Cannes 2014 Review: ‘Grace of Monaco’

Princess Grace of Monaco – formally Oscar-winning American actress Grace Kelly – is a beloved historical figure. She captured the hearts of millions. It’s a shame then that this film won’t.

Our story begins in 1962, 6 years after Kelly married Monaco’s Prince Rainier III. With their marriage on the rocks, Grace is visited by her old friend Alfred Hitchcock, who offers her a comeback role in his next picture, Marnie. But with France threatening to invade Monaco for being a tax haven, Monaco needs a ‘Princess of the People’ and Grace finds herself torn between her new role, her family and her passion.

While this all sounds intriguing and glamorous, the film comes across as a clumsy and heavy-handed fantasy of what life for Kelly would have been like during that period. It’s deliberately shot in 60/70’s Hitchcock-inspired style, complete with over-lit locations and obvious green-screen driving sequences. However, these actually take you out of the film, rather than drawing you in. I swore it looked like had been made in LA, only to find out later it was actually shot in Monaco.

Add an overly sentimental script, a bunch of events which never took place, huge jumps in tone, one-dimensional characters, wooden performances, and execution that boarders on amateur dramatics…and you have a howler of an opening night film. The audience was laughing out loud in parts – and not in a good way.

Having said that there were bits of the film I enjoyed. The early political set-up was interesting and I found myself wanting to know the real story behind these events. Tim Roth and Olivier Rabourdin do their best to liven up proceedings, with the pair sharing an absorbing and intense moment early on.

If you like your cheese layered thickly, then you’ll probably love Grace of Monaco – just don’t go in expecting a gripping yarn, factual events and biopic-style drama. For me, while interesting for fleeting moments, the whole film lacked…grace.

2/10

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