Like a 21^st century Katharine Hepburn, Julia Stiles’ characters in her filmography are similar to Hepburn’s in their fierce independence, questioning intelligence and goal-oriented sensibility. In "Save the Last Dance" she flirts with interracial romance and a promising dance career. In "Mona Lisa Smile" her college professor inspires her to set her sights higher than the stilted mores of the 1950’s allowed. The modern take on Shakespeare’s "Taming of the Shrew," the film "10 Things I Hate About You," has Stiles’ Kate every bit as free-spirited and feisty as the Bard intended but with a modern bent.

This strong female personae is revisited in Stiles’ portrayal of Paige Morgan in "The Prince and Me," and that complex performance is the gold star in this sweet but predictable teen romance. Paige, a farm-bred Wisconsin student at that state’s university, feverishly studies with her eye on John Hopkins Medical School.

Cut to playboy goof-off, Edward, Crown Prince of Denmark. Racing cars, dozing at important government meetings, he is the constant worry to his parents who fear for the country when their irresponsible son becomes the country’s fifty-first king.

Claiming he needs "to clear his head," Edward convinces his parents that it would be beneficial for him to attend the University of Wisconsin. Little do they realize that his new found zeal for learning is inspired by an ad for a lusty video that promises that "college girls get drunk, do drugs and take their tops off." With his trusty butler/valet Soren (Peter Miller doing his best Sir John Gielgud impersonation) at his side, they head to the heartland, looking for nubile young women.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to fill in the blanks here, so we’ll skip the obvious.

Silly, illogical stuff throws this amiable piece of cinematic fluff off course—Thanksgiving in northern Wisconsin, for example, would rarely be a short sleeve holiday. Edward’s sudden transformation into a serious, level headed ruler seems unlikely, and the image of a butterfly escaping immediately after Paige decides to leave Edward comes off as subtle as a sledgehammer. Finally, the story’s gutless ending ¾ attempting to have it both ways ¾ only muddies the harsh reality of what it really takes to become a doctor.

Despite those shortcomings, "The Prince and Me" remains a sweet distraction, best suited for pre-teen girls. Parents—even grandparents—will remember another collision between royalty and a commoner in 1957’s "The Prince and the Showgirl," with bombshell Marilyn Monroe’s obvious sexuality the main event that ensnares Prince Laurence Olivier. Nearly 50 years later, with its focus on a smart, self-assured female, "The Prince and Me" is a welcome assertion that "we’ve come a long way, baby."