"You call that a promotion?" - Detective Barry Grimes (Robson Green) upon learning that he has now been assigned to protect England's youngest prince while he attends Cambridge
The Student Prince Quick Take
Just Like Our Regular Reviews. Only Smurf-sized.
By A.J. Carson
Fans who only know actor Robson Green from his work in hard-hitting crime shows like Wire in the Blood and Touching Evil may be surprised by his charming turn in The Student Prince, a British TV movie that aired in the US on Masterpiece Theatre as The Prince of Hearts. Green plays Barry Grimes, a cop who is dismayed to discover that he has been assigned to become a glorified babysitter for the queen's youngest son (Rupert Penry-Jones), a doltish lad just beginning his first term at Cambridge. At first, the two get along like oil and water - working class Barry is plainspoken and loves rock-and-roll, while his royal charge speaks the Queen's English and thinks that Andrew Lloyd Webber is just brilliant. They soon learn that that they have more in common than they would have first believed - including the fact that they are both falling for Grace (Tara Fitzgerald), a bright, jaded exchange student from America. The prince cannot quite figure out how to pursue the object of his affection, and Barry finds himself reluctant schooling the sheltered young man in the ways of love. This variation on Cyrano offers nothing new to the oft-told tale, but still manages to be an engaging romantic comedy. Despite the fact that it isn't quite zippy enough, too often falls back on soppy drama, and believes that tittering homophobia is clever, the movie coasts along thanks to its fine performers, especially Green, who proves to be smart, sexy, and infinitely watchable. Fitzgerald isn't quite convincing as an American, but considering the number of half-baked English accents US actors have inflicted on the world over the years, all is forgiven. Look quickly for a cameo by the incomparable Richard Briers (Monarch of the Glen).
