Parents' Guide to

The Princess Diaries

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Sweet tale about growing up is terrific fun for families.

Movie G 2001 115 minutes
The Princess Diaries Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 11+

Based on 30 parent reviews

age 6+

Totally innocent movie! Good clean flick!

I watched The Princess Diaries tonight after not seeing it for 15 years or so. I want to show it to our kids, but thought I should screen it for them, especially after reading the reviews on here. For reference, my youngest is 7 1/2. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this movie! No references to sex whatsoever. There is a handful of teen kissing, but no tongue. Our kids have seen me kiss their dad, and there's really nothing more than that in the movie. Some may say that the scene in the beach hut may allude to Mia and her date having sex, but I did not catch that vibe at all, just that they were hiding from the paparazzi. I also enjoyed the messages of being true to who you are and also trying your best to do hard things, even when at first you may not believe you can do them. All in all, I'll be happy to show this to our kids and the sequel as well!
3 people found this helpful.
age 18+
1 person found this helpful.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (30):
Kids say (68):

This is a great big luscious lollypop of a movie, terrific fun for girls of any age and for their families, too. It might not be of much interest to boys, though Hathaway is gorgeous (the least realistic part of the movie is the highly ineffective attempt to make her look like an ugly duckling), and there are some cool cars and very funny moments. But The Princess Diaries is a wonderful story about growing up, finding ourselves, and taking chances, with lots of great things for families to talk about afterward.

The queen's head of security (Hector Elizondo in another impeccable performance) quotes Eleanor Roosevelt's famous words: "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." And Mia realizes that the important part of being a princess is not what it does for her but what it makes it possible for her to do for others.

Movie Details

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