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Amanda Bynes, Colin Firth, Kelly Preston, Eileen Atkins, Jonathan Pryce ... see more see more... , Anna Chancellor , Oliver James , Christina Cole , Sylvia Syms , Ben Scholfield , Stephen W. Anderson , Roger Ashton-Griffiths , Andrew Clarke , Judy Collins , Peter Hugo , Neville Phillips , Tara Summers , Stanley Townsend , Erik von Detten , Victoria Wicks , Chris Mulkey , Tom Harper , Antony Carrick , Stephanie Lane , Bruno Tonioli , Peter Reeves , Count Prince Miller , Bharti Patel , Tony Kemp , Daniel Tuite , Matt Acheson , Charlie Beall , James Bell , Newton Boothe , Natalie Bromley , Chris Castle , Flaminia Cinque , Peter Clarke , Ethel Crichlow , Ash Croney , Raffaello Dagruttola , Malcolm Davey , Layla Ellison , Tim Fornara , Luke Fredericks , Tom Goodfellow , David Gyasi , Tom Hanna , Peter Jessup , Jafri Jobaid , Allan Laza , James Linton , Anne Lucas , Sarah Mark , Soleil McGhee , George Miller , Susan Mills , Nita Mistry , Ella Desmond Oakley , Steven Osborne , Basil Patton , Tom Penn , Cassie Powney , Connie Powney , Vernon Preston , Mindy Lee Raskin , Elizabeth Richard , Jonah Russell , Louis Saint-Juste , Barrington Shaw , David Temple , Sian Todd , Mike Toller , Matthew Turpin , Jane Victory , Pieter Vodden , Thomas Michael Voss , Maureen Waters , David Whitmey , James Woolley , James Greene , June Walker , Roger Ashton Griffiths

Loosely based on the 1958 comedy The Reluctant Debutante starring Sandra Dee, the family-friendly comedy What a Girl Wants features popular Nickelodeon teen star Amanda Bynes in her first feature-star... read more read more...ring performance after her debut in Big Fat Liar. She plays teenager Daphne Reynolds, who lives in New York City with her musician mother, Libby (Kelly Preston). After she turns 17, Daphne is undecided about her future, so she takes off by herself to London in search of her father. She immediately meets cute musician Ian (Oliver James) before sneaking in to her father's estate to surprise him. He turns out to be Lord Henry Dashwood (Colin Firth), a fabulously wealthy aristocrat who doesn't even know that she exists. He had met her mother in Morocco and the two were married in a tribal ceremony. Upon their return to England, she left him and went back to the U.S. without ever revealing that she was pregnant. The uptight Henry is already flustered by his campaign for election, advised by doting aide Alistair Payne (Jonathan Pryce). His no-nonsense fiancée, Glynnis (Anna Chancellor), and her bratty daughter, Clarissa (Christina Cole), are threatened by Daphne's presence, thinking that she will hurt Henry's political aspirations by causing a scandal. However, the family matriarch (Eileen Atkins) takes a liking to her and she soon finds herself trying to liven things up at several stuffy aristocratic parties. Meanwhile, the evil Glynnis and Clarissa conspire against her by trying to sabotage her appearance, leading up to the conclusion at Daphne's very own coming-out party. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Flixster Users

67% liked it

431,551 ratings

Critics

35% liked it

104 critics

PG, 1 hr. 45 min.

Directed by: Dennie Gordon

Release Date: April 4, 2003

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DVD Release Date: August 5, 2003

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Stats: 21,618 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (21,618)

  • movieguru12
    November 19, 2011
    movieguru12
    Daphne is an American teenager out to find her father, Lord Henry Dashwood. She's up to the challenge as she encounters snooty rich people & falls in love with a British boy. This is one of my favorite Amanda Bynes movies!!! :) I love it so much! (:
  • murphmann93
    June 23, 2011
    murphmann93
    Oliver James and Amanda Bynes are a really good couple in this film and I really enjoyed it. It's a great chick flick and it's quite funny at times. It's a must see!
  • riverdale237
    March 23, 2011
    riverdale237
    I hate chick flicks. Anyone who has ever met me knows that. I also dislike Amanda Bynes. So it's no surprise that I turned out hating this movie. I'm not really sure why I saw it in the 1st place, maybe so I could get my Nostalgia Critic on and find something to bash. And boy did... read more I find something to bash.

