Monte Carlo is a 2011 American romantic comedy film directed by Thomas Bezucha. Nicole Kidman, Denise Di Novi, Arnon Milchan and Alison Greenspan produced the film for Fox 2000 Pictures and Regency Enterprises. It began production in Harghita, Romania on May 5, 2010.

Monte Carlo stars Selena Gomez, Leighton Meester and Katie Cassidy as three friends posing as wealthy socialites in Monte Carlo, Monaco. The film was released on July 1, 2011. It features the song "Who Says" by Selena Gomez & the Scene and numerous songs by British singer Mika.

Plot[link]

Grace Bennett (Selena Gomez) has spent several years waiting tables at a small town Texas diner to raise money for her and her best friend Emma (Katie Cassidy) to travel to Paris after Grace’s graduation. On the night before they leave, her mother and stepfather bombard Grace and Emma with news that Meg (Leighton Meester), Grace’s stepsister, is to accompany them. The girls are not happy with the arrangement. Upon arriving in Paris, the trip gets off to a rough start. Their tour is speedy, preventing them from enjoying the surroundings and their hotel proves to be just shy of inhabitable. But Grace is determined to make the best of things.

The next day they visit the Eiffel Tower where Meg has a second encounter with Riley (Luke Bracey), a boy she met the day before. The girls are left behind by their tour bus and Grace finally breaks down in disappointment.

That night, the girls seek shelter from the rain in a posh hotel where haughty English heiress Cordelia Winthrop Scott argues with the manager and concierge about a mistake regarding her traveling accommodations to Monte Carlo. Grace flees to the bathroom and hides in a stall before Cordelia enters. Emma and Meg are stunned by the similarity and the hotel manager mistakes Grace for Cordelia. Exhausted and wet, the girls spend the night in Cordelia’s suite.

The girls wake the next morning to a car waiting to take them to the airport. The manager hands Grace a package on the way out containing plane tickets. Emma excitedly accepts the car ride and tickets, while Meg is cautious.

After flying to Monte Carlo, the girls are taken to the Hotel de Paris and greeted by kindhearted Bernard Marchand (Christophe Malavoy) and his son Theo (Pierre Boulanger), who thinks very little of Cordelia. The girls learn there is to be a ball thrown in Cordelia’s honor that night and Theo is to escort her.

The girls get ready for the evening, with Grace wearing a multi-million dollar Bulgari necklace. Grace learns from Theo the necklace is Cordelia’s donation for an auction taking place Friday with proceeds going to help build schools. Theo begins taking a liking to Grace’s character, even noticing her cowboy boots from under her dress. Theo introduces Grace and the girls to Prince Domenico de Silvano (Giulio Berruti) and Grace successfully fools Cordelia’s aunt Alicia (Catherine Tate) into believing she is Cordelia.

Back in Texas, Emma’s boyfriend Owen (Cory Monteith) grows impatient from not hearing from her. Even though they broke up, Owen flies to Paris.

Meg and Emma quarrel at first with Grace struggling to play peacekeeper. But as their stay progresses, the two begin to get along. By chance, Meg meets Riley again and they spend a day together while Grace goes with Theo to a polo game and Emma gets ready for a date with Domenico.

At the polo match, Aunt Alicia figures Grace out after noticing she is riding Western saddle, as Cordelia rides English. Alicia promises to keep the secret as long as Grace continues to pose as Cordelia.

Emma runs into Meg on her way out with Domenico and gives her the necklace. Meg puts it in Riley’s backpack. Dinner with Domenico doesn’t turn out like Emma expected, and she spends the rest of the night in the hotel room watching To Catch a Thief. Trying to impress her, Theo takes Grace to a secluded place overlooking the Mediterranean where they watch fireworks go off.

Meanwhile in Paris, Owen sees a newspaper article of Grace, Emma and Meg and boards a train to Monte Carlo.

Riley takes Meg back to her hotel the next morning before leaving for Tuscany. Later, Meg realizes she forgot the necklace. In addition, Cordelia arrives and is greeted with a kiss from Theo. Cordelia slaps him. The girls hurriedly repack Cordelia’s luggage and manage to sneak out via the balcony, but are too late to catch Riley at the train station.

While they are gone, Cordelia sees the newspaper article, finds the necklace case empty and calls the police. In fact, Riley had found the necklace and came to return it. In the lobby, the girls are met by Theo who is irritated by Grace’s greeting. Before she leaves, Grace kisses a confused Theo who admits to the concierge “I just don’t understand women”.

