What a Girl Wants

Plot

An American teenager learns that her father is a wealthy British politician running for office. Although she is eager to find him, she realizes it could cause a scandal and cost him the election.

Release Year: 2003

Rating: 5.7/10 (19,174 voted)

Critic's Score: 41/100

Director:
Dennie Gordon

Stars: Amanda Bynes, Colin Firth, Kelly Preston

Storyline
Daphne, a seventeen-year-old girl from New York goes to England in search of her father, who does not know he had a child with an American girlfriend he met while working in Morocco, and whose aristocratic family did not approve of the woman.

Writers: William Douglas-Home, William Douglas-Home

Cast:

Amanda Bynes
–

Daphne Reynolds

Colin Firth
–

Henry Dashwood

Kelly Preston
–

Libby Reynolds

Eileen Atkins
–

Jocelyn Dashwood

Anna Chancellor
–

Glynnis Payne

Jonathan Pryce
–

Alistair Payne

Oliver James
–

Ian Wallace

Christina Cole
–

Clarissa Payne

Sylvia Syms
–

Princess Charlotte

Soleil McGhee
–

Young Daphne

Peter Reeves
–

Sir John Dashwood

James Greene
–

Percy

Steven Osborne
–

Staff Member

Mike Toller
–

Libby's Band Member

Tom Penn
–

Libby's Band Member

Taglines:
Trying to fit in. Born to stand out.

Details

Official Website:
Warner Bros. |
Warner Bros. [uk] |

Release Date: 4 April 2003

Filming Locations: Battersea Park, Battersea, London, England, UK

Box Office Details

Budget: $20,000,000

(estimated)

Opening Weekend: $11,434,964
(USA)
(6 April 2003)
(2964 Screens)

Gross: $35,990,505
(USA)
(15 June 2003)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Did You Know?

Trivia:

Amanda Bynes said in the commentary that it took three weeks to put braces on her for the short scene of Daphne's 15th birthday, in which case the braces aren't even noticeable.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized:
When Peach and Pear meet the twin boys when they're talking to Clarissa, they wave and say "tood-a-loo," but their lips do not move.

Quotes:

Peach Orwood:
[nervous; with her sister, Pear]
I'm Peach, she's Pear. You see, our mother was slightly obsessed with fruits. We have a sister named Parsnip… she doesn't get out much.

User Review

A fun kid film

Rating:

I was expecting a really bad, boring teen film like the Lizzie Mcguire
movie, but this movie was entertaining. It's about a girl in America,
Daphne, who goes to England to see her dad for the first time. He's a Lord,
who is running for political elections, so of course, his handlers don't
want any bad publicity. He takes a liking to her, but his finance and
snooty soon-to-be stepdaughter don't like her. Daphne turns out to be a
hit with the poparazi and has a lot of fun. After going to so many fancy
parties, she starts to forget who she really is, but her new guy makes her
realize where her true values lie. Along the way Lord Dashwood sees he's
missing out on adventure and his true love, Daphne's mom. Will he give up
the political dream to become an adventurer again? Watch to find out, but
since this is a light-hearted film, you probably know the answer. There are
some funny scenes throughout. And I liked the music.

FINAL VERDICT: An entertaining clean, fun film that all ages can
enjoy.