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Knight's Tale, A
Columbia Pictures


8.1

based on 32 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 36 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: PG-13 for action violence, some nudity and brief sex-related dialogue

Starring Heath Ledger, Mark Addy, Rufus Sewell, Paul Bettany, Shannyn Sossamon, Alan Tudyk, Laura Fraser, and Christopher Cazenove

Set in medieval times, this is the oddball, sometimes awe-inspiring story of a rookie (Ledger) discovering if he is the stuff of which legends are made. (Columbia Pictures)

GENRE(S):	Adventure
WRITTEN BY:	Brian Helgeland
DIRECTED BY:	Brian Helgeland
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: September 25, 2001 Video: September 28, 2001 Theatrical: May 11, 2001
RUNNING TIME:	132 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Mr. Showbiz Michael Atkinson

Actually lighter, wittier, and more original than it has a right to be.

New Times (L.A.) Gregory Weinkauf

Smart, wry and awesome, all at once.

Film.com Gemma Files

What ensues is never exactly unpredictable, but always witty, fresh and fun.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

Savvy without being smug, cute without being saccharin, and funny without slipping into over-the-top goofiness, this is a 14th-century good time.

San Francisco Chronicle Bob Graham

More often than not, it's fun.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

It's a reminder of the days before films got so cynical and unrelentingly violent. A Knight's Tale is whimsical, silly and romantic.

Portland Oregonian Kim Morgan

Though the picture is definitely flawed, it maintains a joie de vivre that's surprisingly refreshing.

Boston Globe Jay Carr

A Knight's Tale, will either repel you or win you over. It won me over.

New York Daily News Jami Bernard

With its cheerful hailstorm of anachronisms and classic-rock soundtrack, there's nothing medieval about it.

Slate David Edelstein

Simply a jolly good (k)night out.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

A Knight's Tale wasn't made for people like me. It was made for the kids of summer.

Washington Post Rita Kempley

The action scenes are beautifully mounted and photographed and offer a sense of the rigors of the sport.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

It's a dumb summer movie done with smarts.

Chicago Tribune Robert K. Elder

There's much to love about this "Rocky" on horseback, and those laughable blemishes just fold into jokes that Helgeland likely intends audiences to laugh at.

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

A bewildering but never boring yarn.

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

Fine family entertainment.

Time Richard Schickel

The result is half Python, half Ivanhoe--and not as much fun as either.

The New York Times A.O. Scott

The picture itself is good-humored, but bland and predictable. It's a cross between an All-American vaudevillian version of "Shakespeare in Love" and Mel Brooks's "Robin Hood: Men in Tights."

Chicago Reader Lisa Alspector

Would be sweeter if the fair maiden weren't such a pill and more exciting if the villain weren't quite so nasty.

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

Laddish, one joke, genre scrambling rock & roll fairy tale.

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

As advertised, A Knight's Tale does try to rock you. The problem is, it doesn't rock you nearly enough.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

This brazen mix of old and new is undermined by the predictable story, shallow characterizations and a dopey sense of humor.

New York Magazine Peter Rainer

For all its hipness, the movie serves up some awfully old chestnuts.

USA Today Susan Wloszczyna

From the moment he trudges through the woods in his scratched and smudged birthday suit, Paul Bettany as a saucy Geoffrey Chaucer takes command.

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

Works neither as an exuberant rock 'n' roll picture nor as a heroic fable. It will rock you --straight to sleep.

Village Voice Ed Park

At best harmless, if not quite fun.

Newsweek David Ansen

Maybe you have to be 14 to find all of this terribly clever.

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

The result is as flat as a year-old beer commercial.

Variety Todd McCarthy

Traditionalists and older viewers in general will scoff, while pop culture addicts will no doubt go with the flow.

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

A Middle Ages "Rocky" that spares no cliche in its unduly long, 2 1/4 hours.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

The film's one saving grace is Ledger (Mel Gibson's son in "The Patriot").

LA Weekly Ella Taylor

The skits are dreadful, the jokes suck.

The average user rating for this movie is 8.1 (out of 10) based on 36 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Dale H. gave it a9:
I thought it was a very funny, different way of telling a story of medieval times with some modern attributes, the Nike signs was the best (product placement).

[Anonymous] gave it an8:
A goofy medievel ride that's packed with fun. I also heartily recommend the Patriot, a serious epic, but it has many goofy moments. Hope Heath has more stuff like this on the way, or some big budget summer action, to wash away that RECENT other movie that i intend to avoid like the plague.

Nick G. gave it a 10:
Great movie and very well made feel good movie.

Ben T. gave it a 10:
I've thought that Sinbad: Legend of the 7 Seas, Agent Cody Banks, and The Champion had good action, but THIS, THIS is so awesome. Ulric (Heath Ledger) and Adhemar (don't have a clue who played him) fought like tigers while their squires, and fans gave off cheers like maniacs, and the heralds made quite a speech! Yeah, some parts are boring, but what that lacks is made up for with the joyride of thrill and action it takes you on. A fantastic way to spend your free time!

Jen B. gave it a 10:
This movie is a movie that all ages can watch and you don't find many of them these days.

Leah A. gave it a 10:
This has to be the greatest movie of all times. I personally don't understand why everyone seems to be so upset that they mix the medieval theme with classic rock music. That (in my opinion) is what makes the entire movie as great as it is. It makes it seem like the middle ages were more than "thees" and "thous" and all the other crap that these critics think would make a good movie.

Dotti T. gave it an 8:
I thought I would hate it - or at least be bored with it - but oh, wow! I laughed, cried and danced in my seat to the killer soundtrack. It was well-cast, and Heath Ledger has star written all over him. This movie should never have worked but somehow it does! What a great way to spend a couple of hours!

Knight's Tale, A Columbia Pictures

Knight's Tale, A
Columbia Pictures