REVIEW – Grace Of Monaco, Another Example Of Hollywood Getting The Biopic Incredibly Wrong

Given that Hollywood has used most of the original ideas available to it (Christopher Nolan, we are still holding on to you) it's really no wonder that Grace Kelly's story was going to make it to the big screen at one point or another. The story of a movie star who became a real-life Princess has always had a kind of magical quality but many want to know what went on behind the scenes and how the Princess ended up living out her life before her tragic death in a car crash in 1982. Just like our obsession with celebrity culture now, things were not a lot different for Grace Kelly, every move she made was documented on, not just in the press but by those watching in her new home in Monaco. However, the biopic presents plenty of difficulties for Hollywood, like the Diana film specifically pointed out. Not only can people who are being depicted in some cases still be alive but certainly there are family members or relatives concerned who may not appreciate how their relatives are being depicted on the big screen. On top of that, some people, specifically like Diana, can be held in such high regard that it can taint the memory of that particular person in the public eye. Diana's private life was just that, private and a film examination of her relationship that she had obviously attempted to keep secret really shouldn't have had a place on a cinema screen. Grace of Monaco presents similar problems for the family involved. Despite all of the fascinating aspects of Grace Kelly's life, Grace of Monaco begins at the time when she had accepted Prince Rainier's marriage proposal and embarked on a new life in Monaco, a culture which was far away from her American upbringing and the Hollywood life. Following an initial introduction, the film fast forwards a few years to when Grace was just beginning to get used to her life as a Princess and her public and private duty. Within minutes of showing the audience that her life has become increasingly difficult personally, Grace of Monaco introduces Hitchcock on the scene with an offer of a role and a return to her former life. However, things are not going so well for Rainier. With increased French involvement and diminishing funds, he is finding it more difficult to keep his state as an independent one. For the viewer, the choice for Grace becomes clear, she must either sacrifice her life as a movie star and play the role of mother and wife or she can put herself first and return to her former existence. This is not a decision that Grace takes lightly and throughout the film she struggles with her removal from her former life and the duties that have been placed upon her in her new one. Family wins out in the end and Grace soon becomes a intricate part of the campaign for a free Monaco along with Rainier. The main problem with Grace of Monaco is the film really doesn't know what kind of film it is. Although it presents itself as a biopic, it is almost art house in the way it has been filmed for the big screen with a major amount of close-ups. It is certainly aimed towards a fashion-conscious audience, there is no denying that, its interests lie in depiction of Grace as an object of beauty with a fairly extensive wardrobe. However, it almost becomes a mystery film with Grace trying to discover who is responsible for wanting to remove her husband from the throne. We can assure you, there are more interesting segments in Grace's life, her life as a movie star, her initial meeting with Rainier, her affairs with the leading men who loved and adored her and her untimely death, most of which are ignored by Grace of Monaco. The performances are fine besides Nicole Kidman who unfortunately does not embody the legendary Grace of Monaco; her performance is too forced, too orchestrated as are some of the others that surround her. The film is almost manipulative in its approach to who the "bad guy" actually is, a quality which just makes it look like a docu-drama. The Palace have even gone so far as to release a statement to say they want nothing to do with the film and that the script was sent back many times for re-writes which never happened. This is not the Grace film they would have liked to see. The one thing that Grace has going for it is the beautiful locations it films and the stunning costumes but outside of that, this really is an awful mess and will leave you feeling very confused departing the cinema.