X
  • 2019
  • R
  • Showtime Networks
  • 1 h 41 m
  • 2019
  • R
  • Showtime Networks
  • 1 h 41 m

Summary Centred on the indomitable character of Imelda Marcos, The Kingmaker examines, with intimate access, the Marcos family’s improbable return to power in the Philippines. The film explores the disturbing legacy of the Marcos regime and chronicles Imelda’s present-day push to help her son, Bongbong, win the vice-presidency. To this end, Imel...

Directed By: Lauren Greenfield

Written By: Lauren Greenfield

  • 2019
  • R
  • Showtime Networks
  • 1 h 41 m
  • 2019
  • R
  • Showtime Networks
  • 1 h 41 m

The Kingmaker

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 16 Critic Reviews
76
User Score Generally Favorable Based on 21 User Ratings
6.3
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Where to Watch

Summary Centred on the indomitable character of Imelda Marcos, The Kingmaker examines, with intimate access, the Marcos family’s improbable return to power in the Philippines. The film explores the disturbing legacy of the Marcos regime and chronicles Imelda’s present-day push to help her son, Bongbong, win the vice-presidency. To this end, Imel...

Directed By: Lauren Greenfield

Written By: Lauren Greenfield

Where to Watch

Top Cast

View All
View All Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 16 Critic Reviews
76
94% Positive
15 Reviews
6% Mixed
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews

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

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 16 Critic Reviews
76
94% Positive
15 Reviews
6% Mixed
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
100
Dec 12, 2019
Lauren Greenfield’s film about the Philippines’ former first lady Imelda Marcos reveals a grotesquely self-pitying, wholly unrepentant and very rich woman.
By Peter Bradshaw FULL REVIEW
80
Jan 22, 2020
A terrifying reminder that those with absolute power don’t make good retirees.
By Tara Brady FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 21 User Ratings
6.3
67% Positive
14 Ratings
5% Mixed
1 Rating
29% Negative
6 Ratings

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

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 21 User Ratings
6.3
67% Positive
14 Ratings
5% Mixed
1 Rating
29% Negative
6 Ratings

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
10
FN63R
Mar 19, 2022
After hearing Imelda Marcos talk with certain statements, I paused the movie to briefly look up some historical facts. After continuing to play the movie, I now cannot unsee the massive red nose on Imelda's nose. Great movie if you can overlook that glaring issue.
Report
10
bobinvenice
Sep 5, 2020
Be gone Marcos **** KINGMAKER is yet another Greenfield masteriece.
Report
80
Oct 30, 2019
Though Greenfield is too skilled to overplay her intentions, the picture that emerges gains additional power from its clarifying distance. The Kingmaker is required viewing for anyone concerned about the direction of their own democracy.
By Elizabeth Weitzman FULL REVIEW
75
Nov 7, 2019
Maybe Marcos imagined this documentary would humanize her. Greenfield did. But not in the way that her subject would have preferred.
By Chris Barsanti FULL REVIEW
70
Nov 9, 2019
It’s a documentary that starts as a nonfiction portrait and ends as a horror movie.
By David Fear FULL REVIEW
67
Nov 5, 2019
While researching the project, Greenfield herself thought she might find a “redemption story.” But the film eventually proves to be a far more troubling examination of the Marcoses’ continued political hold in the Philippines.
By Lawrence Garcia FULL REVIEW
60
Jan 7, 2020
More than 70 civil and criminal charges have been lodged against the family. Marcos flaunted her wealth while her country’s living standards plummeted, and Greenfield’s portrait is damning.
By Simran Hans FULL REVIEW
See All 16 Critic Reviews
9
pinkmachismo
Aug 30, 2020
It looks like the trolls got here to give this eye-opening film negative reviews. Such is the power of the Marcos brand, which has been passed on to the Duterte regime.
Report
6
carlossolrac
May 2, 2022
Bongbong is about to take the throne in real life so this movie should be watched by everyone who doesn't consider themselves a Manilla folder.
Report
See All 4 User Reviews

Details

 View All
Production Company Evergreen Pictures, Candescent Films, Artemis Rising Foundation, Bloomberg, Danish Documentary Production, Det Danske Filminstitut, Impact Partners, Secret Sauce Media, Showtime Documentary Films, Sundance Institute
Release Date Nov 8, 2019
Duration 1 h 41 m
Rating R
Genres
Tagline "Perception is Real, And the Truth is Not." - Imelda Marcos
Website http://www.evergreenpictures.tv/
View All Details

Awards

Critics' Choice Documentary Awards
• 1 Win & 4 Nominations
Warsaw International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
London Film Festival
• 1 Nomination

Related Movies

Hoop Dreams

98
Universal Acclaim

Man with a Movie Camera

96
Universal Acclaim

Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

96
Universal Acclaim

I Am Not Your Negro

95
Universal Acclaim

Woodstock

95
Universal Acclaim

Collective

95
Universal Acclaim

Amazing Grace

94
Universal Acclaim

Stop Making Sense

94
Universal Acclaim

We Were Here

94
Universal Acclaim

Faces Places

94
Universal Acclaim

David Byrne’s American Utopia

93
Universal Acclaim

Shoah: Four Sisters

93
Universal Acclaim

Our Body

93
Universal Acclaim

Sherpa

93
Universal Acclaim

The Decline of Western Civilization

93
Universal Acclaim

Brother's Keeper

93
Universal Acclaim

Crumb

93
Universal Acclaim

One More Time with Feeling

92
Universal Acclaim

Sugarcane

92
Universal Acclaim

The Act of Killing

92
Universal Acclaim

De Humani Corporis Fabrica

92
Universal Acclaim

Menus Plaisirs - Les Troisgros

92
Universal Acclaim

Related News

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
Every Zack Snyder Movie, Ranked

Every Zack Snyder Movie, Ranked

Nick Hyman

With the arrival of Zack Snyder's latest Rebel Moon chapter on Netflix, we rank every one of the director's films—from bad to, well, less bad—by Metascore.

  • movie
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
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