This slapdash comedy barely coughs up more than a couple of funny scenes as the story moves in predictable fits and starts before sputtering out of fuel half way through.
Comment
06/19/09
King's Ransom (2005)
2
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:49
Fresh:1
Rotten:48
Average Rating:2.3/10
Consensus: Filled with crass dialogue, unlikable characters, and overdone slapstick gags, King's Ransom is an utterly inept would-be comedy.
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: Anthony Anderson sheds his usual sidekick status, heading up the ensemble cast as Malcolm King, a boorish, egomaniacal billionaire who owns a huge, equally tasteless marketing firm in Chicago. The... [More]
Starring: Anthony Anderson, Jay Mohr, Regina Hall, Loretta Devine
Director: Jeff Byrd
Reviews for King's Ransom
The wordplay of the title here is the only slightly clever element of this extremely lame comedy.
08/07/08
The script, by TV writer Wayne Conley, shares some elements with the old Danny DeVito comedy Ruthless People, but humor isn't one of them.
01/05/07
Click to read the article
10/30/06
Anthony Anderson shows he can star in a movie without a kangaroo in this kidnapping plan gone crazy.
10/17/05
King's Ransom lumbers forth clumsily, choreographing its slapstick pratfalls with all the class and taste of a Courtney Love relapse.
09/26/05
The thing looks like it was written in a week, directed in two, and forgotten about by all involved in less than three.
08/01/05
King’s Ransom deserves to be bashed, burned, and have its ashes scattered over Hollywood
07/25/05
It is, quite plainly, like watching a movie that’s trying to go out of its way to be horrible.
07/23/05
I couldn't pay anyone to see this movie. Literally.
05/21/05
(Anthony) Anderson is funny, usually. Just not here.
05/06/05
Basically an improv scene sprawling to feature length.
05/04/05
A mirthless comedy about venal people doing stupid things.
05/01/05
Mean-spirited, unpleasant comedy about characters who are both nasty and stupid and who deserve every bad thing that happens to them. In fact, they deserve more.
04/30/05
Byrd’s romp through the most contemptible stereotypes of women, gays, and ethnic minorities makes his film unfit for just about anyone, never mind royalty.
04/30/05
All these plots converge in a decidedly unfunny cacophony.
04/29/05
Needless to say, as a cringe-worthy and excruciatingly awful comedy, you shouldn't pay a dime of King's Ransom.
04/29/05
'Screenwriter' Wayne Conley's idea of side-splitting dialogue is to have characters repeatedly tell King to "kiss their black ass." Or announce that they just "pooted."
04/29/05
Marital bickering, a mistaken-identity sex romp and booty shots galore follow, but few laughs.
04/28/05
[A] crass, trashy and none-too-funny comedy.
04/27/05
Latest News for King's Ransom
August 14, 2006:
"Zoom" Tomatometer: Zero
"Zoom" is soaring, flying high into the rarified territory where only seven films before it have ventured. The film, which stars Tim Allen and Courteney Cox, is... More...
December 01, 2005:
Critical Consensus: "Aeon Flux" Not Screened. Draw Your Own Conclusions
A cast that includes two Oscar winners (Charlize Theron and Frances McDormand) and some top-flight supporting players (Pete Postlethwaite and Jonny Lee Miller). A big-budget... More...
August 18, 2005:
Critical Consensus: "Red Eye," "The 40 Year-Old Virgin" Soar
This week at the movies brings four studies in aviation. What happens when you're trapped on a plane with a creepy seatmate? (See "Red Eye.") Is it ever too late for... More...
April 25, 2005:
Penn & Kidman "Interpret" an Impressive Box Office Weekend
Not surprisingly, Sydney Pollack's "The Interpreter," starring Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn, took the #1 box office spot in its opening weekend. But while analysts... More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
RT on YouTube 
Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.
RT on Twitter
Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.
IGN RSS Feeds