Plot Summary
Grace has had her share of heartache when it comes to romantic relationships. She feels like men have played games with her heart, even though she desperately wants to find the right man to spend the rest of her life with. She looks to her parents for guidance, but she also wants to be her own woman. After she finally hits rock bottom when a man treats her in a way she does not feel is appropriate, she decides to make changes in her life and to stop seeking men. Little does she know that true love could be right around the corner.
Production Quality (1 point)
The production of Princess Cut is its one redeeming quality, but that still isn’t saying much. The video quality is clear and the camera work is passable, except for in-shot zooming. The editing is decent, but the sound quality is the biggest detractor here. Many scenes are obviously overdubbed because of the lack of a boom mic. Some sound is hard to hear and there are quite a few musical montages that cover up what could have been valuable dialogue. Also, the sets are severely limited; too much content takes place off screen. In short, we realize that Princess Cut had a very small budget, but it seems like more could have been done here.
Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)
There is an underlying philosophy in this plot that is slightly commendable, but there are so many negative issues. Good principles of dating are talked about, but they are also forced down the throats of the audience through robotic paragraph dialogue. Also shoved in the viewers’ faces is a far right Christian-ese worldview based on patriarchy, matronly women’s roles, anti-psychology ideals, and self-help books. The female characters are portrayed as empty-headed and clueless. ‘Bad’ characters are over-the-top strawmen. As previously mentioned, there is no real dialogue that builds the characters—most of the time, the characters seem to be reading self-help books verbatim. The plot is choppy and leaves out many key parts, some of which are made up for with extremely awkward and strange dialogue. Intended humor falls flat. In summary, this plot contains only a small amount of positive amid a conglomerate of strange philosophies and robotic characters.
Acting Quality (.5 point)
We felt like there was some potential in this cast—Rusty Martin Sr. and his son has both demonstrated good acting skills before—but it was not tapped in Princess Cut. Ashley Bratcher seems like a good actress, but she is not given any help. Unfortunately, most of the line delivery is emotionless and very stodgy. If coaching had been employed, the acting quality could have improved.
Conclusion
It’s great that more independent Christian film-makers are making movies and are able to make them, but what is the cost of these sorts of films? Princess Cut portrays Christians as living in their own bubble, owning a farm that the men run while the women slave away in the kitchen all day and knit. People outside of this bubble are portrayed as bad, and psychology is a definite no-no. Yet at the same time, the Bible is not given near as much attention in this film as self-help book product placements. What type of philosophy is exactly being espoused here? It is wonderful to portray healthy dating, but if you’re looking for that, we highly recommend Old-Fashioned, not Princess Cut.
Final Rating: 2 out of 10 points
Box Office Revolution 