Anna and the King
American Broadcasting Company (ABC) | Release Date: December 17, 1999 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
56
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 32 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
21
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Baltimore SunAnn Hornaday
Will remind filmgoers that one of the chief pleasures of going to the movies is a good old-fashioned swoon
75
Boston GlobeJay Carr
A big, handsome throwback to star-powered historical costume movies. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
If you're seeking transcendent love this season, skip the morose "End of the Affair" and go with Anna and the King. Read full review
75
San Francisco ExaminerWalter Addiego
Entertaining but predictable, and too long.
75
Chicago TribuneMarc Caro
In the end you feel like you've been taken on a pleasing, professionally run tourist trip that let you enjoy the sights without ever really inhabiting the land. Read full review
70
Dallas ObserverGregory Weinkauf
Grand entertainment in the old-fashioned sense. Read full review
70
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
This is a smart and splendidly decorated rethinking of Anna Leonowens's famous chronicle Read full review
70
Film.comTom Keogh
It is Foster who presents the biggest single problem, delivering a monochromatic performance that finds her character not much more than flinty and strained. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
Yun-Fat is magnetic and majestic, and the story, no matter that it is not entirely true, continues to fascinate.
63
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Foster and Yun-Fat each show about three-quarters of their characters. Read full review
63
New York PostLou Lumenick
The kind of unsophisticated family entertainment they supposedly don't make anymore.
60
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
A musical number or two might have balanced the overdetermined politics and spectacle in this version. Read full review
60
The New York TimesStephen Holden
Has the rambling pace of an episodic 1950s costume drama. Read full review
60
Washington PostRita Kempley
Old-fashioned Hollywood filmmaking at its best . Read full review
60
NewsweekDavid Ansen
Hollywood rarely mounts these lavish period epics anymore. It's nice to see them try, even if the result is somewhat less than heart-stopping. Read full review
60
TimeRichard Schickel
Cutting through the epic gesturings of Andy Tennant's direction, he (Yun-Fat Chow) provides reason enough to return one last time to this otherwise weary romance
60
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
The problem with Anna and the King is that it's caught halfway between then and now--- the film tries to throw in notions of cultural relativism and big power imperialism, but can't do without corny shtick. Read full review
60
TNT RoughCutDaysun Chang
Focuses on everything and nothing like a grown-up Disney phenom, making it a great family movie enjoyable for everyone.
59
Mr. ShowbizKevin Maynard
Despite good performances and moments of spectacle, it seems to go on longer than the Cultural Revolution.
58
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
It pales in comparison to its two classic predecessors, and also just generally feels like one too many trips to the well. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
It's a painstakingly correct update of what is, let's face it, one of the least culturally correct love stories ever to be mythologized by Hollywood. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
Chow Yun-Fat is the only reason to see Anna and the King -- the only thing you'll remember from this lavish, tastefully dull movie.
50
Village VoiceDennis Lim
Dusted off for one more run-through, and for those who applauded "Titanic's" old-is-new ethos, the moth-eaten, barely breathing Anna and the King will serve as a slap in the face. Read full review
50
Portland OregonianDiana Abu-Jaber
Leaves an unpleasant aftertaste: viewers will find that a musical can indeed help the medicine go down
50
VarietyEmanuel Levy
Her (Foster's) performance is contained in a schmaltzy, ultra-elaborate, overly long production. Read full review
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Doesn't develop enough momentum to justify its too-long running time. Read full review
50
Film.comGemma Files
The lack of chemistry between he (Yun-Fat) and Foster is truly striking: so much so, in fact, that the strain of trying to manufacture some keeps her looking on the verge of outright illness throughout. Read full review
50
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Fails as the big-screen romance it wants to be. The main problem: There's only one heart between the principals, and it beats solely in Chow's chest. Read full review
50
USA TodayAndy Seiler
The movie is something of a white elephant itself, a luxuriant, lumbering behemoth. It is pleasant, occasionally amusing - and often dull.
50
San Francisco ChronicleBob Graham
Before it runs off track--it does have some spectacular moments. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Foster, I believe, sees right through this material and out the other side, and doesn't believe in a bit of it. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
Colorful and a passable drama, one that highlights the difficulties of cross-cultural love affairs and the exoticism of the Third World. Read full review
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