MOVIE: Your Highness [comedy, fantasy]
Your Highness
Directed by: David Gordon Green
Starring: Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman
Rating: R (for language, imagery, etc)
Storyline from Universal: Throughout history, tales of chivalry have burnished the legends of brave, handsome knights who rescue fair damsels, slay dragons and conquer evil. But behind many a hero is a good-for-nothing younger brother trying just to stay out of the way of those dragons, evil and trouble in general. As two princes on a daring mission to save their land, they must rescue the heir apparent’s fiancée before their kingdom is destroyed. Thadeous (McBride) has spent his life watching his perfect older brother Fabious (Franco) embark upon valiant journeys and win the hearts of his people. Tired of being passed over for adventure, adoration and the throne, he’s settled for a life of wizard’s weed, hard booze and easy maidens. But when Fabious’ bride-to-be, Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel), gets kidnapped by the evil wizard Leezar (Justin Theroux), the king gives his deadbeat son an ultimatum: Man up and help rescue her or get cut off…
It’s very sad that this movie did not do better in theaters or with audiences, but I think that might have been due to some misplaced marketing. Seeing the trailers on TV, I was kind of expecting it to be set in the Middle Ages and to be kind of an adventure thing with knights and going off to save the maiden fair. Though, considering the casting, I realized it would contain some rude humor. So basically Hot Tub Time Machine in a medieval setting.
Instead, I was pleasantly surprised by the great costuming (Zooey Deschanel as Belladonna had the greatest dresses) and setting and the actually pretty awesome special effects. There were some f-words and rude humor, sure, but if I ever found myself in some of those situations, that’s exactly how I would talk too.
If you like DragonLance type adventuring, you’d probably find this movie perking your interest. It was kind of a cross between Willow/Labyrinth/PineappleExpress and is actually a lot more than just some “stoner movie” as one reviewer called it.
The story is actually very original and the world it’s set on is not Earth in the past–or so I deduced from the two moons. The characters each had their own personalities and didn’t fit into the typical fantasy type-casting of “mage, barbarian, or bad guy.” This was simply a great popcorn movie with lots of one-liners and visual humor paired with some great questing that isn’t just the typical rip off of Lord of the Rings.
From the opening credits of this movie, I was laughing. I enjoyed it thoroughly from beginning to end and I’m looking forward to watching it again and again. I’m fully planning on buying a copy of my own.
What it reminds me of: Krull, Willow, Pineapple Express, Let’s Go to Prison.
Quotables:
[Fabious is bitten by a snake in the thigh ]
Courtney: SHIT!
Fabious: You have to suck out the venom!
Thadeous: I don’t want to suck it, you suck it!
Fabious: I can’t suck my own venom!
Thadeous: Yes you can! I’ll help you!
[pushes Fabious’s head down]
Thadeous: Suck it! Suck your venom!
Fabious: I can’t reach it with my mouth!
Thadeous: Courtney, suck the venom!
Courtney: But I’ve never…
Thadeous: [pushes Courtney’s head down] SUCK IT!
Isabel: I must surprise a band of thieves and burn them alive in a symphony of shrieks
[the brothers get high]
Fabious: [holding his head] Thadeous, are you seeing what I’m seeing?
Thadeous: [calmly] You making a fool of yourself. Handle your shit, Fabious, please.
Leezar: I’m here to steal a beautiful virgin that looks just. Like. Her.
Fabious: And how do you plan to do that?
Leezar: Magic.
[cracks neck]
Leezar: Motherfucker.
Thadeous: Not so fast, trickster.
Isabel: Hello, Thadeous.
Thadeous: The time for pleasantries is through; do you feel that tiny prick in your back?
Isabel: Is that your cock?
Thadeous: Ha! It is a knife but I’ll gladly penetrate you with it.