King Ralph

1991 "When Ralph becomes royalty, laughter reigns!"
5.4| 1h37m| PG| en
Details

As the only relative in line to ascend the Royal throne, a down-on-his-luck American slob must learn the ways of the English.

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Reviews

TinsHeadline Touches You
GurlyIamBeach Instant Favorite.
AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.
Salubfoto It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.
rocky_lifter69 I'm not even going to attempt to be unbiased about King Ralph. I first saw the movie at a young age and watched it many times growing up. The movie isn't high art or genre defining. It is a simple story about a lovable slacker who discovers he is much more and embarks on a fish-out- of-water journey. And as that King Ralph is a decent movie.When a freak accident wipes out the entire British Royal Family, American lounge singer Ralph Jones is uncovered as the next heir to the throne. Despite being your atypical slacker, he shows a certain charm and his unconventional methods (along with much help from his private secretary and assistant) begin to win people over. He even begins to secretly see Miranda, a former stripper that he meets soon after arriving in England. But soon the corrupt Lord Graves begins a plot to disgrace Ralph and position himself as next in line for the throne. Miranda is pulled into the plot but falls for Ralph and backs out. Graves already has what he needs and disgraces Ralph at a royal ball. After Miranda admits her part in the plot, Ralph is able to trace it back to Graves and repair some of the damage done. He admits to Parliament and the people that he is not fit to be king and abdicates the throne to his secretary, who was secretly part of the royal line as well. Soon Ralph makes up with Miranda and the movie ends with them married as Ralph becomes a Duke and gets to live his dream of being a musician.The cast is solid all around. John Goodman is impossible to hate as the big buffoon struggling to adapt to an entirely new world. Camille Coduri is likable despite her character's part in the plot against Ralph and has good chemistry with Goodman. Peter O'Toole and Richard Griffiths provide solid backup as his secretary and assistant, respectively, and John Hurt appears to have a blast in his small role as the evil Lord Graves.As mentioned earlier, the story is a basic fish-out-of-water tale. Many of the jokes are derived from Ralph's class difference and ignorance of English culture. It is all very basic but is carried by the charm of Goodman. While my score of 8 is biased by years of popping in that old VHS tape, I recommend at least giving it a try. It is definitely worth a viewing.
Jekkyl I am honestly surprised to see this movie has a five out of ten rating on IMDb. I know that it was far from a hit movie but for what it is I thought it was fantastic! I have always been a fan of John Goodman (who I remember mostly from the TV show Roseanne) and in this movie he plays a Las Vegas lounge singer who ends up through a fluke accident having to become the next King of England, "King Ralph".He obviously has trouble fitting in and is very frustrated and breaks all the rules, with the people around him trying to get him to fit in and others trying to bring him down so a new line can take over the throne of England.It's not a great or brilliant movie but it's not supposed to be, it's a fun comedy with some really funny jokes and a fantastic cast. John Goodman is great and the guys working in the palace are also excellent with some really big name actors in this.
billcr12 John Goodman is Ralph, an American lounge singer who is the last distant relative of the royal family of Wyndham who are electrocuted by a photographer in a freak accident. He is told by some British detectives that he is the grandson of a duke who had a fling with a hotel maid, and now he is the king. He is flown to England and given a crash course in their history and culture. He meets a stripper, Miranda Greene at a club and asks her out. She hides in the background while he assumes the throne. He becomes popular, as a plain speaking blue collar guy. A marriage to a Princess Anna of Finland is arranged but he hears her deep voice and is quickly turned off. He instead hooks up with Miranda and eventually abdicates the throne. In between, he plays cricket, imitating his hero, Babe Ruth, and sings Good Golly Miss Molly, while playing a harpsichord. Goodman reminds me of John Candy, with the same affable manner. King Ralph works as a light comedy.
TheLittleSongbird I wasn't sure whether King Ralph would be my style, seeing how much the critics panned it. But when I watched it, I was surprised at how much I liked it. It is not perfect, but one of the worst films ever? No, far from it. It is enjoyable, despite the sometimes weak script, uneven direction and one or two parts that felt rather slow and contrived. What redeems it though is the cast. John Goodman amiably bumbles his way through his role and gives some charm into a character that could have been bland and uninteresting, and Peter O'Toole and John Hurt seem to be having a whale of a time as the adviser and scheming courtier. Also, the film does actually look nice, the cinematography is good and the scenery is lovely. The soundtrack and score were enjoyable as well. Overall, it has its problems, but it isn't a bad film by all means. 7/10 Bethany Cox