History Film / KingRalph

* DiesDifferentlyInTheAdaptation: The novel ''Headlong'' had the Royal Family killed by an exploding dirigible, while in this film their deaths are caused by mass electrocution from rain soaking the light extensions for their portrait being taken.

* AristocratsAreEvil: Lord Graves

%%* BabiesEverAfter

* BookEnds: While watching the Royal Family's funeral outside a TV store, [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Dysentery]] asks a fellow punk why she's crying & is scolded for not having any national pride. Later, during Ralph's abdication address, Dysentery sheds ManlyTears because he liked Ralph and what he brought to the throne.

* DeadpanSnarker: Ralph.

* FishOutOfWater

* EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses: Subverted. Ralph has no interest in Princess Anna.
-->'''Sir Cedric Willingham''': How's it going, Your Majesty?
-->'''Ralph''': Great. We've got nothing in common and she's got a voice like a tuba. If she had her way, we'd have sex on a bed of nails on national television. But at least the party stinks.

** An odd case is that a Finnish royal family appears In real life, Finland has never had one, being ruled instead by Sweden and then Russia. It seems that the filmmakers wanted to avoid upsetting any country that ''does'' have a royal family in real life.

* {{Bulungi}}:

** At the banquet with Finland's royal family, Ralph's attempt to cut into a roasted miniature chicken causes it to shoot off his plate, knocking over his drinking glass. The chicken and glass set off a chain reaction that topples all the other glasses from one end of the very long table to the other.
*** If just one of the snooty toffs had grabbed their glass out of the way instead of squealing, it wouldn't have gone as far.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: The royal family is called the Windhams. The Finnish royal family also appears when another country's royals are needed. (In real life, Finland has never had one, being ruled instead by Sweden and then Russia-although this becomes FridgeBrilliance when you realize the filmmakers wanted to avoid upsetting any country that ''does'' have a royal family in real life.) Also with King Mulambon of Zambezi, avoiding the use of any of the three African monarchies by using a fictional country.

* NoEndorHolocaust: Being a comedy it's sort of swept under the rug that the loss of the ''entire royal family at one time'' would be a really miserably sad time in England which would not be easy to forget-involving multiple funerals, some for children.
** Which ''is'' shown, with an absurdly long funeral parade through the streets, it's just largely glossed over by the fact, during the entire period they're trying to find someone who WASN'T at the photography session.

* OddFriendship: King Mulambon of Zambezi- a cultured intelligent man- becomes friends with the boorish but likeable Ralph. It pays off later on when [[spoiler: Ralph is able to secure business deals with Mulambon to create thousands of jobs.]]
** Not really that odd. Both are very new royalty and are fed up with all the boring details of being a king. The fact that they could simply go to a pub, have a few pints, and shoot the shit is probably something most royalty would love.

->'''Phipps''': Sir Cedric! Sir Cedric! Good news. I do believe we've found an heir!
->'''Sir Cedric Willingham''': That's wonderful, Duncan. Who is it?
->'''Phipps''': His name is Jones. Ralph Jones.
->'''Sir Cedric Willingham''': Ralph Jones... Is he everything we might've hoped?
->'''Phipps''': Well. He has his strengths and his weaknesses. You see... he's an American.
->'''Sir Cedric Willingham''': Quickly, Duncan! The strengths!

After a freak accident wipes out most of the British royal family, [[HiddenBackupPrince the only heir that can be found]] is American lounge singer Ralph Jones (Creator/JohnGoodman). Accepting the job [[IdleRich assuming he won't really have to do anything]], Ralph soon learns [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething there's more expected of him]]. He struggles to become a good king with the help of his chief advisor, Sir Cedric Willingham (Creator/PeterOToole). A burgeoning romance with Miranda Greene causes problems. She is from a working-class family and is not considered an acceptable match for a king. He also has to deal with the machinations of Lord Percival Graves (Creator/JohnHurt), who is certain he could become king himself if only he could get Ralph to abdicate, and hopes to use Miranda to do so.

* AdiposeRex

* ArtisticLicense: There are thousands of people eligible to inherit the British throne under the Act of Settlement 1701, rather than the two dozen seen here. '''If''' every single one of them was to either die or be disqualified in some way, the monarch who is most closely related would take control of the kingdom.
** Additionally, illegitimate children are disqualified from the line of succession.
*** Also, Ralph [[spoiler: and Cedric]] wouldn't be referred to as "the first"-there can't be a "first" monarch until there's been a second monarch with the same name (which is why UsefulNotes/QueenVictoria is just "Victoria", not "Victoria the First"). However, see "All There In The Manual".
** Also, UsefulNotes/{{Finland}} is a republic. Although at the time of independence, a possibility was considered that a certain German prince would take the throne, [[EpilepticTrees implying that this movie may take place]] in an AlternateHistory.

* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Unlike current British monarchs in RealLife, Ralph is expected to be an active architect of foreign policy (even to the point of negotiating fine details of trade agreements-[[CrowningMomentOfAwesome which he does at the end]]). To be fair, royalty cementing political and economic alliances through marriage (which is what is asked of Ralph) still occurs and has been occuring for centuries.

* TookALevelInBadass: When the chips are down and Ralph realizes the full impact of his behavior, he shows what he can do when he takes things seriously, and delivers a [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Crowning Moment of Awesome]] in front of Parliament and the entire nation, making some amends for the job losses he caused and outing the treasonous Lord Graves, followed by a [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming rousing and heartwarming ]][[spoiler: farewell]].

