Your Highness
| Your Highness | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | David Gordon Green |
| Produced by | Scott Stuber Jon Mone Danny McBride Mark Huffam Andrew Z. Davis |
| Written by | Danny McBride Ben Best |
| Starring | Danny McBride James Franco Natalie Portman Zooey Deschanel |
| Music by | Steve Jablonsky |
| Cinematography | Tim Orr |
| Editing by | Craig Alpert |
| Studio | Stuber Productions |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) |
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| Running time | 102 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $50 million[1] |
| Box office | $24,856,478[2] |
Your Highness is a 2011 American fantasy stoner comedy film from director David Gordon Green of the stoner film comedy Pineapple Express, starring Pineapple leads Danny McBride and James Franco, with Natalie Portman and Zooey Deschanel. Written by McBride and Ben Best, the film was released on April 8, 2011.[3] The film was unsuccessful at the box office, grossing $26 million worldwide on a budget of $50 million and was panned by critics.
It is a blend of genres with the sword and sorcery quest adventure combined with stoner film profanity and lowbrow humor.
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Plot[edit]
Thadeous and Fabious (Danny McBride and James Franco) are sons of King Tallious (Charles Dance). They are warriors: Fabious is dashing and skilled and Thadeous is lazy and ineffectual. While celebrating his latest victory over the evil sorcerer, Leezar (Justin Theroux), who has been ravaging Tallious's kingdom, Fabious introduces the virgin Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel) whom he freed from a tower and wishes to marry. Though his brother makes him the best man, Thadeous skips the wedding after overhearing Fabious's Knights Elite, led by Boremont (Damian Lewis), talk about him negatively. The wedding is then crashed by Leezar, who reveals himself to be the one who placed Belladona in the tower. Leezar re-kidnaps Belladona and flees. Returning to the castle with his servant Courtney (Rasmus Hardiker), Thadeous is forced into joining Fabious on his quest to rescue Belladonna.
Visiting the Great Wise Wizard, Thadeous and Fabious learn that Leezar is attempting to fulfill a prophecy of a warlock having sex with a maiden when the two moons converge, impregnating her with a dragon that will allow him to take over King Tallious' kingdom. To destroy Leezar, they are given a magic compass that would lead them to the Blade of Unicorn, located within a labyrinth. On the way there, they learn Fabious's slave, Julie (Toby Jones) has been reporting to Leezar of their progress and that the Knights Elite are serving the warlock. Fabious sends his mechanical bird Simon to tell the king of the betrayal by the Knights Elite and request reinforcements. Then Thadeous, Fabious and Courtney are captured by nymphs under their leader, Marteetee (John Fricker), who imprisons them at an arena, where Fabious kills off Marteetee's finest warrior. In retaliation, Marteetee summons a hydra-like monster to kill them.
Thadeous and Fabious are rescued by Isabel (Natalie Portman), a warrior seeking revenge for her father's murder at Marteetee's hands. Later that night, Thadeous learns that Isabel is also after Leezar for the slaughter of her brothers. The next day, the party learns too late that Isabel stole the compass from Thadeous. Fabious decides to find the Blade of Unicorn alone as Thadeous and Courtney go to a tavern, where they find Isabel and steal the compass back. But finding that his brother has been captured by Leezar's men, Thadeous wins Isabel over as they join forces, entering the labyrinth where they encounter a minotaur. After becoming separated from the others, Thadeous retrieves the Blade of Unicorn and slays the minotaur. Thadeous and his group make their way to Leezar's castle and free Fabious, giving him the Sword of Unicorn. As the others kill off Julie, Boremont's men, and Leezar's three witches, Fabious uses the Blade of Unicorn to end Leezar's life before he can rape Belladonna, saving the kingdom.
After their victory, Isabel leaves for another quest, and the heroes return home. Fabious and Belladonna marry. Thadeous is approached by Isabel, who reveals that she has fallen in love with him. However, for them to have sex, he must first slay the witch that cast a spell on her, locking her in a chastity belt. Though he is not in the mood to go out, Isabel's suggestion convinces him to go on a new adventure.
