GRACE OF MONACO (PG, 103 mins) **
tarring Nicole Kidman, Tim Roth, Frank Langella, Paz Vega, Parker Posey, Derek Jacobi, Geraldine Somerville, Robert Lindsay, Roger Ashton-Griffiths, Andre Penvern. Director: Olivier Dahan.

Olivier Dahan’s fictionalised account of a turbulent year in the life of Hollywood actress Grace Kelly begins with newsreel footage of the Oscar-winning star’s lavish wedding to Prince Rainier III.

Grainy black and white images are complemented by effusive voiceover, which glowingly predicts the blonde starlet is “destined to live happily ever after with her charming prince”.

Alas, the fairytale doesn’t deliver a happy ever after for Grace Of Monaco, which must have required several blood transfusions following the barrage of razor-sharp critical barbs that greeted the film’s premiere in Cannes last month.

Undeniably, the film lacks substance and some of his directorial choices are misjudged, such as photographing the porcelain features of Nicole Kidman in soft-focus close-up for every pivotal scene of emotional turmoil.

It’s hard to muster sympathy for anyone in Grace Of Monaco – not the self-serving bureaucrats nor the privileged social set, who savour the trappings of wealth, birth right and celebrity.

Kidman attempts to capture Kelly’s vocal patterns, but she’s poorly served by the script when it comes to layering her breathy delivery with emotion.

Roth is lacklustre and Langella lends gravitas to an endless supply of hoary sermons.

For its myriad failings, including an infuriating inability to address Kelly’s relationship with her children, which is supposedly the catalyst for her inner turmoil, the film has fleeting pleasures.

The costumes are gorgeous, allowing Kidman to change attire with dizzying frequency, and when juicy dialogue is scant, the supporting cast merrily chew on scenery.