After a freak accident wipes out most of the British royal family, [[HiddenBackupPrince the only heir that can be found]] is American lounge singer Ralph Jones (Creator/JohnGoodman). Accepting the job [[IdleRich assuming he won't really have to do anything]], Ralph soon learns [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething there's more expected of him]]. He struggles to become a good king with the help of his chief advisor, Sir Cedric Willingham (Creator/PeterOToole). A burgeoning romance with Miranda Greene causes problems. She is from a working-class family and is not considered an acceptable match for a king. He also has to deal with the machinations of Lord Percival Graves (Film/JohnHurt), who is certain he could become king himself if only he could get Ralph to abdicate, and hopes to use Miranda to do so.

After a freak accident wipes out most of the British royal family, [[HiddenBackupPrince the only heir that can be found]] is American lounge singer Ralph Jones (Creator/JohnGoodman). Accepting the job assuming he won't really have to do anything, Ralph soon learns there's more expected of him. He struggles to become a good king with the help of his chief advisor, Sir Cedric Willingham (Creator/PeterOToole). A burgeoning romance with Miranda Greene causes problems. She is from a working-class family and is not considered an acceptable match for a king. He also has to deal with the machinations of Lord Percival Graves (Film/JohnHurt), who is certain he could become king himself if only he could get Ralph to abdicate, and hopes to use Miranda to do so.

** Also, Finland is a republic. Although at the time of independence, a possibility was considered that a certain German prince would take the throne, [[EpilepticTrees implying that this movie may take place]] in an AlternateUniverse.

* BabiesEverAfter
* BadAssGrandpa: Inspector Thomas [=McGuire=] - despite being about sixty years old, he effortlessly judo-throws the bouncer at Miranda's club when he threatens Ralph.

* HiddenBackupPrince: Ralph, and then later on [[spoiler:Cedric.]]

*** Also, Ralph [[spoiler: and Cedric]] wouldn't be referred to as "the first"-there can't be a "first" monarch until there's been a second monarch with the same name (which is why UsefulNotes/QueenVictoria is just "Victoria", not "Victoria the First"). However, see "All There In The Manual" below.
* AllThereInTheManual: During the closing credits, [[spoiler:Ralph and Miranda are happily married, and are watching their young son playing a toy piano. The son]] is listed in the credits as "Ralph II".

* DisasterDominoes: At the banquet with Finland's royal family, Ralph's attempt to cut into a roasted miniature chicken causes it to shoot off his plate, knocking over his drinking glass. The chicken and glass set off a chain reaction that topples all the other glasses from one end of the very long table to the other.
** If just one of the snooty toffs had grabbed their glass out of the way instead of squealing, it wouldn't have gone as far.

** Which ''is'' shown, with an absurdly long funeral parade through the streets, it's just largely glossed over.
* NoOSHACompliance: Totally played for laughs and purely as a plot device-in reality, the photographers would never have been so lackadaisical about having their electrics in several inches of water, and if so, they would need beheading on the spot!

->'''Sir Cedric Willingham''': [[OhCrap Quickly, Duncan!]] [[CrowningMomentOfFunny The strengths!]]

->'''Phipps''': Sir Cedric! Sir Cedric! Good news. We've finally found an heir!
->'''Sir Cedric Willingham''': That's wonderful, Duncan. Who is he?

->'''Sir Cedric Willingham''': A good man?
->'''Phipps''': Well. He has his strengths and his weaknesses. You see, he's ... American.

* BadAssGrandpa: Inspector Thomas McGuire - despite being about sixty years old, he effortlessly judo-throws the bouncer at Miranda's club when he threatens Ralph.

* KnightFever : John Hurt's character is called 'Lord Percival Graves', but is a member of the House of Lords so is a peer. British peers are never called 'Lord Firstname Surname'; this style is only used by a younger son of a duke or marquess.

After a freak accident wipes out most of the British royal family, [[HiddenBackupPrince the only heir that can be found]] is American lounge singer Ralph Jones. Accepting the job assuming he won't really have to do anything, Ralph soon learns there's more expected of him. He struggles to become a good king with the help of his chief advisor, Sir Cedric Willingham. A burgeoning romance with Miranda Greene causes problems. She is from a working-class family and is not considered an acceptable match for a king. He also has to deal with the machinations of Lord Percival Graves, who is certain he could become king himself if only he could get Ralph to abdicate, and hopes to use Miranda to do so.

*** Also, Ralph [[spoiler: and Cedric]] wouldn't be referred to as "the first"-there can't be a "first" monarch until there's been a second monarch with the same name (which is why UsefulNotes/QueenVictoria is just "Victoria", not "Victoria the First").

*** Also, Ralph [[spoiler: and Cedric]] wouldn't be referred to as "the first"-there can't be a "first" monarch until there's been a second monarch with the same name (which is why QueenVictoria is just "Victoria", not "Victoria the First").

*** AllThereInTheManual: During the closing credits, [[spoiler:Ralph and Miranda are happily married, and are watching their young son playing a toy piano. The son]] is listed in the credits as "Ralph II".

* ThereIsAnother: [[spoiler: Cedric is also a potential heir, though as he is childless and elderly, Ralph would have been king soon anyway.]]

* OddFriendship: King Mulamboa of Zambezi- a cultured intelligent man- becomes friends with the boorish but likeable Ralph. It pays off later on when [[spoiler: Ralph is able to secure business deals with Mulamboa to create thousands of jobs.]]

* BookEnds: While watching the Royal Family's funeral outside a TV store, [NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Dysentery] asks a fellow punk why she's crying & is scolded for not having any national pride. Later, during Ralph's abdication address, Dysentery sheds ManlyTears because he liked Ralph and what he brought to the throne.