The Princess Diaries

Disney’s ”The Princess Diaries ”, directed by Garry Marshall (”Runaway Bride” and ”Pretty Woman”), is a charming, G-rated throwback to a more innocent time at the cinema, when movies were filled with humor that the whole family could laugh at without a trace of embarrassment.

”The Princess Diaries” is basically the ugly duckling story transported to contemporary San Francisco. It’s a movie aimed at young girls, most of whom can probably identify with Mia’s predicament.

But it is a bit difficult to imagine the reaction of an anonymous teen-ager being told just before her 16th birthday that she is heir to the throne. Hathaway, Caroline Goodall as her mother and Julie Andrews as Queen Clarisse nearly succeed in making this unlikely scenario believable. Truly, though, this is one of the film’s weak points. It is difficult in today’s split-second, Internet, super-electronic age to fathom such a secret being buried for almost 16 years without a leak.

Nevertheless, this sweet confection of a film goes down easily and is filled with many big laughs. It may not be the summer’s most memorable movie, but it is a completely entertaining one. Most amazingly, it is a comedy for the whole family with a refreshing absence of bathroom humor. You can take your 5-year-old and her great-grandmother, and they’ll both enjoy the picture just as much as you do.