The Emperor's New Clothes

Paramount Classics | Release Date: June 14, 2002

CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION

60	METASCORE Mixed or average reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews

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Critic Reviews

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Michael Sragow

It's sometimes said that the greatest test of a chef is cooking something cheap and simple, like a piece of chicken or a hamburger. In a movie that testifies to simple pleasures, Taylor and company pass that test again and again. Read full review

Loren King

One of the most clever, most enjoyable historical fantasies to hit screens in a long time, The Emperor's New Clothes is a sumptuous showcase for Ian Holm, who delivers not one but two great performances. Read full review

Ann Hornaday

Engaging, witty and touching film, one that defies categories to become a romantic comedy, historical biopic and philosophical rumination, all in one.

New Times (L.A.)Gregory Weinkauf

In tampering with history, these storytellers present to us a rare and wonderful case of enlightenment beyond the accepted truth.

Kevin Thomas

Sergio Ballo's costumes have the look of authentic clothing, realistically reflecting the characters' wide range in social status. Rachel Portman's score, at once romantic, majestic and vital, completes this beguiling film. Read full review

Lisa Schwarzbaum

It's a royal, finely modulated double performance by an actor who always wears his powers with graceful modesty. Read full review

James Berardinelli

Taylor's approach to this material -- mixing occasional humor with undemanding drama -- works well enough that we don't care about the logical inconsistencies and plot holes. To that end, The Emperor's New Clothes ends up as a pleasant diversion. Read full review

Carrie Rickey

Touching historical fantasy. Read full review

Mick LaSalle

The result is a genre-bending yarn, an entertaining mix of period drama and flat-out farce that should please history fans. Read full review

Jami Bernard

In a hilarious bit of actorly sleight-of-hand, Holm (who is not new to the role of Napoleon, having it played it twice before) slips effortlessly from emperor to impostor.

Roger Ebert

Surprisingly sweet and gentle comedy. Read full review

Rick Groen

Has a refreshingly different twist: What we have here is a "what if" comedy. Read full review

Derek Elley

Pleasant rather than rollicking entertainment. Read full review

Charles Taylor

A trifle but an exceptionally civilized, charming trifle. Read full review

William Arnold

The film's European locations, sets (in Rome's Cinecitta studios) and photography are unusually striking; Rachel Portman contributes an elegant score; and Holm (who played the emperor once before in 1981's "Time Bandits") embodies the character with an effortlessly regal charisma. Read full review

Marta Barber

Mildly engaging. Read full review

Lou Lumenick

Alan Taylor ("Palookaville"), an American, directs with a playful touch, and Denmark's Hjejle is far more assured acting in English here than she was in "High Fidelity." Read full review

Hank Sartin

Desperately wants to be whimsical and charming. But whimsy isn't easy to carry off, and director Alan Taylor, who has directed mostly television dramas, has a heavy hand -- scenes meant to be comical are destroyed by leaden pacing and a puzzling mix of tones. Read full review

Michael O'Sullivan

Charming but slight. Read full review

Scott Tobias

Holm carries Napoleon's regal bluster without edging into cartoonish folly, taking him seriously enough to make an absurd situation solemn, and keeping the film from winking too coyly at its audience. Read full review

TV Guide MagazineKen Fox

A fun and fanciful comic adventure, based on the novel "The Death of Napoleon" by Simon Leys, that takes a great premise and runs with it. Read full review

Lynda Gorov

Not without its charms. But it never rises to its clever what-if concept.

Lawrence Toppman

Watching this comedy is like going out with an attractive blind date who runs out of conversation after a quarter of an hour. Read full review

Marc Savlov

All's fair in love and war, I know, but really now. Read full review

Stephen Holden

Although there's plenty of opportunity for low comedy in the notion of an emperor and an oaf exchanging roles, The Emperor's New Clothes, much to its detriment, doesn't pursue them. Read full review

J. Hoberman

Dull, if not devoid of wit, this shaggy dog longs to frisk through the back alleys of history, but scarcely manages more than a modest, snoozy charm. Read full review

EmpireIan Freer

Not dire, but you can’t escape the feeling that there’s a good movie in here trying to get out. Read full review

Joe Morgenstern

The blithely dishonest script would have us believe that the real Napoleon can't prove his identity when the fake Napoleon refuses to come clean. Not only is that patent nonsense, it's cockeyed dramaturgy.