A pretty good TV movie with one great performance.
Comment
11/13/06
The Queen (2006)
97
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:177
Fresh:171
Rotten:6
Average Rating:8.4/10
Consensus: Full of wit, humor, and pathos, Stephen Frears’ moving portrait of the British royals during the period after Princess Diana's death features not one but two remarkable performances, that of Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II and Michael Sheen as the newly-ordained Prime Minister Tony Blair. They embody their characters and lay bare the motivations behind these prominent people, giving viewers a glimpse into the inner workings of the British monarchy.
Theatrical Release:15-09-2006
Synopsis: Helen Mirren delivers a royally stirring performance as Queen Elizabeth II in Stephen Frears's fictional romp, THE QUEEN. The year is 1997, and Great Britain has a newly elected prime minister, the... [More]
Starring: Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen, James Cromwell, Sylvia Syms
Director: Stephen Frears
Reviews for The Queen
Brilliantly enigmatic. It is a tribute to director Stephen Frears and screenwriter Peter Morgan for refusing to take the easy route in storytelling.
11/13/06
Mirren's performance is a towering achievement.
11/11/06
Whether the monarchy is worthy of such affection is a debate for another movie; this one works wonderfully on its own terms.
11/10/06
Frears refuses to rest on the subject's inherent weight, providing a rare, if somewhat fictionalized, peek behind the royal curtain.
11/09/06
The several shots of Elizabeth II (Helen Mirren) driving her SUV over bumpy roadways are quite the highlight in The Queen.
11/09/06
The Queen, though irreverent at times, offers us a sense of the weight of that crown, and what it's like to bear a responsibility not just to tradition but to breaking with tradition when circumstances demand it.
11/03/06
Frears, who's tended toward edgier, more rebellious fare through his career, brings a remarkably even hand to The Queen. He lifts the story out of the realm of political debate and puts a human face on the monarchy.
11/03/06
In good times and bad, for good or ill, she is the public face of her nation. Mirren, Frears and Morgan let us see just how much a burden that mask has been.
11/03/06
This drama has a lot of wit and humor, and is pretty enthralling -- and at less than 100 minutes, the film practically flies by.
11/03/06
In Mirren's prim yet probing hands, Elizabeth becomes truly heartfelt.
11/03/06
A thoughtful look at the difficult process of rebounding from tragedy and of reactionary modernism encroaching on moribund tradition.
11/02/06
A wicked -- and wickedly good -- show that takes a highly dubious premise and somehow turns it into one of the year's best films.
11/01/06
Mirren's ability to disappear into the stoic modern monarch in the week following Princess Diana's death may warrant her an Oscar for The Queen -- and it would not be undeserved.
11/01/06
Palace intrigue at its finest.
10/30/06
Click to read the article
10/28/06
A film of nearly Shakespearean political, social and personal complexities, made with assured wit and craft.
10/27/06
A fly-on-the-wall perspective that, while perhaps specifically speculative, finds inarguable verisimilitude in Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II, who personifies the film's contrary dynamics.
10/27/06
Allows us to understand just how heavy the crown really sits.
10/27/06
Mirren delivers a brilliant performance, one that jibes effortlessly with the public figure we’ve been watching for more than 50 years while plumbing depths we’ve never been privy to.
10/27/06
Latest News for The Queen
January 20, 2009:
RT Interview: Michael Sheen on Frost/Nixon
Michael Sheen has made a name for himself playing real-life characters, from Tony Blair in The Deal and The Queen, to Kenneth Williams in Fantabulosa!. This week sees the... More...
October 25, 2007:
Hollywood Braces for Writers' Strike
We're just a few days away from the Writers Guild strike deadline, and things aren't looking good. More...
October 02, 2007:
Peter Morgan Preps Sequel to The Queen
Peter Morgan has taken his "Blair trilogy" from The Deal to The Queen -- and now, Variety reports, he's preparing the third installment. More...
September 11, 2007:
Toronto Film Fest: Ang Lee's Lust, Caution Reviewed
Among the higher profile entries in Toronto, Ang Lee's Lust, Caution had a particular notoriety coming in; not only were fest-watchers waiting to confirm or contradict the early... More...
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