What a Girl Wants
Short description
Daphne Reynolds is a free-spirited seventeen-year-old from New York who has never met her father, so she travels to London to find him. He turns out to be Lord Henry Dashwood, an aristocratic politician who had no idea she existed. Henry takes her in and the two get along well, but Daphne's informal manner clashes with the expectations of British high society, and her arrival complicates his forthcoming marriage to a status-conscious woman whose daughter resents her.
Dennie Gordon directed the film, her second feature after Joe Dirt and before New York Minute. Elizabeth Chandler, William Douglas-Home and Jenny Bicks wrote the screenplay. Amanda Bynes plays Daphne, with Colin Firth as Henry, Kelly Preston as her mother Libby, Eileen Atkins as Jocelyn Dashwood, and Anna Chancellor and Jonathan Pryce as Glynnis and Alistair Payne. The credited cast runs to 82 names.
The film was released in March 2003 and runs 105 minutes. Made for about 20 million dollars, it took in roughly 51 million worldwide, a return of more than twice its cost. On IMDb it holds 5.8 out of 10 from around 70,000 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 6.3 from about 1,750 votes, suggesting a modest but not enthusiastic response. A critics' rating of 4.9 out of 10 from 108 reviews places it below both audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- Filming took place in London, Morocco, and New York.
- The London dormitory where Daphne lived upon arrival is the same building that housed the apartment of the main character in “Bridget Jones's Diary” (Sharon Maguire, 2001).
- When Lord Henry Dashwood, played by Colin Firth, looks at photographs of young Daphne, the album includes childhood pictures of Amanda Bynes, who plays Daphne.
- The Reynolds' house in England is the same building that was used in Robert Altman’s historical detective film “Gosford Park” (2001) and Oliver Parker’s romantic comedy “The Importance of Being Earnest” (2002).
- Amanda Bynes said it took her three weeks to get braces fitted for a short birthday scene for Daphne, and the braces aren't even visible in the shot.
- The scene where Lady Dashwood gives Daphne a tiara for a social outing was reshot after filming had already wrapped. By that time, Amanda Bynes had already left for America and dyed her hair, while Eileen Atkins was in London.
- When Henry tells Libby that Daphne spent the day with a musician named Ian, Libby asks if he's a drummer. Oliver James, who played Ian, was a drummer in an up-and-coming boy band in 2002.
- Oliver James had his first on-screen kiss with a co-star during the filming of this movie.
- The film was released during the Iraq War, and Warner Bros. had to change the poster. Initially, the poster featured Amanda Bynes showing the letter V with her fingers. This gesture had to be removed. The studio did not want it to be perceived as a political statement.
- The film is a remake of Vincente Minnelli's “The Reluctant Debutante” (1958), which was based on the play of the same name by British playwright William Douglas-Home (1912-1992).
- The film's title is a reference to a song of the same name from Christina Aguilera's debut album, released in 1999.
- Kelly Preston and Oliver James perform all the vocal parts themselves.
- According to their contracts, Amanda Bynes and Oliver James were not allowed to fall into the water from the boat themselves. Stunt doubles performed the falls for them.
- The film premiered on April 3rd, on Amanda Bynes' 17th birthday.
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