Her Majesty

It's refreshing to see a movie where nothing bad happens and you end up with a smile on your face. This is one of those rare happy, feel-good films. And almost nothing bad happens. The setting is 1953. Queen Elisabeth II has just been crowned and is planning a tour of the Commonwealth. Cut to Middletown, a small town in New Zealand where a young girl, also name Elizabeth (Sally Andrews), dreams of meeting the queen. (Name) plays the precocious girl brilliantly. She's smart, sweet, and has a very active imagination. Her excitement reaches a fever pitch when it's announced that the Queen will indeed, be visiting their town.

At the beginning of the film, she witnesses her bratty older brother throw a brick through the window of an old Maori woman's (Vicky Haughton, Whale Rider) shack. She feels bad for the woman and steals money from her brother's piggy bank and leaves it for her. Elisabeth ends up befriending the woman, who shares stories of her family and the woes brought on by the English settlers.

The whole movie is absolutely delightful, and like so many films from down under, it has an almost campy quality to it. But it perfectly portrays the innocence of the era. And it's a great family movie that anyone will enjoy!