X
  • 2011
  • Unrated
  • Zeitgeist Films
  • 1 h 37 m
  • 2011
  • Unrated
  • Zeitgeist Films
  • 1 h 37 m
Queen to Play

Summary Lovely, repressed and quietly intelligent, French chambermaid Hélène discovers she has a knack for chess. This obsession—much to the chagrin of her husband and teenaged daughter—leads her to seek the clandestine tutelage of a reclusive American doctor—a liaison that radically transforms both of their lackluster lives. (Zeitgeist Films)

Directed By: Caroline Bottaro

Written By: Bertina Henrichs, Caroline Bottaro

  • 2011
  • Unrated
  • Zeitgeist Films
  • 1 h 37 m
  • 2011
  • Unrated
  • Zeitgeist Films
  • 1 h 37 m

Queen to Play

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 17 Critic Reviews
70
User Score Generally Favorable Based on 9 User Ratings
6.3
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Where to Watch

Summary Lovely, repressed and quietly intelligent, French chambermaid Hélène discovers she has a knack for chess. This obsession—much to the chagrin of her husband and teenaged daughter—leads her to seek the clandestine tutelage of a reclusive American doctor—a liaison that radically transforms both of their lackluster lives. (Zeitgeist Films)

Directed By: Caroline Bottaro

Written By: Bertina Henrichs, Caroline Bottaro

Where to Watch

Top Cast

View All
View All Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 17 Critic Reviews
70
65% Positive
11 Reviews
35% Mixed
6 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 17 Critic Reviews
70
65% Positive
11 Reviews
35% Mixed
6 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
90
Mar 31, 2011
In small but significant ways, Queen to Play defies expectations. It dangles the possibility of an affair between Hélène and Kröger in games that the film likens to courtship rituals in a classic screwball comedy.
By Stephen Holden FULL REVIEW
88
May 4, 2011
What I enjoyed was the way the film summons up the pure obsessive passion that chess stirs in some people.
By Roger Ebert FULL REVIEW
75
May 5, 2011
Bottaro finds ways to dramatize chess, and the environments are fascinating throughout.
By Mick LaSalle FULL REVIEW
70
May 5, 2011
Subplots involving the heroine's resentful husband and rebellious teenage daughter never amount to much, though the story builds toward a satisfactory, if formulaic, climax when the woman dares to compete in a tournament against a succession of smug bourgeois men.
By J.R. Jones FULL REVIEW
60
Apr 1, 2011
Kline, who has done a lot of chewy character roles after several stage ­triumphs, is as sly and leonine as ever. His performance here obliterates that phony accent he used in "French Kiss."
By Joe Neumaier FULL REVIEW
50
May 5, 2011
For all the talk, there's not a lot of chess here, and the game remains stubbornly on the level of metaphor. You don't feel rooked, exactly, but by movie's end you're more than ready for the check.
By Ty Burr FULL REVIEW
40
Mar 29, 2011
Queen to Play does slightly buck convention by depicting intellectual development (rather than lovey-dovey triumph) as the key to reshaping identity, as well as a form of class advancement and spiritual enlightenment. Such notions, however, are drowned out by deafeningly creaky conventions of cutesy self-discovery.
By Nick Schager FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 9 User Ratings
6.3
67% Positive
6 Ratings
22% Mixed
2 Ratings
11% Negative
1 Rating

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 9 User Ratings
6.3
67% Positive
6 Ratings
22% Mixed
2 Ratings
11% Negative
1 Rating

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

 View All
Production Company Mon Voisin Productions, Blueprint Film, StudioCanal, France 2 Cinéma, Canal+, France 2 (FR2), Canal+ Horizons, CinéCinéma, Tele München Fernseh Produktionsgesellschaft (TMG), Eurimages, Collectivité Territoriale de la Corse, Corsica Pôle Tournages, Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication, Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC), Filmförderungsanstalt (FFA)
Release Date Apr 1, 2011
Duration 1 h 37 m
Rating Unrated
Genres
Tagline Make sure your next move doesn't break hearts.
Website http://www.joueuse-lefilm.com/
View All Details

Awards

Tirana International Film Festival, AL
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Palm Springs International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Hawaii International Film Festival
• 1 Nomination

Related Movies

Dekalog (1988)

100
Universal Acclaim

Boyhood

100
Universal Acclaim

Tokyo Story

100
Universal Acclaim

Citizen Kane

100
Universal Acclaim

Three Colors: Red

100
Universal Acclaim

Casablanca

100
Universal Acclaim

The Leopard (re-release)

100
Universal Acclaim

Lawrence of Arabia (re-release)

100
Universal Acclaim

The Godfather

100
Universal Acclaim

The Conformist

100
Universal Acclaim

Notorious

100
Universal Acclaim

Fanny and Alexander (re-release)

100
Universal Acclaim

Touch of Evil

99
Universal Acclaim

Army of Shadows

99
Universal Acclaim

City Lights

99
Universal Acclaim

Moonlight

99
Universal Acclaim

Intolerance

99
Universal Acclaim

The Rules of the Game

99
Universal Acclaim

Seven Samurai

98
Universal Acclaim

The Wild Bunch

98
Universal Acclaim

Au hasard Balthazar

98
Universal Acclaim

Pépé le Moko (re-release)

98
Universal Acclaim

Related News

Every Guy Ritchie Movie, Ranked

Every Guy Ritchie Movie, Ranked

Nick Hyman

We rank every one of the British director's movies by Metascore, from his debut Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels to his brand new film, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

  • movie
2024 Movie Release Calendar

2024 Movie Release Calendar

Jason Dietz

Find release dates for every movie coming to theaters, VOD, and streaming throughout 2024 and beyond, updated weekly.

  • movie
April Movie Preview (2024)

April Movie Preview (2024)

Keith Kimbell

The month ahead will bring new films from Alex Garland, Luca Guadagnino, Dev Patel, and more. To help you plan your moviegoing options, our editors have selected the most notable films releasing in April 2024, listed in alphabetical order.

  • movie
DVD/Blu-ray Releases: New & Upcoming

DVD/Blu-ray Releases: New & Upcoming

Jason Dietz

Find a list of new movie and TV releases on DVD and Blu-ray (updated weekly) as well as a calendar of upcoming releases on home video.

  • movie
SXSW 2024 Recap: Best and Worst Films

SXSW 2024 Recap: Best and Worst Films

Keith Kimbell

Which films impressed reviewers during the 2024 edition of the South by Southwest Film & TV Festival? We recap the reactions of critics to all of this year's major SXSW premieres and tell you which titles won the festival's major awards.

  • movie