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King Ralph

OK first off you have to suspend belief big time, after all the whole royal family wiped out having their photo taken, and being replaced by an American lounge singer who is less than sophisticated is a bit far fetched. So I can understand why lots of people don't rate this film, but I think there is more to it.John Goodman does a great job as Ralph and the supporting cast are just as engaging from an excellent Peter O'Tool and charming Camille Corduri, currently to be seen in Doctor Who. So the acting isn't bad. There are some laughs along the way and the story though predictable is good enough. So what's wrong with it.It could be that it's just a bit simple, but that's what makes it fun, nothing much to think about just sit back and enjoy. It has a heart and it doesn't try and be anything it isn't so let's not give it too hard a time.

Royally Amusing

Though this film got trashed in a lot of circles, I rather like it if for no other reasons than it gives Americans some notion of the function of the monarchy in Great Britain.Sometimes having the head of state and the head of government does have its bad points. Watergate for instance might have not been the gut wrenching experience if in America we were a parliamentary democracy with a royal head of state. Richard Nixon would have been put up for a "no confidence" vote and out he would have been without all the drama.Drama on the other side of the Atlantic is saved for the Royals. This film might give an American some idea of what the abdication crisis was all about. John Goodman as the American born King has his own Mrs. Simpson.In fact how he got to the throne is quite the tale. On some grand occasion the extended royal family got together for what looks like a team picture like they take in spring training of the various baseball rosters. Someone left a loose electrical cable dangling on the metal bleachers and the whole lot of them were electrocuted.Genealogists poured through the Windham family tree and found some member had renounced it all and gone to America. The heir of that forgotten branch is John Goodman, Ralph Jones who does a lounge act in Las Vegas and not in classier joints in Las Vegas.Of course the free and easy and thoroughly American Goodman doesn't take readily to his new found job. He can't quite comprehend that he has to serve as well as be served. And he has the same problem the Duke of Windsor had when he was briefly Edward VIII. With a lot more excuse since Windsor was brought up in the tradition.Peter O'Toole as the lord who tries to give him some on the job training and John Hurt who has his own reasons for wanting Goodman to flop both give stand out performances. Best scene the palace ball for Goodman's prospective bride when Goodman does his lounge act.It's a funny film and in its own way educational. The Duke of Windsor should have seen it. His duty would have been clear.

A great movie

A very good movie indeed, but as a Finnish person I find it completely absurd to have the king of England arrange a reception to the royal family of Finland. Why, you ask? Because Finland hasn't got a king! Finland isn't a country of monarchy but a republic. Still they play the Finnish national anthem right. Doesn't make sense to me whatsoever. This might seem like a tiny and pointless detail to you, but I have to wonder why didn't they pick for example Finland's werstern neighbor Sweden instead, which IS a monarchy?

In spite of all this, the movie is really good. Recommended.

Better than you think

At first glance, this film might seem to be just another fish-out-of-water, slob-vs-the-snobs story, and the high-brow of the movie world might not consider it high-quality, but "King Ralph" works for several reasons. First, it's good, plain fun. Second, and most importantly, it delves to the very reasons why the British Monarchy is still revered and why it remains important to our our cousins across the sea.

Truly dismal

It would be hard to make a film as witless as King Ralph without really trying. It's a shame, because the set-up (gauche, unclassy American takes over the stuffy British aristocracy) has good comic possibilities and Goodman is generally a fun actor to watch.Most of the problems are directly due to the feeble script and weak direction. There are no surprises and none of the comedy set-pieces are handled with any wit or skill.Avoid this film like the plague.

King Ralph

John Goodman plays the perfect king in the 1991 film KIng Ralph. Goodman, famous for his character Dan in the hilarious sitcom Roseanne, brings that same lovable lower-middle class American character into the British palace as he assumes the title King Ralph I of England.


The movie is largely humorous, but what makes this film so enjoyable for viewers is the same force that compels millions of Americans to purchase lottery tickets daily: the sheer hope of going from a nobody to one of the most important people in the wolrld--a King.


