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The Emperor's Club (2002)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:125
Fresh:63
Rotten:62
Average Rating:5.8/10
Consensus: Though Kline is excellent in his portrayal of Hundert, the movie is too dull and sentimental to distinguish itself from other titles in its genre.
Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: At St. Benedict's prep school, the boys are disciplined, mannered, and ready to learn. But when a bad apple enters the classroom of the well-respected Mr. Hundert (Kevin Kline), chaos ensues.... At St. Benedict's prep school, the boys are disciplined, mannered, and ready to learn. But when a bad apple enters the classroom of the well-respected Mr. Hundert (Kevin Kline), chaos ensues. Sedgewick Bell (Emile Hirsch, DANGEROUS LIVES OF ALTAR BOYS) is a kid with a chip on his shoulder and a powerful senator for a father. He is a shock to the system of Mr. Hundert, whose firm moral standards and unshakeable integrity are genuinely challenged by Sedgewick's eye-rolling, rule-breaking, uncaring insubordination. Determined to change Sedgewick, "mold him," and bring out the strong and true character that he believes to be at the core of every student, Mr. Hundert makes Sedgewick his priority. However, their bond will remain a thorn in Mr. Hundert's side for years thereafter, even beyond his retirement. Based on a short story by Ethan Canin, and directed by Michael Hoffman, THE EMPEROR'S CLUB uses crisp photography and convincing performances to communicate this wholesome tale of honor, morality, and trying to do what's right at all costs. [More]
Starring: Kevin Kline, Emile Hirsch, Steven Culp, Patrick Dempsey
Starring: Kevin Kline, Emile Hirsch, Steven Culp, Patrick Dempsey, Embeth Davidtz, Joel Gretsch, Edward Herrman, Rob Morrow, Harris Yulin, Paul Dano, Jesse Eisenberg, Rishi Mehta, Rahul Khanna
Director: Michael Hoffman
Director: Michael Hoffman
Screenwriter: Neil Tolkin
Producer: Andrew Karsch, Marc Abraham
Composer: James Newton Howard
Studio: Universal Pictures
Reviews for The Emperor's Club
A liberal drama that's so safe, the camera was probably wrapped up in cotton wool.
Prep school professor tries to mold his students into upstanding young men, in particular one problem student. Ho-hum.
While it does trumpet good virtues and offer good lessons, it does so without grit, passion, or originality.
...allows Kline to play the sort of cocksure character he specializes in.
William Hundert (Kevin Kline) isn't charismatic or cool I like that about him. He isn't selling his own personality, authenticity, or commitment; he isn't selling education as self-actualization (Dead Poets Society)
Welcome to The Emperor's Club, close affiliate to the Dead Poet's Society and Mr Holland's Opus, where students arrive in limousines and wear ties to class.
Kevin Kline's star turn as a good-yet-flawed prep school teacher is a very different take on private-school-flick cliches. ...
...Teeters on the edge of over-sentimentality, occasionally just going ahead and falling in.
The generic standard of the super-teacher is only one piece of a larger, more satisfying story that runs counter to the overblown optimism of films like Dead Poets Society.
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