The Prince and the Girl (2007)

Directed by: Peter de Baan | 95 minutes | drama | Actors: Halina Reijn, Fedja van Huêt, Arnoud Bos, Lies Visschedijk, Pauline Greidanus, Carine Crutzen

The title of this film, ‘The Prince and the Girl’, resembles the title of a fairy tale. However, it is not exactly a fairy tale but reality in the Netherlands. The prince in this story is Prince Friso and the girl is of course ‘our’ Mabel. The story is well known to all of us and if there are still doubts about the honesty and the real love of Mabel for Friso, the opposite is made clear with this film. Although we shouldn’t take the film too seriously: after all, the film is based on true facts but in the end it is heavily dramatized. In any case, it is not a purely true story, but it happens to be very similar to reality…

The story is about a bourgeois girl whose hobby is to go to bed with men of power and after a criminal, she now has her eye on a prince. In other words, a starfucker as she is affectionately called by her friends. Her friend Eline actually wanted to seduce the prince, but Joke, as Mabel calls herself when they first met, was ahead of her. The prince is also not quite one hundred percent honest in his intentions with the girl. It suits him well that so many scandals are surfacing about her, then at least he won’t have to follow the throne if he marries her. If the couple still wants to get married and they have to ask permission from parliament, it turns out that there are things that cannot bear the light of day. Mabel’s ex Klaas Bruinsma was a drug criminal and Mabel’s part in the Balkan War does not do her image any good either. As is generally known, the couple decides to get married and Prince Friso can no longer become king because the marriage has not been officially approved. They both have their way. Mabel has her prince and Friso can abdicate the throne. And they lived happily ever after…

It is of course very dangerous to base a film on such famous people. You should not make it seem too much of a parody, because the Royal House should of course not be ridiculed. Fortunately, director Peter de Baan dosed this just right. There is of course a bit of humor in it, but he has mainly told a story and he has not exaggerated too much. Halina Reijn and Fedja van Huêt play the prince and the girl small and believable. Arnoud Bos in the role of Jan Peter Balkenende is a bit of a critical point. Most likely the real Balkenende can laugh about it, but Arnoud Bos has ridiculed him a bit. Especially the moment when he receives the national korfball team and congratulates them in the well-known emotionless way on the world championship is very funny. The film is very fun and recognizable, especially of course because the characters really exist.

The story of Friso and Mabel is still fresh in everyone’s memory, which makes the film more alive. A serious subject about the royal family is nevertheless told in a light-hearted way. In general, Mabel can breathe a sigh of relief because she does not appear too negative in this film. They even try to create understanding for her by showing her character very honest and open. She immediately tells everything honestly to Friso and she has also conquered the heart of the queen and admitted, in the end she also wins the heart of the viewer. Although she owes that partly to the charming Halina Reijn.