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Highly Overrated But Still Good

Good concept, poorly executed.

A Disappointing Continuation

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

First for the cast. then for idea. not the last, for the script. a if... . and a show who, far to be memorable, is more than decent. because it propose a lovely show about power, about fundamental transformation of a simple life, about responsibility , cultural clash and wisdom. and the key is the inspiration to give a magnificent meet between John Goodman, Peter O Toole and John Hurt , using the great talent of each for special characters. this is the fundamental virtue of film - to admire the work of great actors in a film who could be considered minor. but it has humor and flavor of a nice story, few drops of chaos , a nice love story and a good message. and it is enough. for entertainment. and for a decent film about a king from nowhere.

I am honestly surprised to see this movie has a five out of ten rating on IMDb. I know that it was far from a hit movie but for what it is I thought it was fantastic! I have always been a fan of John Goodman (who I remember mostly from the TV show Roseanne) and in this movie he plays a Las Vegas lounge singer who ends up through a fluke accident having to become the next King of England, "King Ralph".He obviously has trouble fitting in and is very frustrated and breaks all the rules, with the people around him trying to get him to fit in and others trying to bring him down so a new line can take over the throne of England.It's not a great or brilliant movie but it's not supposed to be, it's a fun comedy with some really funny jokes and a fantastic cast. John Goodman is great and the guys working in the palace are also excellent with some really big name actors in this.

John Goodman is Ralph, an American lounge singer who is the last distant relative of the royal family of Wyndham who are electrocuted by a photographer in a freak accident. He is told by some British detectives that he is the grandson of a duke who had a fling with a hotel maid, and now he is the king. He is flown to England and given a crash course in their history and culture. He meets a stripper, Miranda Greene at a club and asks her out. She hides in the background while he assumes the throne. He becomes popular, as a plain speaking blue collar guy. A marriage to a Princess Anna of Finland is arranged but he hears her deep voice and is quickly turned off. He instead hooks up with Miranda and eventually abdicates the throne. In between, he plays cricket, imitating his hero, Babe Ruth, and sings Good Golly Miss Molly, while playing a harpsichord. Goodman reminds me of John Candy, with the same affable manner. King Ralph works as a light comedy.

I wasn't sure whether King Ralph would be my style, seeing how much the critics panned it. But when I watched it, I was surprised at how much I liked it. It is not perfect, but one of the worst films ever? No, far from it. It is enjoyable, despite the sometimes weak script, uneven direction and one or two parts that felt rather slow and contrived. What redeems it though is the cast. John Goodman amiably bumbles his way through his role and gives some charm into a character that could have been bland and uninteresting, and Peter O'Toole and John Hurt seem to be having a whale of a time as the adviser and scheming courtier. Also, the film does actually look nice, the cinematography is good and the scenery is lovely. The soundtrack and score were enjoyable as well. Overall, it has its problems, but it isn't a bad film by all means. 7/10 Bethany Cox