Caprice de Princesse: A Royal Mess

Is this for you?

If you like movies where people in fancy clothes have identity crises over love, sure, watch this. If you need grit or anything remotely grounded, you are going to be bored to tears. It's basically a fluffy pastry of a film. 🥐

Princess Isabelle starts this whole thing off being, well, insufferable. She’s got that grandiose energy that makes everyone around her look exhausted. When she locks eyes with André, the library guy, it's pretty clear he’d rather be reading a dusty scroll than dealing with her.

His rejection is the catalyst. It’s funny because he really just wants someone simple, and she thinks the way to get there is by putting on a costume. It’s like watching someone try to hide an elephant in a broom closet. 🐘

The pacing is all over the place. There are moments where the dialogue just drags, then suddenly everyone is running around in a panic. It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in Down to Earth, though maybe a bit less focused.

The "Librarian" Problem

André is a weird lead. He’s supposed to be this intellectual, but he mostly just looks annoyed at everything. There’s a scene where he’s organizing books where I swear he’s just looking at the wall. The camera holds on him way too long. It’s almost funny.

The whole disguise plot feels like a relic from a different era. You know exactly where it’s going from the first five minutes. The fun isn't in the surprise, it's in the messy execution of it all.

• The library sets look like they’re made of cardboard.
• Isabelle’s "peasant" outfit is hilariously expensive-looking.
• The side characters are just kind of... there.

I caught myself looking at the background extras more than the main cast. There’s one guy in the library scene who keeps trying to fix his mustache every time the camera pans his way. Once you notice him, you can’t look away. It’s delightful. ✨

It’s not a masterpiece. It doesn’t even try to be. It feels like one of those movies you stumble upon when the cable is broken and you just leave it on for the background noise. And honestly? Sometimes that’s exactly what you need.

If you liked the vibe of A Man's Man, you might appreciate the way this one fumbles its way toward a happy ending. It's not smooth, but it gets there eventually. I think.