The Princess Diaries, don’t get me wrong, is one of the best films of the 2000’s. I’ve watched it countless times but I probably haven’t seen it in full for five years.
This time when I watched it, there are some scenes that I don’t remember being so shocking. Also, I think everyone needs a reminder that all of this is taking place when Mia is 15. FIFTEEN, she is a child and has no idea what she is doing; she just wants to pass the 10th grade, be less clumsy and get a foot poppin’ kiss ok?!
1. Lily is actually the worst. She attempts to recover herself later in the movie by saying the green monster came out and she acted this way because she was jealous but come on. Here are some examples. Lily is complaining about how her dad is taking her out to dinner and Mia says “at least your dad is still alive.” To which Lily says “Hey, I thought you were getting over that, it’s been two months.” TWO months is nothing! Sure she never meet the guy but show your BFF some love. When Mia starts sporting her new ‘do, Lily reacts by saying “Oy. Who destroyed you.” And then continues on a rant how Mia is becoming like Lana. Finally, when the Paolo reveals to the press that Mia is a princess instead of consoling her, she asks for her to go on her cable show.
2. Clarice is pretty mean. She has no idea how to talk to a teenager and often makes remarks about how Mia processing this giant change makes her late for important meetings and is just making her life more difficult. You have just dropped the bombshell of all bombshells maybe give the kid 20 minutes to process. Also, the whole attacking her after she was sexually assaulted on the beach.
3. Michael is the most underrated character. This boy just wants TO LOVE HER! He always looked at her so lovingly before the hair change, thought she was even more gorgeous after, thanked Joe for driving them and realized how savage Lily was. He also plays guitar, sings and fixes cars, so what else could you be looking for? Finally, that hair tho, what a vibe.
4. The Beach Bash. What a TIME indeed. I just have so much questions about the fact that your school takes you on a trip to the beach, sets up a stage and lets the popular girl and her terrifying squad sing? But the point is, the media stalked a minor and took invasive pictures, the Lanettes exposed her while changing and Josh kissed Mia for his 20 seconds of fame even though she was terrified. For someone who “hates phony publicity seekers” you sure love talking to the paps!
5. No one had confidence in her. On debate day, her mother’s advice to her was “look at the back wall.” Not you’ll be fine, I believe in you, but look away. Lily, when told that Mia would be princess was concerned about her ability to run a country because of her track record with goldfish. I don’t know if anyone has ever had a goldfish, but they are the most temperamental fish out there. They either live for a week or seven years, no inbetween. Joe is the only one that consistently stook up for her, encouraged her and made sure she was safe.
The moral of my tale is that Mia is the cutest kid out there who was just trying to tackle high school and live up to the standards of everyone around her. I will continue to love and support this movie, but I think we need to remember how questionable some of the events in this movie are, especially in the #MeToo era. Throughout the film Mia gets stronger and eventually even takes on Lana with an ice cream smackdown. Let’s show some love to our princess that shutdown the queen bee and then went on to run a country.
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