Queen Elizabeth II has had quite the week recently. Her Majesty has just become a great grandmother for the second time just a few days before another film based upon the events in her life has been released for her subjects’ viewing pleasure.
This time, however, we won’t be seeing her in a sombre mood like what was portrayed by Meryl Streep in 'The Queen'. Going in a completely opposite-but-still-fictional direction is the light-hearted romantic comedy 'A Royal Night Out'.
Based on a true story, 'A Royal Night Out' is about the events of the evening of V.E (Victory in Europe) Day in 1945, the night the Nazis' campaign of hate was thwarted. Wanting to celebrate the end of this dark period with the rest of the country, the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret (played by Sarah Gadon and Bel Powley, respectively) are allowed to leave the palace gates for the evening by their parents (Rupert Everett and Emily Watson). Because not much is known about exactly what happened that night, with the only person still alive to tell the tale being Queen Elizabeth II, the producers of the film took a number of liberties for the purposes of entertainment, and have turned it into a sort of Olsen Twins/ rom-com romp. The Princesses escape from a party arranged by their parents, along with the guards chaperoning them, to mingle with the crowds and going incognito to lessen the burden of their titles. This leads to Elizabeth and Margaret being separated due to the latter’s lack of control when it comes to partying (a reputation that she had for the remainder of her life), with Elizabeth having to chase her through such London landmarks as Trafalgar Square to a brothel in Soho. Elizabeth is assisted by Jack (Jack Reynor), a young soldier who has just come back from the war completely distrustful of those in the upper classes, and together they go from one hijinks to another, milking as much humour as they can from the future Queen of England being involved in such situations.
While not the sort of film I go out of my way to see, I found myself not cringing throughout it like I normally would with those sickeningly sweet romantic comedies that a parasite like Ashton Kutcher would use as a host to attach himself to. 'A Royal Night Out' had the same amount of sweetness that a chocolate bar has: just enough to satisfy a sweet tooth craving. It was very different to see the Royal Family portrayed in a comedic feature, as the public have been conditioned to view them in a serious light thanks to dramas such as 'The Queen' and 'The King’s Speech'. Much of the humour within the film is mostly from fish-out-of-water scenarios where the Princesses were shown as being out of touch with the modern world due to quite literally being locked away in a tower; including their very authentic plum-voices being at odds with the working class accent; or unknowingly talking ‘shop’ with prostitutes. While the humour can come across as cheap, Bel Powley’s portrayal of Princess Margaret manages to save it with her innocent doe-eyes and unawareness drawing many laughs.
The takeaway message of the film is very obvious throughout: while the working class people may not have much money, they are richer in morals than those higher up. This is repeated quite a lot throughout and is far from subliminal, feeling more forceful than the advances towards Margaret of one very predatory officer.
'A Royal Night Out' isn’t a film that attracts strong feelings of like or dislike. It doesn’t have the same impact as 'The Queen' or 'The King’s Speech', but it doesn’t have the cringe-worthy, tabloid-feel of 'Diana'. It just seems to exist in the same place that films like 'Notting Hill' occupy: a happy film for people who want to relax, but with an added touch of class.
Two and a half tiaras (one for Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret each, and a little one for Princess Charlotte).
