What a Girl Wants (film)

What a Girl Wants
Original theatrical poster
Directed by Dennie Gordon
Produced by
Written by
Based on The Reluctant Debutante
by William Douglas-Home
Starring
Music by Rupert Gregson-Williams
Cinematography Andrew Dunn
Edited by Charles McClelland
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • April 4, 2003 (2003-04-04)
Running time
 105 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $25 million[1]
Box office $50.7 million[1]

What a Girl Wants is a 2003 American teen comedy film directed by Dennie Gordon and written by Jenny Bicks and Elizabeth Chandler, based on the 1955 play The Reluctant Debutante by William Douglas-Home,[2] the second adaptation for the screen of this work. It stars Amanda Bynes, Colin Firth, Kelly Preston, and Oliver James. The film was released on April 4, 2003, received mixed reviews and grossed $50 million worldwide.

Plot

Daphne Reynolds lives a comfortable but unsatisfying life as a young American girl with a bright future. She has never met her father. She lives with her single mother, Libby, above a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown, New York City. Believing it to be in his best interest, her mother had left Daphne's father seventeen years earlier because of his family's disapproval of their relationship; ultimately, his father's manager threw her out of the house, without Libby having a chance to tell him that she was pregnant with their daughter.

Daphne flies to London to get to know her father, Lord Henry Dashwood, who recently inherited an Earldom but has disclaimed his seat in the House of Lords to run for election to the House of Commons, hoping eventually to become Prime Minister, with the backing of Alistair Payne, his fiancee's father. At a hotel, she meets Ian Wallace, a local boy. She notices her father on the television during a news broadcast, and tells Ian that the politician is her father.

When Henry is informed of the existence of the daughter he never knew existed, he embraces the opportunity to connect with her at the urging of his mother Jocelyn. Her appearance causes a controversy that endangers his political ambitions. Daphne tries to win the acceptance of her father's social circle but is repeatedly thwarted by his snobby, gold-digging fiancée, Glynnis Payne, and equally snobby step-daughter-to-be, Clarissa Payne.

Daphne has to ward off the advances of Armistead Stewart, a sleazy upper-class boy whom Clarissa fancies. In the end, Daphne ends up throwing him into the Thames at the Henley Regatta when he tries to kiss her.

After Daphne's behavior (and Henry's subsequent misbehavior with her) catches the public eye, Henry's political campaign suffers. He reminds her of the Dashwood lineage and asks her to assume a more dignified manner. To please her father and his social circle, she abandons her old style and dons an upper-class sophisticated look, and is noted in the British newspapers.

Due to Daphne not being true to herself, Ian is disappointed and leaves when they were supposed to go to a concert which she has forgotten about. During the coming-out party hosted by her father, she overhears Alastair talking to Glynnis about having "got rid of" Daphne's mother seventeen years ago, and how he thought he would have to do the same thing with Daphne. After Daphne tries to confront him, Glynnis grabs Daphne and locks her up. Glynnis then asks the band's lead singer, Ian, to announce the father–daughter dance. Glynnis, knowing that Daphne is locked up, uses this as a ploy to get Henry to dance with Clarissa. Libby rescues Daphne, but it is too late; Daphne witnesses Henry dancing with Clarissa. Daphne rejects her new self because it is not who she is. She returns to America and resumes working as a waitress. Henry announces in an election meeting that he is no longer going to pursue his political career. On the steps on his way out, he discovers that Alastair knew about Libby's pregnancy. Henry punches Alastair in the face for concealing Daphne's existence. He then breaks off his engagement to Glynnis.

Daphne is serving at a wedding in America, and the father–daughter dance begins. She thinks of Henry and what she left behind, and just then, Henry shows up by boat after a flight from London. After Daphne asks him what he's doing there, Henry informs her that, while on the plane, he wrote down something that he had to tell her at least two hundred times, but is unable to find the papers. He then says that he loves her for who she is and "wouldn't change one hair on [her] head". Daphne, overjoyed, accepts his love and, instead of calling him Henry, refers to him as "Dad".

