Your Highness

Starring: Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman, Zooey Deschanel, Rasmus Hardiker, Toby Jones, Justin Theroux, Charles Dance, Damian Lewis
Directed by: David Gordon Green
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Adventure, Fantasy
2011

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: When a warrior prince's (James Franco) bride (Zooey Deschanel) is kidnapped by an evil wizard (Justin Theroux), he teams with his brother (Danny McBride) and a mysterious stranger (Natalie Portman) to win her back.

Review:

Tim: Although this movie looked stupid, I had decent-sized hopes for it. Director David Gordon Green was responsible for Pineapple Express, which is a hilarious movie, and this film returns two of the stars of that film, Danny McBride and James Franco. Throw in a strong supporting cast, and you have the makings of another comedy hit, right? Wrong. Your Highness was one of the stupidest, unfunny, awful movies I have seen in quite some time. It was a pathetic attempt at humor and I pretty much hated the entire film.

I spent most of the movie in a state of bemusement. I couldn't understand what the actors found funny in the script and why it attracted real talent like Natalie Portman and Toby Jones. I've heard that much of the dialogue was unscripted, and the movie unfolds as such. It feels a complete mess of a film. There are so many stupid lines delivered that weren't funny, and were awkwardly embarrassing for the actors. I couldn't believe how stupid the entire film felt. The idea at the heart of the movie was terrific- a medieval comedy, with all the raunchy sex jokes and contemporary swear words you'd find in a modern comedy. It sounds like a perfect match, but the writers (including Danny McBride) penned a weak, idiotic script. They forgot to make the movie funny.

It's hard to judge the cast because their characters are so undeveloped and awful. Danny McBride's character was unrelentingly annoying. He probably had the most funny lines, which isn't saying much in a film all too short on the comedy. James Franco added nothing to the film. His performance was boring and uninteresting. He made no difference to this film at all. I was embarassed for Natalie Portman. She delivers some awful lines with very good acting ability, but her whole role seemed woefully miscast. Was she good in the film? Of course- she's a talented actress. Did she add much to her pathetic character? Nope. Zooey Deschanel has almost nothing to do, and felt completely wasted. Toby Jones had a few funny moments, but not many. Rasmus Hardiker actually was funnier than most, and I liked his character to a certain extent. Justin Theroux was way too over-the-top. The cast as a whole was pretty bad, but at least part of it is because of the lame script.

Your Highness is just such an enormous miss. The film isn't funny, the story is boring and absurd, and the characters are mostly unlikable. Comedy is certainly hard to pull off, and this film proves how difficult it can be. The script is at the heart of the problem, but Green as the director bears a good deal of responsibility for this mess as well. I've seen some really bad movies in 2011, but this one ranks right near the bottom. Shame on everyone involved with this disaster.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 3



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Pineapple Express