A Royal Night Out **** (2015, Sarah Gadon, Bel Powley, Jack Reynor, Emily Watson, Rupert Everett) – Movie Review

The Queen stars in a right royal romcom, or at least Sarah Gadon does, as the young Princess Elizabeth, who enjoys a night out away from her usual cares and duties on VE Day in 1945, mingling with the people celebrating peace across Europe.

The Canadian Gadon, who looks and sounds remarkably like she could become our present Queen,  gives an exceptional performance, relaxed and natural, and Bel Powley is nearly as good as the free-spirited Princess Margaret, both of them allowed out of the palace by King George to join the celebrations.

Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mum) doesn’t approve, but the King allows it under a couple of officer chaperones, soon ditched by the Princesses. Somewhere along the way, Elizabeth meets real bloke Jack (Jack Reynor), who rescues her from minor scrapes, and a little attachment is formed, at least till dawn.

Though based on a real incident, it plays like Roman Holiday, with Elizabeth in the Audrey Hepburn role. That’s not a bad thing, as a classic movie is a good role model. The good thing is that A Royal Night Out is very entertaining. It’s bright, breezy and fun. The period stuff is handled nicely, with just enough in the way of crowd scenes and mass flag waving and celebrating to make it look like a proper period celebration.

The dialogue is sparky and adroitly written (by Trevor De Silva and Kevin Hood), the direction discreetly and nimbly handled by Julian Jarrold. But best of all is the casting and acting. All five principals are great: Gadon and Powley, especially, who are the main show as the Princesses, Reynor who hits the right tone and mood as the cockney soldier who falls for Elizabeth, and Emily Watson and Rupert Everett, who are perfect as the Royal couple, Everett accessing the Duke of Edinburgh more than George, but profitably so. You could give Watson and Everett a film of their own.

I think the Queen would be amused. There’s plenty to be amused about. It’s certainly good PR for her.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Movie Review

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