When you read a title like Your Highness, what do you expect? If this was 20 years ago, maybe you'd expect something in line with medieval journeys, gallivanting heroes on horses fighting dragons and saving damsels. However, about 15 years ago, ANYONE that mentions the word high is now most likely to be associated with narcotics and stoner comedies.
True, they have existed since Up in Smoke, but when you hear a title like Half Baked, you don't think it's a Rachel Ray documentary. You KNOW it's Dave Chappelle get blitzed on weed. The terminology has become so commonplace that you'd be surprised that Up in the Air isn't slang for something.
Joining the oh so clever wordplay of How High and Super High Me, Your Highness manages to at least get the wordplay right. The story follows Thadeous (Danny McBride) and Fabious (James Franco) on a quest to save Fabious' fiance Belladonna (Zooey Deschannel) from the Czar (Justin Theroux). Somewhere, they are joined by Isabel (Natalie Portman) and the plot continues.
From the beginning, the story seems type-casted to hell, with McBride playing the chubby, stoner brother who revels in riding sheep and constantly making dick jokes.
Franco is the hero brother who has gone on numerous quests and is the sweetheart of the land. He is so much better to the point he has a mechanical bird for a pet.
From the get-go, let me state that I am not a big fan of medieval movies. I didn't care for A Kid in King Arthur's Court when I was 6, nor do I care to watch Pillars of the Earth at 21. The mythology doesn't interest me at all. In fact, I suppose that is why the classic lampooning film Monty Python and the Holy Grail is so beloved by me. It sends it up in a clever way without full out insulting the source material.
I suppose this could be why I think Robin Hood: Men in Tights sucks, too. Of course, I think everything post-History of the World: Part I (with exception to broadway) hasn't been good Mel Brooks.
My issue continues into this movie over that very basis. Director David Gordon Green may have a hand at making the movie look like a bad 80's flick like Krull, but you can't stop there. It's not enough to give us this beautiful landscape and expect the rest to write itself.
Oh wait, did it even write itself? "Writers" Ben Best and Danny McBride are usually trustworthy (Foot Fist Way, Eastbound & Down), but here, the movie is notoriously known for improvisation. True, McBride has built his career on the asshole character, but what worked in those situations was that he was the side man and worked as comedic relief. Here, he's front and center, and we're expected to root for him through every dick joke and a half-assed story about how he gains bravery.
In fact, I dare say that is the movie's central downfall. I was glad that it wasn't pop-culture laced, though I would have liked some subtle nods to the 80's flicks it was making fun of. It took the situation seriously, except McBride was essentially the repellent, choosing to just point out how ridiculous everything was and why no one would give him sex. His motives weren't strong enough to make him the lead character.
Sadly, Franco gets dragged down as a result, eventually just giving in to his co-star's stoner, idiot behavior. The arch through the story seemed to be about McBride, and I don't feel there was anything really to challenge him, as most of the battles were fought by Natalie Portman and his only contribution? Another dick joke.
With that in mind, most of the set-ups were really good ideas, including gladiator fights and personal betrayal, but they seemed centralized around the idea that the joke was something blatantly stupid.
This could have been an excellent concept had the story had more of a grounded direction. Green clearly just let everyone go free and expected them to get out of the tunnel on their own. You almost wish he gave them more direction and focus, maybe resulting as the Pineapple Express of medieval flicks.
In fact, can Green not be given big budgets? It's clear everyone involved had too much freedom and with a more restrained budget to recall Green's early independent flicks like Snow Angels, then maybe we'd get more human characters and the medieval aspect would have come across more interesting.
In fact, that's the one difference between this and say, Monty Python and the Holy Grail. That was a low budget send up that had Graham Chapman playing the straight man. In Your Highness, not only is the budget wasted on silly effects (albeit a good tribute), but you must ask yourself: who is the straight man that grounds the humor?
It seemed like Franco for awhile. Then Portman.
However, no one was really good at being the straight man for more than 10 minutes at a time, and that made it exceptionally confusing and makes me believe more that this is McBride going to McBride's head. Sure, he's good in the confines of a scripted comedy, but leave him on his own, and you get dick jokes that don't really advance the plot or character development.
Overall, I didn't expect much from it, even though I adored Pineapple Express. I wish the actors were used more to their abilities than pointless gags. It's clear Green had control visually, but sometimes, he needs to helm the actors better and not let them do what they believe is right.
Then maybe the raunchy humor in this would have worked. Then maybe the conclusion involving (Spoiler) The Fuckening would sound like something funny instead of just another use of the word fuck.
It's sad that medieval movies cannot be lampooned better. Even prehistoric flicks like Year One have shown a drop off in the quality of low brow satire from some of our greats (Harold Ramis' talent, R.I.P.). I doubt Your Highness will be remembered as anything but a waste of cinema and what I consider to be McBride's worst, exploiting just how much fame has gone to his head (though do know I find his next flick 30 Minutes or Less to be legit). It won't go down as the revolutionary stoner medieval comedy, but more proof that you can't strike gold in the same place twice.
I hope Green never does a big budget flick again. He can do comedy, but please... show some control and direction.
And for Franco? Please don't turn into the Nicolas Cage. I know you'll do anything, but don't start getting hammy. I find you to be charismatic enough to pull the best out of the worst, though this proves me wrong.
This can only mean one thing...
Eastbound & Down season 3 must be good to make up for this.
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