What a Girl Wants
REVIEWS
From View London, August 2003:
Fluffy, silly and packed with the usual London clich? this is still surprisingly good fun, thanks to a sparkling performance by Amanda Bynes. /.../ All the usual London clichés are present and correct, the most laughable being that Dashwood supposedly lives in a vast country mansion that is handily situated in central London, a mere stone's throw from Buckingham Palace. In fact, the film is slightly obsessed with the Royal family, as the Queen and Princes Charles, Harry and William (or rather, their lookalikes) all make appearances for Comedy Purposes/.../ With that in mind, it's still an enjoyable piece of fluff, largely thanks to Bynes herself, who gives a spirited, funny performance and should be a big star in the future. /.../ The supporting cast are equally good. Firth can do this sort of thing in his sleep, but he genuinely puts the effort in and clearly enjoys the scenes where he gets to loosen up a bit. There's also good support from newcomer Oliver James, who plays Daphne's love interest.
From the Shadows On The Wall:
There's a hint of serious subtext running beneath the surface that just about makes this ludicrous comedy bearable. Otherwise, it's contrived and over-sweetened but still adequately entertaining. /.../ The entire plot is apparent within about five minutes of the opening credits, so the only fun to have is in the way they get there. Alas, the plot itself isn't remotely original, relying on terribly British cliches (London Calling on the soundtrack, again.) and corny situations where even a tiny bit of creativity and intelligence would have made it so much better. Fortunately, the performances are good, and Firth is especially solid as a man confronted with his past in a rather shocking way. His scenes with Bynes are excellent, and give the film a real heart, as do Bynes' scenes with Preston, who adds some weight to the normally throwaway wacky-mom role. But essentially what we have here is another cute romantic fantasy aimed at 13-year-old girls and no one else (see also the much-worse The Princess Diaries). And on that level it's a triumph.
From the London Times:
COLIN FIRTH does not have the face of a happy man. It settles naturally into an expression of vague discomfort as if it has just noticed something with the potential to ruin his day. And he looks more uncomfortable than ever in What a Girl Wants, a sticky-sweet Cinderella story that requires him to don leather trousers and play air guitar. I imagine it's a scene that will come back to haunt him in years to come when he's picking up an Olivier award.
Loosely inspired by William Douglas-Home's 1956 West End hit The Reluctant Debutante (filmed two years later with Rex Harrison and Sandra Dee), this is a star vehicle for Amanda Bynes, whose Tigger-like perkiness on the Nickelodeon children's channel has made her a star among American pre-and-barely-teens. /.../ OK, the film is for Bynes's teen fans but even they might squirm at the overwrought "you've gotta be yourself" message. It's so predictable - guess if Daphne will reunite her parents and whether Henry will choose political office or being a dad? - that all that's left to watch is Firth's innate earnestness sitting uneasily in formulaic fluff and Bynes acting madcap; she's not as adorable as the movie thinks she is.
From the San Diego Union Tribune:
If there is an adult excuse to chew the taffy, beyond the need to escape news from Iraq, it is not for the plug-in charms of old pros like Eileen Atkins and Jonathan Pryce. It is Colin Firth. Watching Firth mumble and flubber and fidget with adorable sincerity, you wonder if he took some priestly vow of serious acting. He works through his jokey squiggles of emotion, even his 'air guitar' dance in leather from Dashwood's youth, as if he were being loyal to Chekhov or the Oscar Wilde of 'De Profundis.' It is Firth, and the spread of British sites, sights, speech and clipped wit (plus some dorky stuff) that keep What a Girl Wants bearably amusing. It is all a lot closer to Cyndi 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun' Lauper than to Sigmund 'What do women want?' Freud. Poor old Freud, stuck in a pre-Firth era, never did answer his question.
From the Premiere Magazine REVIEW:
As for Firth, he picks up where his splendid portrayal in Bridget Jones's Diary left off. Once again, he expertly presents a dry exterior that hides a tender, searching heart."
From the Houston Chronicle REVIEW:
Of course, any cast with Firth has built-in charm. Flustered but entranced by his daughter's appearance, his Henry is thrown lovably off-balance. Though devoted to aristocratic duty, at heart he's a guy who loves rock 'n' roll, Coca Puffs and motorcycles. Just like Queen Latifah enlivening Steve Martin in Bringing Down the House, Bynes unleashes Firth's inner party animal. That's epitomized by a hilarious scene in which he dons leather pants to play air guitar before a mirror.
