One Night with the King
User Score
8.5 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 51 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 43 out of 51
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 51
  3. Negative: 6 out of 51

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  1. SallyB
    Oct 26, 2006
    2
    As if liberties with the Book of Esther weren't enough, the writers attributed such preposterous sentiments to ancient Jews as "All men are created equal" and pleas for "democracy." If you believe all Persians looked like East Indians, you'll believe anything. Yes, the film is beautiful.
  2. GrantR.
    Oct 13, 2006
    2
    So, so bad. And I wanted to like it -- the horrible acting & script made it impossible. Also, Peter O'Toole should be strung up for allowing his name to be put on the poster when he was only in the first 60 seconds of the movie -- no kidding. 60 seconds... if that !!
  3. AnneB.
    Mar 5, 2007
    2
    My jaw dropped when I saw how many people liked this movie. The costumes looked like something from a high school play, the acting was painful to watch (I had to clear my throat every time Haman spoke) with a few exceptions (John Rhys-Davies, Omar Sharif, John Noble), and the story was so convoluted and twisted that my family and I were lost within the first few minutes. Haman looked like Jesus, Xerxes looked like Fabio, and Esther looked like a prom queen (with a few British 'ah's thrown in her speech for good measure). I had /such/ high hopes for this movie...*sigh* If you really want to watch a good Esther movie, get the Veggie Tales version. Much better.… Expand
  4. HosseinA.
    Feb 26, 2007
    3
    As an Iranian, I wouldn't need to seek very carefully to find so many historical mistake in the film's decoration and architecture (they mostly resembled Arabic or Babylonian tradition than that of the Persian Empire), costume (Egyptian like, Arabic, anything but Persian if you can remember the Persepolis inscriptons), make up (Persian Achamenid kings had long beard and used to wear special king of hat not the typical metal crown, they also used to carry lotus flower and a long rattan) and attitude (Persian kings never on earth would kiss the queen in front of others, even for the very last persian king Mohamadreza Pahlavi who was grown up and lived for years in Switzerland in the 20th century). In short, the movie is far more a jewish advetisement than an honest historical reconstruction.… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
38 out of 100

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 8 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 8
  3. Negative: 2 out of 8
  1. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Scott Foundas
    40
    Those viewers who found anti-Semitism lurking under every stone in The Passion of the Christ may rejoice in this celebration of Jewish heroism; all others should rest assured that falling asleep in the cinema is not a mortal sin.
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  2. Variety
    Reviewed by: Joe Leydon
    70
    Blessed with abundant production values and a minimum of campy excess, One Night With the King is a surprisingly satisfying attempt to revive the Old Hollywood tradition of lavishly appointed Biblical epics aimed at mainstream auds.
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  3. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Sam Adams
    40
    There's not much joy in One Night With the King, a lavish but listless retelling of the biblical story of Esther.
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