Cast[edit]
- Danny McBride as Prince Thadeous
- James Franco as Prince Fabious
- Rasmus Hardiker as Courtney
- Natalie Portman as Isabel
- Zooey Deschanel as Belladonna
- Justin Theroux as Leezar
- Toby Jones as Julie
- Damian Lewis as Boremont
- Simon Farnaby as Manious the Bold
- Deobia Oparei as Thundarian
- Charles Dance as King Tallious
- Matyelok Gibbs, Angela Pleasence and Anna Barry as Leezar's Mothers (Helinda, Sariah and Marlyne)
- John Fricker as Marteetee
Production[edit]
Filming began in the summer of 2009 in Northern Ireland and concluded in October 2009.[4]
Marketing[edit]
A red-band trailer for the movie was released on IGN and Funny or Die.[5] On December 21, 2010, a green-band trailer was released online,[6] and shown before Little Fockers and The Dilemma.[citation needed] On March 23, 2011, a second red band trailer was released.[7]
Reception[edit]
Your Highness received many negative reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, with an approval rating of 26% based on 159 reviews.[8] While critics praised Natalie Portman's performance, they disliked Danny McBride and the film's reliance on curse words as humor. Roger Ebert gave the film one star out of four; Ebert likened the film to a "juvenile excrescence".[9] Entertainment Weekly gave it a C+, with Natalie Portman favorably reviewed as "fierce and funny as a babe warrior...good with dirty words".[10] The L.A. Times noted the "uneven but fun sword-and-sandals sendup...is at its best when it's at its silliest", while the lowbrow humor is "sometimes witless and sometimes winning comedy...begins with grade-school-level graffiti being scrawled across storybook pages and goes up and down from there. Still, the fun can be infectious...a farce within a farce...tawdry tale of the bothered and bewildered Kingdom of Mourne".[11]
David Edelstein of the New York magazine gave a favorable review, describing the film as "a cunning weave of low and high".[12] Yahoo! described the "Raunchy Sex Comedy Wrapped Up in a Noble Quest" as "overall, sets and scenery were fantastic and photography was incredible...a juvenile, puerile piece of foolishness wrapped up as a Period Piece...more in common with 'American Pie' than it did to 'Lord of the Rings'.[13]
Your Highness was named "Worst Film of the Year" at the Houston Film Critics Society Awards 2011.[14]
References[edit]
- ^ Kaufman, Amy (April 7, 2011). "Movie Projector: With 'Hop' and 'Arthur,' Russell Brand should top box office". Los Angeles Times. company Town. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
- ^ "Your Highness". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
- ^ Release dates for Your Highness. IMDb. Retrieved August 23, 2009.
- ^ How Danny McBride will tweak fantasy in Your Highness, with Natalie Portman. Blastr. Retrieved August 23, 2009.
- ^ Jonathan Sullivan (November 16, 2010). "David Gordon Green’s ‘Your Highness’ Red Band Trailer". thefilmstage.com. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
- ^ Jordan Raup (December 21, 2010). "‘Your Highness’ Theatrical Trailer & Poster". thefilmstage.com. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
- ^ "Another Red Band 'Your Highness' Trailer Reveals More Nudity & Dirtier Natalie Portman". Thefilmstage.com. Retrieved 2013-01-07.
- ^ "Your Highness (2011)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 8, 2011.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (April 6, 2011). "Your Highness". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved April 8, 2011.
- ^ "Your Highness Review - James Franco, Natalie Portman Review". Retrieved 2013-01-07.
- ^ "'Your Highness': movie review". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2013-01-07.
- ^ Edelstein, David (April 7, 2011). "Movie Review: Your Highness Is Bad Taste Done Right". New York. Retrieved April 8, 2011.
- ^ ""Your Highness" Review: A Raunchy Sex Comedy Wrapped Up in a Noble Quest Movie". Retrieved 2013-01-07.
- ^ Marmaduke, Lauren (2011-12-14). "The Houston Film Critics Society's Best (and Worst) of 2011". Houston Press. Retrieved 2013-03-31.
External links[edit]
- Official website
- Your Highness at AllRovi
- Your Highness at Box Office Mojo
- Your Highness at the Internet Movie Database
- Your Highness at Metacritic
- Your Highness at Rotten Tomatoes
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