YOUR HIGHNESS
Pineapple Express co-stars Danny McBride and James Franco reunite for director David Gordon Green's fantasy comedy Your Highness, which sends up such beloved '80s gems as Krull and The Sword and the Sorcerer. Thadeous (McBride) has always stood in the shadow of his older brother, Fabious (Franco), a fearless knight who never met a Minotaur he couldn't slay or a warlord he couldn't defeat. Meanwhile, as Fabious embarked on incredible adventures and returned home to lavish celebrations, Thadeous puffed on wizard's weed, and spent his nights in the company of loose maidens. But Thadeous' life of luxury comes to an abrupt end when powerful wizard Leezar (Justin Theroux) shows up and abducts Fabious' beautiful fiancée, Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel). Now threatened with being cut off from the family fortune by his father, the king (Charles Dance), Thadeous reluctantly agrees to join Fabious on a treacherous quest to rescue the fair maiden, and defeat Leezar once and for all. Their voyage to rescue Belladonna will be marked by incredible adventure and unprecedented danger, but together with the help of a fearless warrior named Isabel (Natalie Portman) the two brothers will battle mythical beasts and villainous knights. Meanwhile, as Isabel carries out a clandestine agenda that could place them all in greater danger than they ever imagined, Thadeous struggles to summon his inner warrior and help his noble brother prevent Leezar from using his powers to usher in a terrifying new age of darkness. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Director: David Gordon Green
Cast: Danny R. McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman, Rasmus Hardiker, Zooey Deschanel
Release Date: Apr 08, 2011
Rated R for some drug use, pervasive language, violence, nudity and strong crude sexual content
Runtime: 1 hr. 42 min.
Genres: Action/Adventure, Comedy
Review:
Kenny Powers in King Arthur’s Court aka Your Highness should be a slam dunk of a film. A cast of fine actors and actresses with the director that brought us Pineapple Express yet it hits the screen with the comedic punch of a wet napkin. Green directs the film with capable hands and the actors are all committed their roles but the film fails mainly because of the script. That in of itself is a bit of a shock because McBride co authored the script and somehow forgot to include the funny. It’s seems more interested in the fantasy part and ignored a bevy of tropes from the genre that are ripe for jokes. Occasionally it finds a sweet spot and provides the kind of laughs it should have as a whole. Sadly, those moments are few and far between with the last act sustaining for the longest time. As mentioned the cast is all game with a radiant Natalie Portman showing off some strong comedic muscle. The ending is terribly abrupt even if it leaves the door open for a sequel. If there is one, I hope it delivers a much stronger script.
C-
