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The Emperor's New Clothes
Metascore
60 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 28 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 28
  3. Negative: 1 out of 28
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  1. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Loren King
    88
    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.
  2. Baltimore Sun
    Reviewed by: Michael Sragow
    88
    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.
  3. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kevin Thomas
    80
    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.
  4. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Ann Hornaday
    80
    Engaging, witty and touching film, one that defies categories to become a romantic comedy, historical biopic and philosophical rumination, all in one.
    All this critic's reviews
  5. New Times (L.A.)
    Reviewed by: Gregory Weinkauf
    80
    In tampering with history, these storytellers present to us a rare and wonderful case of enlightenment beyond the accepted truth.
    All this critic's reviews
  6. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    75
    Surprisingly sweet and gentle comedy.
  7. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Jami Bernard
    75
    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.
    All this critic's reviews
  8. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Carrie Rickey
    75
    Touching historical fantasy.
  9. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Mick LaSalle
    75
    The result is a genre-bending yarn, an entertaining mix of period drama and flat-out farce that should please history fans.
  10. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    75
    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.
  11. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Rick Groen
    75
    Has a refreshingly different twist: What we have here is a "what if" comedy.
  12. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    75
    It's a royal, finely modulated double performance by an actor who always wears his powers with graceful modesty.
  13. Salon.com
    Reviewed by: Charles Taylor
    70
    A trifle but an exceptionally civilized, charming trifle.
  14. Variety
    Reviewed by: Derek Elley
    70
    Pleasant rather than rollicking entertainment.
  15. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: William Arnold
    67
    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.
  16. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Marta Barber
    63
    Mildly engaging.
  17. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Lou Lumenick
    63
    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."
  18. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    60
    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.
  19. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Scott Tobias
    60
    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.
  20. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Michael O'Sullivan
    60
    Charming but slight.
  21. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Hank Sartin
    60
    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.
  22. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Lynda Gorov
    50
    Not without its charms. But it never rises to its clever what-if concept.
    All this publication's reviews
  23. Charlotte Observer
    Reviewed by: Lawrence Toppman
    50
    Watching this comedy is like going out with an attractive blind date who runs out of conversation after a quarter of an hour.
  24. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marc Savlov
    50
    All's fair in love and war, I know, but really now.
  25. Empire
    Reviewed by: Ian Freer
    40
    Not dire, but you can’t escape the feeling that there’s a good movie in here trying to get out.
  26. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: J. Hoberman
    40
    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.
  27. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Stephen Holden
    40
    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.
  28. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: Joe Morgenstern
    30
    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.
    All this critic's reviews
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