Royal Faceoff review by The Grim Ringler
If anyone filmmakers have my respect
it’s the ones that make movies just because they love to make movies. These
people, from the most to least talented, are at least making movies with
passion and spirit. These are the people who make movies against all odds and
because they simply have stories to tell. Royal Faceoff feels like one
of those films. Unlike a lot of independent films these days, Royal Faceoff
forgoes horror and indie kitsch comedy and aims directly for the family film
market, a market that seems perfect for this film.
Diana is a cute teenager with an
impossible dream – to have the Queen of England removed from all the world’s
coinage. Diana got this crazy notion while in a Civics class in high school,
where her teacher, a relative to President Truman, gave her students the task
of taking on a project to change the world. Diana takes this project to heart
and, seeing how much of the world’s money has the Queen’s face on it, she
decides to start an internet campaign to dethrone the royal matriarch from the
money. Things go remarkably well after Diana sets up a website with an online
petition about the money it appears that she’s not alone in wanting new money.
Her dream is to have cultural icons imprinted on the coinage so that the
countries have a better feeling of ownership for their own money. Not everyone
is happy with her plan though, as Diana begins to get some threatening emails
from people who strongly disagree with her stance. Her family, very supportive
of her campaign at first, begins to think that it’s time to stop while she’s
ahead. Diana insists that these emails are the proof that she’s on to something
big here, that her idea is important. Her parents reluctantly agree but are
still worried. When a man claiming to be royalty in Britain tells Diana he has
something that could help her gain victory in her cause, she is skeptical but
when the man is able to prove himself, she suddenly has a powerful ally and a
way to win her cause. In order to change things though Diana must travel to
England and confront the queen and plead her case, something she’s willing to
do, but may not be ready to do. But is England ready for her?
A cute comedy that seems tailor made
for families, there is a lot to like in Royal Faceoff. The lead actress
is very good in the role and brings a lot of energy to the film. The cast,
while offering varying levels of skill, is all into the film and seems to give
it everything they have. The movie is well directed, and has a simple charm
that fits with the genre.
The big issue I had with the film
was the length – it just felt a little long for a movie that’s audience seems
to be families and kids. Things bog down a little and I think the film could be
tightened a little. The opening theme song I had a problem with as well. It’s
funny, but funny because it’s so silly (a rap song about the movie) and runs so
long that it wears out its welcome. The song can work, I think that it just
need not have the vocals over the entirety of the opening credits.
Royal Faceoff is a clever
movie, to be sure, and one I think that would fit perfectly for the family
market. There are some funny bits, as well as some terribly corny ones, but
there is a lot of heart in this film. Heck, even the director shows off his
acting chops here and he ain’t bad. I get the feeling too that this may not be
the last adventure Miss Diana gets her family involved in, and if it can build
from this film, I wouldn’t mind that at all.
…c…
6 out of 10 Jackasses blog comments powered by Disqus
