The star who can't be filmed

She was one of the most famous film stars in the world when she fell in love with a handsome prince who whisked her off her feet and into a royal palace where she became one of the most famous princesses in the world.  The story of Grace of Monaco is filled with romance and action - a movie maker's dream.  And yet the reception a new biopic of the princess has received on its premiere is a complete nightmare.

Nicole Kidman as Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco in a film about her life which has just premiered in Cannes

The film, Grace of Monaco, has just opened the Cannes film festival but before the curtain even went up on this version of one part of Princess Grace's life it had been savaged by critics and royalty alike.  Princess Caroline, Grace's oldest child, called it a farce while early reviews said the audience had been laughing out loud at the film - except it isn't meant to be a comedy.

Nicole Kidman, seen as Grace Kelly, has a lot to think about after universally poor reviews for her movie about the Princess of Monaco

It is set in 1962, when Grace had been a princess for six years and by which time she had two children - Caroline and Albert.  The film tells the story of a diplomatic incident and imagines the role of Princess Grace in bringing it to an end.  Nicole Kidman plays the princess as she tries to get to grips with the problem facing her new home.  She is seen slowly moving to the centre of diplomatic struggles and helping her husband, Rainier, win this political battle.

Nicole Kidman plaing Grace of Monaco

But according to the critics, the film is much less like a political thriller and more like a comedy that's trying not to be funny.  Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian described it as so wooden 'it's a fire risk' while Robbie Collin in The Telegraph called the script awful.  The Independent offers a glimmer of hope, panning the script but praising Nicole Kidman's non verbal acting.  Screen Daily's Fionnuala Halligan described it as puzzlingly misjudged while Empire's Damon Wise said it was 'side splittingly funny.  The trouble is, it's not meant to be a comedy'.

Another scene from the new film about Grace of Monaco

But Stephen Dalton of The Hollywood Reporter summed it up when he asked whether it was possible to make 'a boring film' out of 'this rich material'. It seems that Grace Kelly, the most famous film star in the world and later the most famous princess, has a story that just can't be filmed.