First off, Diana is not as bad as some critics have made it out to be. I mean I did see The Counselor last week so I’m still more scarred from that disaster. The idea of seeing the way Diana lived the last two year of her life was a good one, however the script in which they told her story for it, was not.
The film begins on that tragic Paris night, at the Ritz Hotel. As Diana (Naomi Watts), her lover at the time, Dodi Fayed, and a small security detail enter the elevator to leave after dinner. We watch through a security camera as they go down the elevator in silence. We know what is about to happen next but we don’t see it. Instead the movie rewinds two years before her death. Princess Diana is separated from Charles and living in Kensington Palace.
While visiting a friend in the hospital she encounters, Hasnat Khan (Naveen Andrews), to whom she gets an immediate attraction too. “The most beautiful thing she has seen,” to put it in her own words. He seems to have barely noticed her, making Diana want him more. Sound like a Rom-Com yet? Thus begins the infamous secret love affair with the Pakistani heart surgeon. From that point on we have an almost cliché romantic comedy, filled with break ups and makes up. Diana is portrayed more like a desperate teenager who will stop at nothing (even stalker procedures) to get the man she wants. And like she says in the film, “I’m a princess and I always get what I want.” Yes, she actually said that, but sadly that was not the corniest line.
Like any good rom-com, when the couple breaks up for good, the girl must breakdown. Time to party, meet a new guy, and make sure it is all photographed so your ex can get jealous.
It is too bad the film was focusing primarily on her love story with Khan. The best parts of the movie are when we get to see Diana do all her charitable work. Including the actions she took to support the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.
On a good note, Naomi Watts did a great job. She looked so much like Diana. Watts wears a prosthetic nose, and works eagerly to capture Diana’s modest expressions and body language. And she nails it! It is just too bad she could not have been given a more powerful script. As for Naveen Andrews, he might have done better if the real Hasnat would have been involved in the making of this film. Instead, he seemed more confused about how he should feel about her in this movie than I did.
Diana has its entertaining moments and could be a guilty pleasure for some, but it might not have been the best way to bring back the memory of Princess Di.
Rated PG-13 for brief strong language, some sensuality and smoking.
Diana hits theaters November 1st.
Originally posted on RedCarpetCrash.com
To say Baggage Claim is a cliche romantic comedy is an understatement. This film is so predictable that you can figure out how it is going to end within the first five minutes. That being said, it is still a cute film with a relevantly good message. “The magic isn’t in the getting married, it’s in the staying married.” With the rush to get married these days and the soon after divorces, it is nice to see a film express how important it is to know and love yourself first before sharing your life with someone else. But other than that message and some cheap laughs, you are left feeling a little underwhelmed with the film.
