Review: Your Highness

Dir. DAVID GORDON GREEN
United States
102 Minutes
2011

From David Gordon Green, the director of Pineapple Express and All the Real Girls, comes Your Highness; a fantasy ‘buddy comedy’ starring James Franco and Eastbound & Down‘s Danny McBride. The story is about the stark contrast between two sons of King Tallious in the The Kingdom of Mourne. Fabious (Franco) is the model son and alpha male where as Thadeous (McBride) is the younger, lethargic prodigal son. Despite the difference in quality and personality, their relationship is amicable. That is until they go on a quest to retrieve Fabious’ bride Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel) from her capture Lezaar (Justin Theroux), much to the dislike of Thadeous. Along their journey, Thadeous and Fabious come across Isabelle (Natalie Portman) and Thadeous immediately becomes more interested in showing his prowess as a warrior in an attempt to impress her. The aloof Thadeous effortlessly brings grave perils upon himself and his band, much to the disdain of his companions who eventually part ways. This magically allows Thadeous to develop altruistic qualities to which he continues on this quest despite his initial disinterest to save his brother and his bride to be, the kingdom and the greater good of humanity.

The predictable plot was more of a play off of mythical tales like The Lord of the Rings in the same vain as Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail, The Princess Bride, and Robin Hood: Men in Tights. The film is so absurd that the need to suspend your disbelief is irrelevant due to it being a fantasy tale with a heavy dose of toilet humour. Do not be fooled by its fairytale facade however, as this film is not at all suitable for children. Unless, of course, we’re talking about the adults who have a very childish sense of humour, and in that case, Your Highness will provide some great comedic moments that are sure to have you rolling on the floor in laughter.

With a rather large budget, upwards of fifty million dollars, Your Highness has a very strong production value with much of those funds allocated to sets, props, and special effects. In fact, in terms of the over look of the film, it is definitely one of the best within the medieval spoof sub-genre, and can even be compared to the likes of The Lord of the Rings. Considering this film is catered to young adults, from seniors in high school to grown men who’s sense of humour hasn’t changed since then, it’s hard to doubt the film’s success in retaining its initial investment, especially with the star powers of Natalie Portman. and James Franco. However, the main attraction is definitely Danny McBride, who has developed quite the following with his style of comedy and now a leading role. If you haven’t seen him yet, Your Highness would be a great place to start, but consider yourself warned, you may be offended.

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Vakeesh Velummylum

Television Editor

Films are far more than an escape for me, it is the most expressive medium of art. It contains many permutations and combination of possibilities and I like to examine it all with a fine tooth comb and see how well they bind together. So with much enthusiasm I share with you this keen interest.

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