    The most glaring weakness of this monstrosity of a movie is it's predictability. We all know the prince is gonna fall in love with Bynes, we all now Bynes dad is going to choose her over his position in parliament and we all now, (Well at least those of us who haven;t been brainwashed by such abominations as High School Musical and Justin Bieber) that this movie is horrible,.

    Then lets start with the plot. Basically, this movie is a badly put together Princess Diaries. Just throw in a lot more racist British sterotypes, throw away the good acting and you've got Princess Diaries.

    This may possibly be one of the worst chick flicks ever made. It's right up there with any Vannesa Hudgins movie. If you watch it, be sure to bring a 9mm handgun to shoot yourself and the person next to you. Ick.
  • aliceinpunderland
    July 27, 2010
    aliceinpunderland
    This is yet another one of those cheapy DVDs I buy because I'm convinced that I'll like it...

    I don't get the plot. Does Daphne, at the beginning, really not know/guess/understand that her father's occupation may require her to be a little more decorous? Why doesn't her father... read more broach this decorum issue earlier in the film, so the dramatic conflict can start? Why does her father never give a straight answer to the reporters?

    Also, did anybody else get a weird vibe from Colin Firth and Amanda Bynes' looks? They seem more like lovers than father and daughter.
  • bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb1
    July 23, 2010
    bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb1
    i hate this movie. F
  • 3niR
    June 4, 2010
    3niR
    Nice movie.
  • TomBowler
    August 2, 2009
    TomBowler
    a chick flick through and through. amanda bynes is good though.
  • dreamfaeries
    September 20, 2007
    dreamfaeries
    It was cute enough to watch a second time.
  • gatorgirl13
    May 20, 2007
    gatorgirl13
    Very cute. It has a good storyline and Oliver James is hot.
  • sanjurosamurai
    January 8, 2007
    sanjurosamurai
    actually good, amanda bynes is great

View All What a Girl Wants Reviews

Critic Reviews

Anya Kamenetz
April 8, 2003
Anya Kamenetz, Village Voice

A sanitized adventure for the Mary Kate-and-Ashley set. Full Review

Richard Roeper
April 7, 2003
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

There's nothing wrong with this movie, it just kind of moves along at this little pace, no surprises. Full Review

Desson Thomson
April 4, 2003
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

Uninspired and insipid all the way.

Claudia Puig
April 4, 2003
Claudia Puig, USA Today

Girls undoubtedly will want to see it, but What a Girl Wants feels a bit like a reheated version of The Princess Diaries. Full Review

Daphne Gordon
April 4, 2003
Daphne Gordon, Toronto Star

What A Girl Wants doesn't satisfy. Full Review

Edward Guthmann
April 4, 2003
Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle

A dreadful teen comedy. Full Review

Joe Baltake
April 4, 2003
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

Incredibly poised and with charm to spare, Bynes makes a nice companion and guide through her film's various plot points and tested cliches. Full Review

Karen Heller
April 4, 2003
Karen Heller, Philadelphia Inquirer

Clueless without a clue.

Jay Boyar
April 4, 2003
Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel

The new film is an excellent choice for American parents who want their children to grow up infatuated with British royalty.

Jan Stuart
April 4, 2003
Jan Stuart, Newsday

An execrable and witless nonstarter that makes a potent case for hanging the Cinderella myth out to dry till the end of time. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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What a Girl Wants Trivia

  • in wich movie did amanda bynes go to london to see her father and had to act sorta' like a princess?  Answer »
  • Which movie starred Amanda Bynes as a 17 year old American girl in search of her rich British Father (Colin Firth)??  Answer »
  • W-a- A G-r- W-n-s Hint: Amanda Bynes  Answer »
  • In what movie did a girl find her dad?  Answer »
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