The age-old clash between the honorable Britain and the decadent American finds its seat on the British throne, as Ralph, the Vegas night performer, becomes King Ralph I of England literarly overnight. As the truly American-British King struggles to fill the shoes-- or more appropriately, the crown--of a king, he quickly realizes the restrictions that come with the role he must now play. Through his trials and tribulations, all eyes are on King Ralph as he struggles to maintain the honor and dignity of royalty.

If you are a fan of Goodman, this is a must see. If you thrive on the situational and await the million dollar knock on the front door then this movie is also for you. King Ralph is fun for the whole family

Laugh Out Loud Funny!

Potential Spoilers follow.In spite of previous comments to the contrary, this movie was a laugh riot. O.K., O.K. The plot is a little far fetched but who says movies need to have a a basis in reality?John Goodman is perfectly suited for his role as Ralph, the Las Vegas Lounge Singer anointed as the King Of England after a tragedy of comical proportions befalls the entire *known Royal Family*. Any Doubts about Mr. Goodman's ability to act should be answered by his guest starring role on "The West Wing" Remember, drama is easier than comedy and John Goodman just might be the most under rated comedic actor in Hollywood today!Peter O'Toole is perfectly cast as the typical stuffy British Lord, Lord Willingham. While I can see all the cliches being played out in this movie and can see them coming, miles away, O'Toole personify the misconceptions a lot of us Americans have of British Royalty.My favorite performance was by Camille Coduri. This easy on the eyes actress was able to convey a certain doe eyed, trusting feeling on screen. You could not help but root for her to get her man and her happiness. I only wish more of her work was available here in the US.Richard Griffiths is, in my opinion, one of the finest character actors in the United Kingdom, today! His work in here was equal to his work in the Harry Potter series as the despised Uncle Vernon Dursley. He made the Humble Phipps character come alive on screen.So before you dismiss this movie out of hand, look at it for what it is. 2 hours of laughter and a brief escape from the reality that is our world! Gets a score of 6 stars (out of 10) from me.

Dire

This is a really bad movie with nothing good about it at all. I like most things that John Goodman has done but this is rubbish. Its so bad that its hard to think of four lines worth of review. Theres some good actors in this but see them in something else

King Ralph

An old friend has come to life since it
was unavailable locally. It also is much
better than the T.V. version that cuts out
too much. A wonderful blend between John Goodman
& Peter O'Toole.

Stupid, Stupid, Stupid

I like John Goodman, I really do. But this was a poor choice for his first feature role. The plot is uninspired claptrap, the dialogue is wooden and it just isn't funny. And Finland does not have a royal family. Let me make this clear to anybody who may have seen this film and been misinformed. Finland has been a republic since it became independent. The geniuses who wrote this script very clearly got Finland mixed up with Sweden, Norway or Denmark. This does not surprise me. I dare you to watch this waste of celluloid and see why that is. Even Goodman ripped on this film during one of his guest appearances on SNL. He obviously feels the same way.

Best Comedy

Kind of makes you think about what could be if you could just forget living your everyday life style to live like a king. Isn't what its all what you think. They have so many rules and how you should act and so on.

But its very entertaining to watch..I hop you will enjoy it as much as I did. And yes,they should be more relaxed and then it wouldn't be so hard to control the country.

Jeff Lynne worked on this film

I was doing a search for Jeff Lynne and found out he was a "music producer" on this film! That's pretty wild. I really liked this movie when it came out, I liked it so much I bought a KING RALPH poster. It has a good hearted humor and some warm cuddly kinda goo-too! A little bit for everyone! Then to find out my Hero -Jeff Lynne- was involved, COOL!A big thumbs up for all involved in this film.

The worst comedy film of the '90's.

This film was funny:but not because it was funny. Because it was a laughable mess. Everything was poor here.The comic lines,the acting,even the punch drunk direction reeked of something bad. I would strongly advise anyone thinking of watching this trollop,DON'T.

Surprisingly good film

King Ralph rules. I didn't expect this to be a good movie, but I was wrong. Aside from one overlong slapstick episode, King Ralph was a delight. John Goodman, Peter O'Toole and John Hurt are outstanding in this surprisingly warm and entertaining film.

Sometimes Painful, but Funny

The plot is simplistic, the gags are often infantile and the characters are shallow. That does not stop this film from being funny, as long as nothing cerebral is wanted.

