34-505: Your Highness is a 2011 American stoner comic fantasy film directed by David Gordon Green . It stars Danny McBride , James Franco , Natalie Portman , Zooey Deschanel , and Justin Theroux . Written by McBride and Ben Best , the film was released on April 8, 2011. It follows an arrogant prince and his brother on a quest to kill a sorcerer and save the bride and their father's kingdom. The film received negative reviews from critics and
68-552: A Razzie nomination for Worst Supporting Actor for the film, but lost to Al Pacino in Jack and Jill . James Franco would later poke fun at the film's poor reception during his Comedy Central Roast , saying "I agreed to do this roast because I wanted to do something I've never done before — something that has zero artistic value, something nobody will remember three months from now, something that's offensive, homophobic, and stars horrifically untalented people and something that's only
102-405: A hydra -like monster to kill them. The brothers are rescued by Isabel, a warrior seeking revenge for her father's murder at Marteetee's hands. Later that night, Thadeous learns Isabel is also after Leezar to avenge the slaughter of her brothers. The next day, the party learns too late that Isabel stole the compass from Thadeous. Fabious, finally angered by his brother's selfishness, decides to find
136-494: A "kind of head-swiveling awe in Your Highness ‘s concentration of aimless inanity, in the purity of its devotion to its own louche principles. Like members of some post- Dadaist collective , the filmmakers have dedicated themselves to memorializing every first, wrong impulse that popped into their heads, while ruthlessly excising any vestige of wit or narrative niceties as being too linear, dude." James Franco received
170-491: A big deal to a handful of teenage stoners on Twitter. You might say, 'James, didn't you just describe Your Highness ?' I wouldn't know, I didn't see Your Highness ." On his first-ever interview on The Howard Stern Show to promote the film Spring Breakers , Franco was surprised to hear Stern compliment Your Highness , asking incredulously, "you liked that?" He attributed the film's lackluster performance to its "tricky" blend of lowbrow humor and medieval swords and sorcerers,
204-589: A combination that hadn't worked well since Monty Python and the Holy Grail . Stoner film Stoner film is a subgenre of comedy film based on marijuana themes, where recreational use often drives the plot, sometimes representing cannabis culture more broadly or intended for that audience. The midnight movie scene in theaters of the 1970s revived the hectoring anti-drug propaganda film Reefer Madness (1936) as an ironic counterculture comedy. The broad popularity of Reefer Madness led to
238-497: A favorable review, describing the film as "a cunning weave of low and high". Yahoo! described the "Raunchy Sex Comedy Wrapped Up in a Noble Quest" as "overall, sets and scenery were fantastic and photography was incredible...a awesome, piece of foolishness wrapped up as a Period Piece...more in common with American Pie than it did to Lord of the Rings . Richard Corliss , who admired McBride's and Green's earlier work, said he felt
272-523: A new audience for extreme anti-drug films bordering on self-parody , including Assassin of Youth (1937), Marihuana (1936), and She Shoulda Said No! a.k.a. The Devil's Weed (1949). The duo Cheech & Chong established the archetypal " stoner " comedy throughout the 1970s, taking their antics to the big screen for Up in Smoke in 1978, establishing the contemporary stoner film genre. High Times magazine, founded in 1974, began sponsoring
306-558: A variation of the buddy film . Stoner films often involve evading authority figures who disapprove of the protagonists' marijuana usage, usually out of a greater lack of acceptance of their lifestyle of leisure and innocence. Authority figures are often law-enforcement agents, who are portrayed as comically inept, as well as parents, co-workers, friends, and security guards. Most serious moments in stoner films are intended ironically, often to parody overwrought counterparts in mainstream cinema. The comic story arcs often approach or fall over
340-400: A youth. McBride has said that he was certain that the scene where this was revealed would be cut, and he was shocked when it appeared in the final film. A red-band trailer was released on IGN and Funny or Die . On December 21, 2010, a green-band trailer was released online, and shown before screenings of Little Fockers and The Dilemma . On March 23, 2011, a second red-band trailer
374-457: Is surrounded by extremely steep drops on either side, which may have been an important factor to the early Christians and Vikings who were drawn to this place where an early Irish fort once stood. In the 13th century, Richard Óg de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster , built the first castle at Dunluce. It was first documented to be in the hands of the McQuillan family in 1513. The earliest features of