She finally gets the father–daughter dance she has been longing for her whole life, while Libby watches. Realizing that he still loves Libby, Henry informs Daphne that he has "a rather large present" for her. Ian appears and cuts in. As he and Daphne dance, Henry goes to see Libby. He apologizes to her; Libby accepts his apology and they kiss.

In the epilogue, Glynnis gets married to a wealthy nobleman and Clarissa marries Armistead (who still has a wandering eye). Alastair has become a tour guide in London. Libby and Henry are married in a Bedouin ceremony; this time they make sure it is legal. Daphne gets into Oxford. As the credits begin to roll, Daphne, Ian, Henry, Libby, and Jocelyn have a family meal outside Dashwood Manor.

Cast

  • Amanda Bynes as Daphne Reynolds (later Lady Daphne Dashwood), the daughter of Henry Dashwood and Libby Reynolds.
    • Soleil McGhee as Young Daphne.
    • Ella Desmond Oakley as Baby Daphne.
  • Colin Firth as Henry Dashwood, the Earl of Wycombe and Daphne's long-lost father.
  • Kelly Preston as Libby Reynolds (later the Countess of Wycombe), Daphne's mother who works as a wedding singer.
  • Oliver James as Ian Wallace, Daphne's love interest in England.
  • Eileen Atkins as Jocelyn Dashwood, the Dowager Countess of Wycombe who is Henry's mother and Daphne's long-lost grandmother.
  • Jonathan Pryce as Alistair Payne, Henry's manager who is the father of Glynnis Payne and the grandfather of Clarissa Payne.
  • Anna Chancellor as Glynnis Payne, the gold-digging daughter of Alistair Payne, the mother of Clarissa Payne, and the fiancée of Henry.
  • Christina Cole as Clarissa Payne, the daughter of Glynnis Payne and the granddaughter of Alistair Payne.
  • Sylvia Syms as Princess Charlotte.
  • James Green as Percy, Henry and Jocelyn's butler.
  • Tara Summers as Noelle.
  • Ben Scholfield as Armistead Stuart, a sleezy upperclass boy with a wandering eye.
  • Roger Ashton-Griffiths as Lord Orwood, the father of Peach and Pear Orwood.
  • Cassie Powney as The Hon. Peach Orwood, the twin sister of Pear Orwood.
  • Connie Powney as The Hon. Pear Orwood, the twin sister of Peach Orwood.
  • Peter Reeves as Sir John Dashwood.
  • Peter Hugo as Prince Charles.
  • Matthew Turpin as Prince William.
  • Chris Castle as Prince Harry.
  • Stephanie Lane as Fiona.
  • Nita Mistry as Girl in Hostel.
  • Elizabeth Richard as Queen Elizabeth II.

Release

Critical response

What a Girl Wants received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 35% based on 104 reviews, with an average rating of 5.4/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Little girls will definitely enjoy it, but it's too syrupy and predictable for adults."[3] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 41 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

The San Francisco Chronicle called it a "dreadful teen comedy."[4] The Village Voice described the film as "a sanitized adventure for the Mary Kate-and-Ashley set."[5]

Box office

In its opening weekend, the film grossed $11.4 million in 2,964 theaters in the [United States and Canada, ranking #2 at the box office behind fellow newcomer Phone Booth ($15 million). By the end of its run, the film had grossed $36.1 million domestically and $14.6 million internationally, totaling $50.7 million worldwide.[1]

Promotion

Before the US release of the film, print advertisements were altered to remove the peace sign that Bynes was giving in the poster. A rep for Warner Bros. explained "'In a time of war, we made a slight alteration so that we could avoid any potential political statement in a completely nonpolitical film."[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "What a Girl Wants (2003)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
  2. ↑ First line of closing credits: based on the play "The Reluctant Debutante" by WILLIAM DOUGLAS HOME (sic)
  3. ↑ "What a Girl Wants". Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  4. ↑ Guthman, Edward (April 4, 2003). "Film Clips". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  5. ↑ Kamenetz, Anya (April 8, 2003). "Film". The Village Voice. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  6. ↑ Ascher-Walsh, Rebecca (April 11, 2003). "Sign of the Times". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
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