
Christina Applegate is still quite stunning to behold even as a Central Park
horse and buggy driver, and the supporting roles from Bernadette Peters, Andrea
Martin, and Billy Connolly service the TV film just fine. “Prince Charming”
was executive produced by Robert Halmi, Sr. and Robert Halmi, Jr. and was
directed by Alan Arkush.
Prince Charming will make its World
Premiere on Sunday, July 13, 2003, at 8pm (ET/PT) with encores as follows:
(All
Times ET/PT)
Sunday,
July 13, 2003, at 10pm
Sunday,
July 13, 2003, at 12am
Thursday,
July 17, 2003, at 9pm
Friday,
July 18, 2003, at 10:30pm
Saturday,
July 19, 22003, at 12am
Wednesday,
July 23, 2003, at 11pm
Saturday,
July 26, 2003, at 9:30am
© Copyright 2003 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.