The 2011 comedy “Your Highness” from Universal Pictures was directed by David Gordon Green with the screenplay written by Danny R. McBride and Ben Best. Starring: James Franco, Danny R. McBride, Natalie Portman, Zooey Deschanel, Justin Theroux and Damian Lewis.
Tales of medieval times focus on knights in shining armor performing heroic deeds of chivalry, slaying dragons that threaten villages and rescuing fair maidens from the hands of bandits and banishing evil from the land. But that is only half of the story; the truth of the matter is that not all princes of the King’s court were valiant-some needed extra incentive to find their hero; the story of Thadeous (Danny R. McBride) the brother of Fabious (James Franco) is a prime example.
For years Thadeous has watched Fabious as he has brought honor to his father with his heroic deeds. In the beginning, Thadeous tried to compete with his brother, but found he was no match for Fabious’ skills. Over the years, Thadeous has grown accustomed to being ignored, making himself content with partying the nights away and enjoying the good life as a member of the Royal Family.
Along with being famous, Fabious is engaged to be married to the most desired Princess in the land, Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel) and the wedding preparations are well under way. But the excitement of the coming nuptials is cut short when suddenly disaster strikes; the evil wizard Leezar (Justin Theroux) kidnaps Princess Belladonna, inciting panic in the kingdom.
Thadeous has spent his entire life trying to avoid danger, but with his brother’s future wife in danger, the King insists that now is the time for him to step up to the task and prove himself. Refusing to accompany his brother on this mission would mean being cutoff from his allowance and failing in the mission means his family and home would be destroyed.
Even with this understanding, Thadeous is not at all excited about the prospects of making it back to the castle alive. As he and Fabious set out to bring Belladonna back home, they gain the help of Isabel (Natalie Portman) an incredibly skilled warrior who has her own reasons for taking on the dangers of the brothers mission.
But while Fabious and Isabel are skilled in combat and accustomed to facing danger, this is the first quest for Thadeous and his method of handling each encounter makes for hilarious antics and success that comes with beginner’s luck.