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#1732786913409408-465: The Spanish Armada , was wrecked in a storm on the rocks nearby. The cannons from the ship were installed in the gatehouses and the rest of the cargo sold, the funds being used to restore the castle. MacDonnell's granddaughter Rose was born in the castle in 1613. A local legend states that at one point, part of the kitchen next to the cliff face collapsed into the sea, after which the wife of
442-450: The "even but fun sword-and-sandals sendup...is at its best when it's at its silliest", while the lowbrow humor is "sometimes witless and sometimes winning comedy...begins with grade-school-level graffiti being scrawled across storybook pages and goes up and down from there. Still, the fun can be infectious...a farce within a farce...tawdry tale of the bothered and bewildered Kingdom of Mourne". David Edelstein of New York magazine gave
476-641: The 6th chief of the Clan MacDonald of Antrim and Dunnyveg, the Antrim Glens were seized by Sorley Boy MacDonnell , one of his younger brothers. Sorley Boy took the castle, keeping it for himself and improving it in the Scottish style. Sorley Boy swore allegiance to Queen Elizabeth I and his son Randal was made 1st Earl of Antrim by King James I . Four years later, the Girona , a galleass from
510-581: The Blade of Unicorn alone. Thadeous and Courtney go to a tavern, where they find Isabel and retrieve the compass. Finding that his brother has been captured by Leezar's men, Thadeous wins Isabel over as they join forces, entering the labyrinth where they encounter a Minotaur . After becoming separated from the others, Thadeous retrieves the Blade of Unicorn and slays the Minotaur. Thadeous and his group make their way to Leezar's castle and free Fabious, giving him
544-460: The Blade. As the others kill off Julie, Boremont and his men and Leezar's three witches, Fabious impales Leezar with the Blade of Unicorn, preventing him from raping Belladonna. After their victory, Isabel leaves for another quest and the heroes return home. Some time later, Fabious and Belladonna marry, while Thadeous is approached by a returning Isabel, who reveals that she has fallen in love with him. However, for them to have sex, he must first slay
578-548: The Great Wize Wizard, Thadeous and Fabious learn that Leezar's goal is to fulfill a prophecy: a warlock having sex with a virgin when the two moons converge, will impregnate her with a dragon that will allow him to take over King Tallious' kingdom. To destroy Leezar, they are given a magic compass that will lead them to the Blade of Unicorn, located within a labyrinth. On the way there, they learn Fabious's eunuch slave, Julie, has been informing Leezar of their progress and
612-487: The Knights Elite are serving the warlock. After the knights are killed and he escapes, Fabious sends his mechanical bird Simon to warn the king of the betrayal by the Knights Elite, requesting reinforcements. Thadeous, Fabious and Courtney are captured by wild women led by the savage warlord Marteetee, who imprisons them in an arena, where Fabious kills off Marteetee's finest warrior. In retaliation, Marteetee summons
646-641: The castle are two large drum towers about 9 metres (30 ft) in diameter on the eastern side, both relics of a stronghold built here by the McQuillans after they became lords of the Route . The McQuillans were the Lords of Route from the late 13th century until they were displaced by the MacDonnell after losing two major battles against them during the mid- and late-16th century. Later Dunluce Castle became
680-506: The castle has deteriorated and parts were scavenged to serve as materials for nearby buildings. In 2011, major archaeological excavations found significant remains of the "lost town of Dunluce", which was razed to the ground in the Irish uprising of 1641 . Lying adjacent to Dunluce Castle, the town was built around 1608 by Randall MacDonnell , the first Earl of Antrim , and pre-dates the official Plantation of Ulster . It may have contained
714-467: The film epic in scale, they were hampered by a limited budget. Ad libbing and improv were encouraged on set, although Green has implied that the extent of this has been exaggerated, adding, "There was definitely more of a script here than anything I’ve ever worked on". Still, at least one notable part of the backstory was improvised, which was the idea that the Wizard molested James Franco's character as
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#1732786913409748-441: The film holds a rating of 27%, based on 184 reviews, with an average rating of 4.27/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Big budgets and costumes in service of scatalogical jokes may seem funny on paper, but in execution this is a highly monotonous romp that registers only occasional laughs." On Metacritic , the film has a score of 31 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Roger Ebert gave
782-445: The film one star out of four, calling it "juvenile excrescence that feels like the work of 11-year-old boys in love with dungeons, dragons, warrior women, pot, boobs and four-letter words," further stating, "that this is the work of David Gordon Green beggars the imagination." Entertainment Weekly gave it a C+, with Natalie Portman favorably reviewed as "fierce and funny as a babe warrior...good with dirty words". The L.A. Times noted
