W.E.

Name: W.E.
Genre: Drama, Romance
Released: December 9, 2011
Duration: 115 min
Rating: 37

2011

METASCORE

Generally unfavorable reviews based on 32 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 105 Ratings

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6.9

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6.9	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 105 Ratings

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W.E.

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Movie Details & Credits

Weinstein Company, The | Release Date: December 9, 2011 | Not Rated

Summary: Madonna's W.E. is a tale about the search for true love in the modern world, viewed through the prism of one of history's most fabled romances. The year is 1998, and Manhattan is abuzz with anticipation about the upcoming auction of the estate of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. But the auction is far more than a diversion for WallyMadonna's W.E. is a tale about the search for true love in the modern world, viewed through the prism of one of history's most fabled romances. The year is 1998, and Manhattan is abuzz with anticipation about the upcoming auction of the estate of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. But the auction is far more than a diversion for Wally Winthrop, a transplanted Southerner trapped in an unhappy and abusive marriage. Transfixed by the exquisite artifacts of the Windsors' lives, Wally becomes obsessed with the love story of Wallis Simspon, the chic, charismatic American who captured the heart of King Edward VIII. As she learns more about the sacrifices Wallis made in choosing to be with Edward, Wally finds the courage to follow her own heart and create her own happiness. (CanalStudio)… Expand

Director: Madonna

Genre(s): Drama, Romance

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 115 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

Diego Semerene

Dec 12, 2011

W.E.'s is a kind of dynamic pleasure that allows for non-shameful identification with the feminine and a fantasy of becoming what we see. Read full review

Empire Damon Wise

Jan 16, 2012

An uneven study of a notorious love story, raised by some superb performances and nuances, but brought down by awkward direction. Read full review

Shawn Levy

Mar 15, 2012

The nearest thing to W. E. is Sofia Coppola's "Marie Antoinette," which tried to make a sympathetic victim of another of history's most notorious royal wives. Read full review

Betsy Sharkey

Dec 8, 2011

W.E., Madonna's second go at directing a feature film, leaves one wishing she'd find other creative outlets for those times when she's bored with the pop-star life. Read full review

Manohla Dargis

Feb 2, 2012

The upshot is that instead of a film about a love that conquered a king and nearly undid a kingdom, Madonna has come up with a female friendship movie, which would be fine if she weren't busy trying to prove her art-film bona fides. Read full review

Michael Phillips

Feb 9, 2012

Madonna stayed married to director Guy Ritchie just long enough to absorb his most grating cinematic instincts - shooting in every style, in an addled, shuffle-mode, falsely glamorizing way until all is chaos. And, astonishingly, boredom. Read full review

Richard Corliss

Dec 12, 2011

It's a shame that W.E. smells so bad. Read full review

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User Reviews

Visser

Nov 11, 2013

This is really sad that this really great movie get so much hate only because it's Madonna movie.
I'm 100% sure that if she would decide to use fake name as a director she would get much better scores.
Well shame on you, if you judge it only because you can stand Queen of Pop being perfectThis is really sad that this really great movie get so much hate only because it's Madonna movie.
I'm 100% sure that if she would decide to use fake name as a director she would get much better scores.
Well shame on you, if you judge it only because you can stand Queen of Pop being perfect in everything she does … Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

monicaB

Aug 6, 2021

Una historia bien contada, los actores hacen muy buen papel, te llevan a esa época....

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

tintin_tintine

Aug 30, 2017

Apart from terribly miscast Oscar Isaak this movie is great. Good Russian Guatemala-looking specialist. Really? He looks like a guy from Chechnya, our troubled all-muslim province that all Russia was happy to get rid of. In 90s, of course. Boston marathon bombing, remember? This is not wellApart from terribly miscast Oscar Isaak this movie is great. Good Russian Guatemala-looking specialist. Really? He looks like a guy from Chechnya, our troubled all-muslim province that all Russia was happy to get rid of. In 90s, of course. Boston marathon bombing, remember? This is not well thought. Ukrainian? They're stubborn - he could never let Wally travel to Paris. And money... Ukrainians are proud to call Jews "kids" compared to their sence of keeping money. My grandfather was from Kharkov, Ukraine. My grandmother and he could never agree on anything. But maybe he's Armenian who was orphaned and adopted in Ukraine. But as it's not on the screen it's not the case. Sad. I see Madonna is extremely talented but sometimes she just doesn't understand what screenwriting is all about. You can't just write Eugene Hutz as a guardian and then cast Oscar Isaac just because you love Latin guys. It's about creating the universe that's believable.

Special thanks for "Dance For Me Wallis" from figure skating fans of World Champion Eugenia Medvedeva. Her dress was everything.

