Grace of Monaco is a handsomely made yet problematic biopic that delves into the transformation of Grace Kelly, Queen of Hollywood to Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco.

Those who are clued in on how the whole awards race scenario plays out would know that shifting the release date of Grace of Monaco from November, 2013 to June, 2014 is not a good thing. After all, a biopic about Hollywood royalty as portrayed by Oscar winner Nicole Kidman and directed by Olivier Dahan (he who helmed the sublime La Vie En Rose) would surely be a slam-dunk?

Yet alas it is true: Grace of Monaco is not a great film. But it’s not necessarily a bad one either, at least not to the extent that some reviews have it (such is the ruthlessness Cannes critics can conjure).

Set during 1962 when relations between the tax-free paradise Monaco and Charles de Gaulle led France were at an all-time low, this “fictional account based on true events” (as described in the opening credits) begins with Grace Kelly (Nicole Kidman) disgruntled in her role as princess and itching to get back in the acting game.

Yet with hubby Prince Reineer (a one note yet never the less intimidating Tim Roth) trying to stave off invasion French style and public opinion sour, Grace quickly realises that marrying into royalty isn’t about living a fairy tale, but rather about obligation to a people and an image.

And so we witness Grace the outspoken American actress transform into Grace the power player, handling deceit and diplomacy with style. Yet with a wafer thin script by Arash Amel and inconsistent tone established by Dehan, Grace of Monaco too often jumbles in clashes of style and narrative.

With never ending shots of Kidman in one beautiful ensemble after another, while bathed in warm light (cinematographer Eric Gautier presenting images that resemble the perfume ads that Kidman appears in), too much thought was put into presenting Grace the style icon rather than Grace the human being: mother, wife, princess.

Granted, Kidman tries her tear rolling best to inject emotions of painful conflict into her role. At times a little too hard, skirting into campiness during moments of extreme emotional duress. One also can’t wonder what the Nicole Kidman of ten years ago – during her Oscar winning prime and closer to Grace Kelly’s age – would have brought to the role.

For a film marketed about the tribulations of a royal marriage, this is often a solo act with Kidman and Roth  rarely sharing the same scene, with she training to be princess and he performing his royal duty in seclusion.

The best moments in Grace of Monaco are those that feature Frank Langella as Father Francis Tucker, Catholic priest, moral advisor to the royal family and crutch to Grace during times of turmoil. There is an earthiness to Langella’s gravitas that is like a fresh crisp of air amidst the stuffiness in Grace of Monaco.

Handsome stuffiness to be sure, yet a restrictive fog that never lets us truly feel for the human being behind the icon.