816-452: The first Stony Awards in 2000, celebrating stoner films and television, recognizing a broad scope of noteworthy cannabis media. The enduring influence of Reefer Madness led to a musical comedy remake in 2005 . Many stoner movies have certain elements and themes in common. The template involves protagonists who have marijuana, are attempting to find marijuana, or have some other task to complete. The protagonists are often two friends in
850-658: The home of the chief of the Clan MacDonnell of Antrim and the Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg from Scotland . Chief John Mor MacDonald was the second son of Good John of Islay, Lord of the Isles , 6th chief of Clan Donald in Scotland. John Mor MacDonald l was born through John of Islay's second marriage to Princess Margaret Stewart, daughter of King Robert II of Scotland . In 1584, on the death of James MacDonald
884-535: The line into slapstick . Dunluce Castle Dunluce Castle ( / d ʊ n ˈ l uː s / ; from Irish Dún Libhse ) is a now-ruined medieval castle in Northern Ireland , the seat of Clan MacDonnell. It is located on the edge of a basalt outcropping in County Antrim (between Portballintrae and Portrush ), and is accessible via a bridge connecting it to the mainland. The castle
918-758: The most revolutionary housing in Europe when it was built in the early 17th century, including indoor toilets which had only started to be introduced around Europe at the time, and a complex street network based on a grid system. 95% of the town is still to be discovered. Dunluce Castle is in the care of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency . It is a monument in state care sited in the townland of Dunluce, in Coleraine Borough Council area, at grid ref: C9048 4137. The earthworks , adjacent to Dunluce Castle, are
952-407: The owner refused to live in the castle any longer. According to a legend, when the kitchen fell into the sea, only a kitchen boy survived, as he was sitting in the corner of the kitchen which did not collapse. However, the kitchen is still intact and next to the manor house. You can still see the oven, fireplace and entry ways into it. It wasn't until some time in the 18th century that the north wall of
986-623: The residence building collapsed into the sea. The east, west and south walls still stand. Dunluce Castle served as the seat of the Earl of Antrim . Randal McDonnell, Earl of Antrim , and his wife Katherine Villiers, Duchess of Buckingham bought lavish furnishings. The castle was abandoned because of the impoverishment of the MacDonnells in 1690, following the Battle of the Boyne . Since that time,
1020-458: The wedding after overhearing Fabious' Knights Elite, led by Boremont, talk about him negatively. The wedding is then crashed by Leezar, who admits being the one who placed Belladonna in the tower. Leezar re-kidnaps her and flees. Returning to the castle with his servant and best friend Courtney, Thadeous is given an ultimatum: join Fabious on his quest to rescue Belladonna or be banished. Visiting
1054-409: The witch who has cast a spell on her, locking her in a chastity belt . Though not in the mood to go out, Isabel's suggestion convinces him to go on a new adventure. The film had been a passion project of Green's for a long time, with him later calling it, "an entirely self-indulgent dream project for the 11-year-old in me." Although marketed as a spoof of '80s fantasy movies, Green has said that this
Your Highness - Misplaced Pages Continue
1088-590: Was a box office bomb , grossing $ 28 million worldwide against a $ 50 million budget. Thadeous and Fabious are sons of King Tallious in the Kingdom of Mourne. Fabious is dashing and skilled and Thadeous is lazy and ineffectual. While celebrating victory over the evil sorcerer, Leezar, who has been ravaging Tallious's kingdom, Fabious presents the virgin Belladonna whom he has freed from a tower and wishes to marry. Though his brother makes him best man, Thadeous skips
1122-641: Was not his intent. Instead he hoped to, with star Danny McBride, "put our stamp on it and bring our sensibility to it, but work within the genre." Early on, according to Green, Universal was nervous about the prospects of the film, believing it to be a parody. However, their minds were eased when discussing the casting, "and that we weren't filling it with comedian cameos." Filming began in the summer of 2009 in Northern Ireland , at historic locations such as Dunluce Castle , Cairncastle and Shane's Castle , and it concluded in October 2009. Although Green wanted to make
1156-468: Was released. Your Highness opened on April 8, 2011 in 2,772 theaters nationwide and made $ 9,360,020 in its opening weekend, ranking number six in the domestic box office. By the end of its run, the film had grossed $ 21,596,445 in the United States and Canada and $ 6,417,288 overseas for a worldwide total of $ 28,013,733. Your Highness received negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes ,
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