- 1991movierewind
Episode #142: King Ralph
Listen to Episode 142 of the Podcast here while you enjoy the show notes.
SUMMARY - In King Ralph, a tragic accident that kills the entire known royal family throws England into turmoil. In depth research uncovers one living relative, an American named Ralph (played by John Goodman) who is currently working as a lounge singer in Las Vegas. The future of the monarchy rests on the shoulders of this uncouth outsider. God save the King.
Screenplay by David S. Ward; Directed by David S. Ward; and released on February 15,1991.
FILM DISCUSSION
This is a fun little image to start off the movie showing the mass accidental deaths. This bit of absurdity is missing from the rest of it, though.
John Goodman seems like a perfect fit for a Middle-American working class dude - his role on Roseanne proves that
But, we actually surprisingly found his performance to be largely underwhelming
Except for during the physical comedy parts
There are several British acting heavyweights and this is Goodman's first real starring role, so perhaps that was a factor
We felt the movie focused too much on the love story. Nothing at all against the character or actress, but there weren't jokes inserted there.
And also a lot of time spent on political intrigue, again without jokes - just plot.
We were hoping for more culture shock/fish out of water stuff
Hello "Back to the Future" musical performance
The movie had its moments but ultimately was strangely too serious for what we wanted
Awards Talk: None to speak of this time.
TRUE CRIME & POP CULTURE
This week we don't have any true crime to talk about so we jump right into music and the short soundtrack for the film
King Ralph Soundtrack
Here's what else was going on this Feb 15 1991
and we get into more details about the death of Gary Gears, an influencial voice who passed away this day.
RANKINGS & RATINGS
Nikki 1-5 star scale - 2 out of 5
Jon 0-4 star scale - 2 out of 4
Would you watch it again? - We didn't hate the movie, but we wanted it to be funnier and focus significantly less on the love story aspect. It wasn't bad by any means, but it's not the type of movie we wanted it to be so most likely we wouldn't go back to it anytime soon.
If you want to watch King Ralph, as of this recording in December 2023, it’s available on Starz, Digital Rental, VHS, DVD. Check your local listings.
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