Grace di Monaco
Directed by:
Olivier DahanScreenplay:
Arash AmelCinematography:
Eric GautierCast:
Nicole Kidman, Tim Roth, Milo Ventimiglia, Parker Posey, Paz Vega, Frank Langella, Derek Jacobi, Geraldine Somerville, Robert Lindsay, Nicholas Farrell (more)Plots(1)
Set in 1962, six years after her celebrated Wedding of the Century, Grace of Monaco is an intimate snapshot of a year in the life of the twentieth century's most iconic Princess - Grace Kelly - as she strived to reconcile her past and her present, a yearning for a return to the big screen with her newfound role as a mother of two, monarch of a European principality and wife to Prince Ranier III. While contemplating overtures from Alfred Hitchcock to return to her career in Hollywood, Grace found herself plunged into a personal crisis when Rainier's modernization of an ailing Monaco was halted by Charles de Gaulle - the French President - and his attempts to not only impose French taxation on Monaco, but reclaim the principality for France by force. Grace of Monaco is a real-life fairytale, a sweeping romance, a portrait of the cinematic legend of Princess Grace and a realization that love is much more than a passion, but an obligation. (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment)
(more)Reviews (3)
A biography of a Hollywood legend, portrayed by a Hollywood star, with the ambitions of a TV adaption of a Harlequin
novel. Basically nothing about this movie is good. The usually excellent Nicole Kidman fails to impress, while the experienced
actors Frank Langella and Derek Jacobi have only meager roles, the handling of the political problem is not engaging and the
production, strangled by the film’s low budget, is only capable of offering the audience cheap, empty kitsch. As much as
the opening poetic scene of the film is nice and promising, the last one, following the failed portrayal of a dignified
conflict between kindness and power politics, is completely ludicrous.
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It's good to approach Grace of Monaco from the perspective of a Nicole Kidman film, because you'll enjoy it even more after that than if you were a die hard Grace Kelly fan. It's all very Nicole-centric which is perfectly fine, because if the point is Grace coming to terms with her new role in life, it's impossible to overlook the performer of this great transformation. I also appreciate Paz Vega in the role of Maria Callas, who herself is also the subject of her own biographies, and she easily shines alongside Nicole/Grace. Ironically, Grace of Monaco is not about Hollywood or Monaco, but is "just" another great story of a strong woman whose life story helped the modern age become truly modern.
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This is a movie where the creators themselves probably didn't really know what they wanted to tell, so they also included a bit of espionage, psychological drama, political drama, and human drama. Simply put, there is too much going on and nothing really works properly. And nothing against Nicole, but she simply isn't Grace. An empty movie that screams its message until it's no longer beautiful.
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