A graceless biopic derided at Cannes
In one memorable scene in Lee Daniels’ lurid The Paperboy, Kidman’s grotesque southern belle aids Zac Efron’s jellyfish-stung character by peeing on him. How Kidman, and her director, Olivier Dahan, must have wished for similar balm against the barbs critics directed at Grace of Monaco. Where The Paperboy divided audiences, there was consensus in the dismay that greeted Grace of Monaco’s out-of-competition festival opener.
Dahan was sure-footed in his Édith Piaf biopic, La Vie en Rose, but was all at sea in his portrayal of the Hollywood starlet turned Princess of Monaco, caught between the fairytale and her royal and political obligations. As much rancour has been generated off-screen as on. Princess Grace’s children, Prince Albert and Princess Caroline, pointedly refused to make the short journey down the coast to attend the premiere, but the real drama was the spat between Dahan and his US distributor, Harvey Weinstein. The US mogul, infamously known as Harvey Scissorhands, wanted his own edit of the film for distribution in the States, but the French director stood his ground, forcing Weinstein to abandon his plans.