IMHO, people don't understand the simple fact - Edward's father was Georg V, cousin of Nicholas II, the last Russian emperor. They were almost lookalikes - just check their photos. Nikolai was married to Aleksandra, Queen Viktoria's granddaughter. And Edward VII didn't give his cousin and his family of 7 children asylum in the UK in 1918, just after Russian Revolution. Nice gesture, isn't it? And Edward was awarder personally by Nicholas II with St. George award in 1916. Maybe he was shocked by his father's gesture. That alone makes Edward VIII and angel compared to his evil father, who chose against heart for political reasons. I'm not implying that Madonna's dated "Reds" director Warren Beatty to have a broader view on the subject. But let's face it: Edward's brother is respected in Britain for the same reasons Stalin is respected in Russia. They might've been terrible, but they won the WWII. Stalin was Georgian and was Ok with genocide on Russians not because he was Georgian, but because he was a tyrant. And Georg VI was all about making peace with Hitler and hated Churchill at first.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JacqueM

Nov 25, 2021

W.E. is a great film, the plot, the music, and the information. Glad it won a Golden Globe award.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JohnO

Dec 22, 2012

Like a Moving Tapestry W. E. is a delightful movie that blends two love stories, a biography and history.

There were many moments when the camera work is stunning. The actors deftly bring to life a gripping story line. The beautiful costumes and lovely sets give this show a richLike a Moving Tapestry W. E. is a delightful movie that blends two love stories, a biography and history.

There were many moments when the camera work is stunning.

The actors deftly bring to life a gripping story line.

The beautiful costumes and lovely sets give this show a rich texture.

Madonna directed this and I look forward to more works of art she directs.
Wikipedia informs me she also co-wrote this so I am even more amazed. I would highly recommend this for Date night whether married or single
Romantics… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

madmandonna

Apr 27, 2012

W.E. is one of three biopics I have seen this year, after The Iron Lady and J Edgar. Of the three I think W.E. is probably the best, but all three tread the path of the mediocre. What W.E. gets right is Wallis Simpson, Riseborough is fantastic in the lead role and has great chemistry withW.E. is one of three biopics I have seen this year, after The Iron Lady and J Edgar. Of the three I think W.E. is probably the best, but all three tread the path of the mediocre. What W.E. gets right is Wallis Simpson, Riseborough is fantastic in the lead role and has great chemistry with James D'Arcy. The biggest problem with the film is the the second tier of the romance with Abbie Cornish's Wally Winthrop, though the romance picks up momentum around the one hour mark, it slows down the pace of the Wallis Simpson segments.

The script has high and low notes, the romance at times is reduced sappiness, but these are forgivable even when they are at there worst. What is probably the biggest weakness in W.E. is the often close up hand held camera shots. The occasional one works nicely, but these shots are put in far too often and take you out of the story. In most cases the camera work could have been more simplistic, it too often feels erratic which isn't good in the more tender moments of the film.

The music in W.E. is beautiful and the addition of "Masterpiece" in the credits is a lovely song to go side by side with the film. However sometimes the music is a little over powering, once again just a case of less is more. The much discussed and derided scene with Wallis dancing the Charleston with a tribesman to The Sex Pistols "pretty Vacant", I really liked. I felt the scene was a good way to show how frivolous the character could be, using the modern day Wally's imagination to keep the scene from feeling alien.

Undoubtedly the best part of W.E. is the costume and lighting. The attention to detail in this department is incredible. Every costume looks stunning and is meticulously put together down to the nearest diamond, and the lighting makes the landscapes almost feel like paintings it really is stunning.

All in all W.E. is a great attempt from Madonna to craft a stunning looking film, though the storytelling can be muddled and the film takes around 40 minutes to really get going, its doesn't completely take away from the overall film. Historical inaccuracies put aside would have made this film a 7, but not exploring the Nazi element could have made this so much more interesting. The negative reviews of this film aren't looking at it from fair perspective and anyone with half a brain can see though not amazing, W.E. is at least half decent and for a directors second film pretty damn good.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Madge

Sep 23, 2014

What? How dare anyone rank this below a 9. Let me rate a 0 to show you all how angry I am. If Oprah can make a network, I can make a damn film. I even managed to keep my gollum-like fingers clung behind the lens to save on having to provide sick bags in movie theaters - you should allWhat? How dare anyone rank this below a 9. Let me rate a 0 to show you all how angry I am. If Oprah can make a network, I can make a damn film. I even managed to keep my gollum-like fingers clung behind the lens to save on having to provide sick bags in movie theaters - you should all grovel. Let me be clear - I will get Nicki Minaj and someone else relevant to find each and every reviewer and smack them to the point where they speak like Cher. Oh well, at least this movie only cost me $30 million - I've paid more for black kids to stay relevant!… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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