King Ralph (1991)

Directed by David S. Ward. Starring John Goodman, Peter O’Toole, Camille Coduri, John Hurt, Richard Griffiths, James Villiers, Leslie Phillips, Niall O’Brien, Joely Richardson, Julian Glover, Rudolph Walker. [PG]

After the entire British royal family is killed in a freak accident, a (very distant) heir is discovered in the form of uncouth Vegas lounge singer Goodman. Unambitious fish-out-of-water comedy has chuckles here and there, but even more groaners and dry spells; the “easy” gags are taken almost every time despite numerous opportunities for material that could have been more subversive or satirical (or simply just surprising). Goodman is always reliable, even in not-so-good movies, but the character lacks an angle or attitude to set him apart from mere “portly, oafish slob with bad taste but big heart.” Meanwhile, O’Toole pulls off the subtly sardonic private secretary role with droll aplomb. The romance/deception sub-plot with Coduri, however, should have been excised entirely; it takes up way too much screentime and is almost always a drag. In terms of British nobility ranks, this one falls far short of monarch, and would be lucky to claim the title of baron.

38/100