A tragic accident wipes out most of the British royal family. Genealogist scramble to find the next in line to the throne and ulitimately, to their horror, find Ralph, a loser barfly from Las Vegas played by John Goodman.

The culture shock goes beyond European vs. American or even aristocrat vs. plebian. A bigger concern to Ralph is that his life is no longer his own. His tastes in women run towards tarts instead of princesses and his political savvy is nil. Just to keep things complicated, A powerful Lord is scheming to bring about his downfall so that his own family can return to the throne.

Although Ralph is lousy at playing the aristocratic pinnacle, he turns out to be a better king than anybody has any right to expect.

The humor in this movie is almost always at somebody's expense. Sometimes it is the crass American being portrayed and other times it is the pompous Brits. There are some politically incorrect jabs at other as well but they do not take themselves too seriously. The ranking Brits are played by a first string cast including Peter O'Toole. You can almost see him wince at times due to the corniness of some of the situations but, overall, the movie is mindless fun.

Great escapist "what if" movie

I LOVE this movie! I know that when it came out it was largely ignored...by both the critics and the movie going public...but I found this film to be just simply fun to watch...a wonderful movie to just get caught up into. It has no pre-texts of social or political idealism. It doesn't try to solve the worlds problems with it's message. And it doesn't aim to make us, the viewers, think overly hard about where the movie is leading us. It does, however, present us with totally believable characters who we quickly become emotionally invested in. Sure the opening plot structure is contrived but that is half of the charm of the film's setup. It is a good absurd introduction to the twists of the movie. I must confess, being half Cherokee Indian and half English, I was drawn to this movie if for no other reason than I had always heard about that half of my family's history and imagined who they were and how they lived. As an American, I have also fallen prey to my own sometimes myopic world view. King Ralph was an enjoyable way to contemplate the place that a monarchy holds in the hearts of their countrymen. I don't believe that there is anything inherently wrong with having a movie that doesn't try to enlighten or enrage us. I have always felt that too often Hollywood tries to insert a message or moral slant to a project just because they believe that to not include one makes the movie seem shallow or silly. I say whats wrong with having just a fun movie? To me King Ralph was just such a movie. Of course it had smatterings of political overtones and touches of social commentary, but I feel that this was used to propel the story rather than to try and impart some deeper philosophical meaning to us.

Hilarious !

The entire British royal family was wiped out by freak accident (electrocuted during photo session) so the search to heir. And guess what, it is a Bar singer (played by John Goodman). It is up to Peter O'Toole to teach him how to behave like royalty. The entire movie is so funny you can watch it over and over again and still amused. I would have given it 5 stars if not for lack of extra features and no attempt was given to give this wonderful movie a better DVD transfer and the full screen picture is about the same with the old laserdisc. But for the price, you can't complain. Just buy it, you won't be sorry.

This is one of the best doggone movies you'll ever see.

This is a great movie. The culture clash between a lounge singer and British high society make for a great fish out of water story. A lot of good lines from Goodman and a charming romantic interest from the wrong side of the tracks make for one hum-dinger of a film. Rent this one tonight and I promise you won't be disappointed.

Majestic performance from John Goodman

Can't think of anyone else who would have played the role better. His ability for going from funny to serious is amazing and I really loved the entertaining plot of the movie. Old one but a must-see!

the best darn film ever made

in a word: SUPERIOR

Where to begin? The dry subtle wit of that sly thespian, John Goodman? The breathtakingly succinct portrayal of the supercillious and sinister aristocracy? The tear-jerking and anguished forbidden love of Ralph and what's her name? Whoa! This movie's got it all.

Goodman's masterful command of his roll as the common, beer-drinking, blue-collar Everyman (the most riveting depiction ever in film history) obliterates the shackles of his usual Shakespearean type-casting. What can't this man do? He is clearly the perennial uber-chameleon of stage and screen.

Whether you are trying to find meaning in the existential malaise of our time; searching for a film that would inspire and impart the necessary ethical ideals our children so desperately need and yearn for; or maybe you're just in a mood for mesmerizing adventure, rib-breaking humor, and scintillating romance - do your soul a favor: BUY THIS FILM!