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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
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Anna and the King
20th Century Fox Film Corp
FILM:
MPAA RATING: PG-13 for some intense violent sequences
Starring
Jodi Foster,
Yun-Fat Chow,
and
Ling Bai
The story of the romance between the King of Siam (Yun-Fat) and the widowed British governess Anna Leonowens (Foster) in the 1860's
| GENRE(S): |
Romance
|
| WRITTEN BY: |
Anna Leonowens (diaries)
Steve Meerson
Peter Krikes
|
| DIRECTED BY: |
Andy Tennant
|
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: June 19, 2000
Video: June 19, 2000
Theatrical: December 17, 1999
|
| RUNNING TIME: |
147 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...
75
Baltimore Sun
Ann Hornaday
Will remind filmgoers that one of the chief pleasures of going to the movies is a good old-fashioned swoon
75
Boston Globe
Jay Carr
A big, handsome throwback to star-powered historical costume movies.
75
New York Daily News
Jami Bernard
If you're seeking transcendent love this season, skip the morose "End of the Affair" and go with Anna and the King.
75
San Francisco Examiner
Walter Addiego
Entertaining but predictable, and too long.
75
Chicago Tribune
Marc 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.
70
Film.com
Tom 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.
70
Dallas Observer
Gregory Weinkauf
Grand entertainment in the old-fashioned sense.
70
TV Guide
Ken Fox
This is a smart and splendidly decorated rethinking of Anna Leonowens's famous chronicle
63
Philadelphia Inquirer
Carrie Rickey
Yun-Fat is magnetic and majestic, and the story, no matter that it is not entirely true, continues to fascinate.
63
Charlotte Observer
Lawrence Toppman
Foster and Yun-Fat each show about three-quarters of their characters.
63
New York Post
Lou Lumenick
The kind of unsophisticated family entertainment they supposedly don't make anymore.
60
Time
Richard 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 Times
Kenneth 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.
60
TNT RoughCut
Daysun Chang
Focuses on everything and nothing like a grown-up Disney phenom, making it a great family movie enjoyable for everyone.
60
Washington Post
Rita Kempley
Old-fashioned Hollywood filmmaking at its best .
60
Chicago Reader
Lisa Alspector
A musical number or two might have balanced the overdetermined politics and spectacle in this version.
60
The New York Times
Stephen Holden
Has the rambling pace of an episodic 1950s costume drama.
60
Newsweek
David 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.
59
Mr. Showbiz
Kevin Maynard
Despite good performances and moments of spectacle, it seems to go on longer than the Cultural Revolution.
58
Entertainment Weekly
Owen 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.
58
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
William Arnold
It pales in comparison to its two classic predecessors, and also just generally feels like one too many trips to the well.
50
Variety
Emanuel Levy
Her (Foster's) performance is contained in a schmaltzy, ultra-elaborate, overly long production.
50
Christian Science Monitor
David Sterritt
Doesn't develop enough momentum to justify its too-long running time.
50
Washington Post
Desson 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.
50
USA Today
Andy Seiler
The movie is something of a white elephant itself, a luxuriant, lumbering behemoth. It is pleasant, occasionally amusing - and often dull.
50
Portland Oregonian
Diana Abu-Jaber
Leaves an unpleasant aftertaste: viewers will find that a musical can indeed help the medicine go down
50
Miami Herald
Rene 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 Voice
Dennis 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.
50
San Francisco Chronicle
Bob Graham
Before it runs off track--it does have some spectacular moments.
50
Film.com
Gemma 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.
50
Chicago Sun-Times
Roger Ebert
Foster, I believe, sees right through this material and out the other side, and doesn't believe in a bit of it.
40
Austin Chronicle
Marjorie Baumgarten
Colorful and a passable drama, one that highlights the difficulties of cross-cultural love affairs and the exoticism of the Third World.
 The average user rating for this movie is 6.7 (out of 10) based on 9 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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