Rated R for violence, strong crude sexual content, pervasive language, some drug use and nudity
Cast: Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman, Toby Jones, Justin Theroux, Zooey Deschanel
Director: David Gordon Green
"Your Highness" is a bold, raunchy, hit-and-miss medieval comedy that leaves no stone, rock, pebble, and boulder unturned in an effort to extract every molecule of humor from its premise. If the movie falls short, perhaps that's due to the unfortunate truth that cinema management does not dispense weed prior to entering the theatre. I guess there's a glass ceiling on the effectiveness of some comedies when you're not in possession of the prerequisite grass. Oh well.
The plot, such as it is, involves two brothers named Thadeous (Danny McBride) and the effeminately-named Fabeous (James Franco). Fabeous is the nobler of the two, while Thadeous spends his days sulking, insulting the accomplishments of his warrior brother, and ordering his man-servant Courtney (Rasmus Hardiker) to make funny faces for his amusement. ("Never triangle face! I hate triangle face, it scares me!")
Fabeous has just returned from yet another quest, and is set to marry his beloved Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel). During the wedding ceremony, however, she is kidnapped by an evil warlock named Leezar (Justin Theroux) determined to lose his virginity. Fabeous must now embark on a quest to save the woman he loves. The listless Thadeous has no intention of joining the fight, but is ordered to by their father (Charles Dance). Along the way, they meet up with a fellow warrior named Isabel (Natalie Portman) who harbors her own animosity toward Leezar. ("That hatred had been burning in my beaver for years!" she confesses.) They join forces.
The screenplay is by Danny McBride and Ben Best, although much of the dialogue was improvised. This is familiar territory for Green. Both "Pineapple Express" as well as his teen romantic drama "All the Real Girls" were largely improvised. I imagine a healthy portion of his other work was made up on the fly as well. He relies on an organic method of collaborative artwork, encouraging much more input from his actors that most directors.
There are jokes aplenty, though not all hit the mark. I can't put my finger on why... comedy is fickle like that. Some humorous bits appealed to me, others fell flat. I did, however, admire the unencumbered effort toward ribald outlandishness. Humor is a rough trade, so your best bet is going all in. Green and his actors thrust themselves into the movie balls deep. With pride.
The film gets whatever mileage it can from pushing the comic envelope... everything from a creepy oracle who trades visions for hand jobs to a Baby Huey-type gangster running his own quasi-erotic Thunderdome to a minotaur with a monster erection and all outrageous innuendo in between... the movie is willing to throw any bits of comic potential at the castle wall and see if it shticks.
Danny McBride is a decent enough comedian, though I find I like him better in smaller doses. James Franco manages an admirable lack of self-awareness, even in a scene where he dons the most flamboyant codpiece imaginable. My favorites were Zooey Deschanel, who can play a scene bound and gagged yet somehow summons a facial expression that gets a laugh, and Justin Theroux who miraculously keeps a straight face when explaining his plans for impregnating Belladonna for the procreation of a dragon. ("I've been practicing, and if your vagina is anything like my hand, there won't be a problem.")
I don't know. I laughed a few times, but not as much as I hoped. "Pineapple Express" pulled me along with its high tide of reefer madness. The moments of humor that exist here are separated by fight scenes that seemed to extend longer than most, especially for a comedy of this sort. Not enough humorous bits hit the mark for me to recommend it. But if you're game for a movie that tests the comic limits of taste, you'll get what you're expecting...
...and a little weed wouldn't hurt.
* * out of * * * * stars