Meg stops Riley in the hallway. He gives her the necklace and waits for her downstairs where Owen has now arrived, as have the police. The girls try to reason with Cordelia, but she threatens to have them arrested and call off the auction. They tie her up so Grace can attend the auction.

Owen sees Grace (as Cordelia) in the lobby and goes upstairs to find Emma. Cordelia breaks free and rushes to the auction where Grace interrupts the bidding to come clean. Theo leaves the room, hurt, and Grace begs the crowd not to let her actions interfere with their bidding. Alicia bids € 6 million to help Grace. Afterwards, Meg decides to go to Italy with Riley and Bernard has his driver take Grace, Emma and Owen to the airport.

The film ends with Meg and Riley climbing Machu Picchu. Emma and Owen settle into their new home in Texas and Grace goes to Romania to assist in the completion of a school. Theo happens to be there looking in on the progress, having decided to get more involved with his family’s work. He sees Grace from a window and chases her down by whistling for her. The two properly reintroduce themselves before the credits roll.

Cast[link]

• Selena Gomez as Grace Ann Bennett/Cordelia Winthrop Scott
• Leighton Meester as Marie Margaret "Meg" Kelly
• Katie Cassidy as Emma Danielle Perkins^[3]
• Pierre Boulanger as Theo Marchand^[4]
• Catherine Tate as Alicia Winthrop Scott
• Luke Bracey as Riley^[3]
• Cory Monteith as Owen Andrews^[5]
• Andie MacDowell as Pamela Bennett-Kelly^[6]
• Brett Cullen as Robert Kelly^[7]
• Giulio Berruti as Prince Domenico Da Silvano

Production[link]

Monte Carlo is loosely based on the novel Headhunters by Jules Bass. The novel tells the story of four young Texas women who pretend to be wealthy heiresses while searching for rich potential husbands in Monte Carlo. There, they meet four gigolos posing as wealthy playboys. Fox bought the film rights to the novel in 1999, three years prior to the novel's publication.^[8] In 2005, Hollywood trade magazine Variety announced that siblings Jez and John Henry Butterworth would be writing the script. It also reported that actress Nicole Kidman had signed on to play the lead as well as produce the film with Rick Schwartz.^[8]

The Butterworths were later fired and Tom Bezucha was hired to direct and co-write Monte Carlo. Bezucha and Maria Maggenti turned in a draft of the screenplay by July 2007; it starred Kidman as "one of three Midwestern schoolteachers who decide to ditch a disappointing no-frills holiday in Paris and pose as wealthy women vacationing in Monaco".^[9] However, in 2010, executives had the film rewritten again after deciding that the film should be made more youthful. The updated script was co-written by Bezucha and April Blair, and changed the three school teachers to two college students and a recent high-school graduate.^[10] Monte Carlo was shot in Romania, Paris, France, and Monte Carlo, Monaco.^[9] It began filming in Budapest on May 5, 2010, and wrapped on July 7, 2010.^[11] It is the first film to use the film studio, Raleigh Studios Budapest.^[12]

In March 2010, it was announced that Selena Gomez had been cast as one of the film's leads following the script's rewrite.^[13] For the role, Gomez spent several weeks learning to play polo, and practicing how to fake an English accent.^[11] Leighton Meester also negotiated a deal to one of the leads that month, and Katie Cassidy was cast as Emma in April.^[6] French actor Pierre Boulanger is made his English-speaking feature debut in the film.^[4]

Reception[link]

Monte Carlo has received mixed to negative reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes reports that 38% of 88 reviews were positive, as well as a 43 metascore at Metacritic. Ben Sachs of Chicago Reader claimed that "the movie hits a surprising range of emotional grace notes, including several moments of genuine regret, and concludes with an understated moral lesson about the value of self-respect over social status." Sandie Chen of Common Sense Media said the film was "silly but sweet".

Accolades[link]

Home media[link]

Fox Home Entertainment released Monte Carlo on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on October 18, 2011. The DVD extras will include deleted scenes, a feature titled "Ding Dang Delicious: The Boys of Monte Carlo", a "Backstage Pass" and a theatrical trailer. The Blu-ray Disc will feature all the DVD features plus the addition of "Monte Carlo Couture", "Jet Setter's Dream", "Gossip With the Girls" and a digital copy of the film.^[15]

Varèse Sarabande soundtrack album (score composed by Michael Giacchino)[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Monte Carlo at the Internet Movie Database
• Monte Carlo at Rotten Tomatoes
• Monte Carlo at Box Office Mojo
• Monte Carlo at Metacritic