There is something sadly craven about ”King Ralph,” a comedy that imagines an American slob (John Goodman, of ”Roseanne”) becoming the king of England and teaching the snooty Brits a thing or two about (as the slogan of
”Entertainment Weekly” puts it so succinctly) ”kicking back, hanging loose and having fun.”
He takes bubble baths wearing his crown, and has a bowling alley installed in his bedroom.
By the end of the film, however, it is the slob who has been tamed:
stuffed into a morning coat, given a new sense of responsibility to himself and others, and granted a lovely young girlfriend (Camille Coduri, from ”Nuns on the Run”).
Once again, the British are portrayed as the world`s official grownups, giving lessons in comportment to hopelessly infantile Americans. As unflattering as this notion is, it`s one we Yanks seem unable to abandon, 1776 or no.
”King Ralph,” which was directed and written by David S. Ward (”Major League,” the screenplay of ”The Sting”), indulges a number of other stereotypes, including the unfortunate image of an African king who challenges Ralph to (gulp) a spear-chucking contest. Doesn`t anybody read this stuff before it gets made?
Clearly, co-star Peter O`Toole has done his best not to. As the new king`s private secretary, and the man in charge of transforming Ralph, a failed Las Vegas lounge singer, into the embodiment of the spirit and culture of the British people, O`Toole seems at best distracted, at worst exhausted. To see this once-commanding performer playing out his late career in this kind of cliche role is to be reminded of John Barrymore`s sad decline, in a haze that led him from ”Hamlet” to ”The Invisible Woman.”
A few other British stalwarts are on hand, including John Hurt as a waspish aristocrat with a rival claim to the throne; the portly, gentle Richard Griffiths as O`Toole`s assistant; and Joely Richardson, the strikingly beautiful daughter of Vanessa Redgrave, in a humiliating role that requires her to speak with the voice of Walter Slezak.
If ”King Ralph” is not complete torture, it is only because of Goodman`s unshakable likability, and the surprising grace he displays in the film`s too-few moments of physical comedy and the rock `n` roll number, Little Richard`s ”Good Golly, Miss Molly,” he is allowed to perform.
The latter sequence, set at a formal ball, is certainly the film`s highlight, though it`s too bad the vitality and power Goodman displays in his performance completely contradict an earlier plot point-that he`s so mediocre a musician that his Las Vegas employers have replaced him with Mitzi the Psychic Chimp. Consistency is clearly not a priority for the makers of ”King Ralph,” though it`s hard to see what is.
”King Ralph”
(STAR)(STAR)
Directed and written by David S. Ward; photographed by Kenneth MacMillan;
production designed by Simon Holland; edited by John Jympson; music by James Newton Howard; produced by Jack Brodsky. A Universal release; opened Friday at the Water Tower and outlying theaters. Running time: 1:37. MPAA rating: PG. Adult situations, mild vulgarity.
THE CAST
Ralph……………………………………………….John Goodman
Willingham………………………………………….Peter O`Toole
Graves…………………………………………………John Hurt
Miranda……………………………………………Camille Coduri
Phipps………………………………………….Richard Griffiths
Princess Anna…………………………………….Joely Richardson
