"Grace of Monaco," the Grace Kelly biopic starring Oscar-winner Nicole Kidman, got pummeled with terrible reviews at the Cannes Film Festival this week.
The movie, which premiered Wednesday, chronicles the life of Kelly, the actress-turned-princess who, at 26, left Hollywood and married Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956.
Many critics felt the problem with "Grace of Monaco" lay with Kidman, who
Variety's Scott Foundas said never seemed quite comfortable in the titular role.
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"[Kidman] never appears to fully connect with the character, delivering a series of doleful little-girl-lost poses — and, later, pantomimed iron-jawed determination — while decked out by Dahan and costume designer Gigi Lepage in a parade of suitably eye-popping wide-brimmed hats, gold-lame gowns and shimmering Cartier diamonds," he wrote.
The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw compared "Grace of Monaco" to the widely panned Princess Diana biopic.
"It doesn't seem that long since we endured a horrendous biopic of Princess Diana, that other super-rich blonde pasionaria — played by Naomi Watts," he wrote. "As audiences reeled into the foyer after that, they comforted themselves with the thought that surely things couldn't get worse. Surely they wouldn't be forced to endure another badly acted, badly directed film about a wealthy and self-pitying royal? How very wrong."
The movie didn’t just draw scorn among critics.
Time magazine reported that Monaco's monarch Prince Albert also didn’t like the film.
"To Albert, 'Grace of Monaco' is a slur on his parents, Prince Rainier III and the former Grace Kelly, played in the film by Tim Roth and Nicole Kidman," Time's Richard Corliss wrote.
For her part, Kidman defended the film and called the critics' and
royals' reactions "awkward," Agence France-Presse reported.
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