Film Review: Your Highness

(Published on Rushes Online Film Magazine)

Your Highness is a tale of chivalry with a twist; a hilarious comedy full of perverted mythical creatures, half-naked women and a vast amount of sexual innuendos. Danny McBride and James Franco team up in an epic comedy adventure set in a fantasy world of knights and wizards. The two play sibling Princes, Thadeous (McBride) and Fabious (Franco), who are sent on a quest to save their land and rescue Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel), Fabious’ soon-to-be-wife who has been kidnapped by the evil wizard Leezar (Justin Theroux).

Rating:

Fabious, the more respected of the brothers, is the typical handsome, brave knight that we expect to be rescuing the damsel in distress as he slays a bunch of dragons. However, his brother Thadeous, who has settled for a life of wizard’s weed, hard booze and easy maidens, is the complete opposite to this fairytale character and better portrays the Shrek of the story. Or as he puts it himself, “Everybody wants to suck his cock, but nobody wants to suck mine.” Tired of watching his brother succeed in life, Thadeous tags along for the adventure. With a minotaur’s penis around his neck and a stash of brilliant one-liners ready for any situation, it’s with this character that we travel on this adventure with, laughing along with all the way.

Directed by Pineapple Express‘ David Gordon Green, you know what to expect in terms of comedy, and it’s for this reason alone that you go to see this film. Your Highness may have a typical, medieval fairytale storyline, but the addition of the word ‘fuck’ to every possible phrase and the constant references to anal sex gives the film a completely different edge. The dialogue is also heavily improvised which why it works so well, showing both McBride’s writing and Green’s directing at their best.

The film, furthermore, has an incredible cast set, also including Natalie Portman, who plays the beautiful but strong-minded Isabel, and comedy favourite Simon Farnaby, who plays one of the knights. Franco, as well, fits his role perfectly with a cheeky, and somewhat dopy, side to the pretty-faced hero we are used to.

I’d like to say that there isn’t any reason for you to not go see this film, but with a lot of bad language and even more boobs, you do need a crude sense of humour to enjoy it. If you don’t take pleasure in a bit of nudity and harmless adult wit into your day then I would stay at home and stick to your daytime TV. But if you do, then I would recommend this film for a good laugh.

“Let the fuckening begin.”