The Proverbial Blast From The Past... "A Knight's Tale"

A Knight's Tale (2001)

Rated PG-13 for language, violence and partial nudity

Starring Heath Ledger,  Rufus Sewell, Shannyn Sossamon, Paul Bettany, Mark Addy, Alan Tudyk, James Purefoy

Directed by Brian Helgeland

The Story:

William Thatcher is a squire whose master dies.  He assumes the identity of the knight to compete and feed himself and his partners Roland (Addy and Wat (Tudyk).  On their journey to tournaments, they meet a young man named Chaucer (Bettany) who forges paper for William that allows him access to bigger and better tournaments.  Then William  sees the lovely Jocelyn (Sossamon) and is in love, and this brings him into direct conflict with Count Adhemar (Sewell).  Will the charade work, or will everything come undone?

I have heard people moan and groan about how much they don't care for this movie...

I am in the other camp.

The happy camp, that enjoys this movie and revels in how much fun the movie is having.

Yes, that includes the usage of rock music in a medieval setting.

A lot of people hated it.

For me, it works.

I don't come to this one hoping for a fairly historical drama.

I want fun.

And that's exactly what we are given from start to finish.

The entire cast is pitch perfect... Sewell as Count Adhemar is a particularly perfect evil foil to Ledger's hero.

I am still torn over which Heath Ledger performance is my favorite, this one or 10 Things I Hate About You. 

You can take his turn as The Joker.  I'll enjoy these films instead.  Way more fun...

Paul Bettany seems to be having a blast as Chaucer, and his introductions at the fight are nothing short of legendary.

A small, but pivotal role is James Purefoy as Sir William Colville... who also isn't exactly what he seems either.

: )

This movie gets a lot of airplay in our house.

A lot.

No complaints.

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Own it. It gets watched at least once a year.  When it wears out, Blu Ray upgrade. ;)

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 25 ~ 10 Things I Hate About You

Today's movie is a modern-day twist on Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew".  10  Things I Hate About You did the right thing though, and kept the intent of Shakespeare's play, and dialogue as needed, but otherwise updated the language so that it played like "normal teenagers" talking.

More or less.

I've seen other Shakespearean adaptations that try to bring the Bard to "now", but insist on keeping his speeches intact.  While I appreciate what they are trying to do, it normally fails in execution and really can pull you out of the moment.

For those that are not familiar with the play, or the movie... sheesh... how do you summarize this plot without giving away all of the fun?

The new guy in school, Cameron, wants to date the prettiest girl he's ever seen, Bianca.  Except that she cannot date, unless her older sister, Kat, is also dating.  Needless to say, Kat is not interested in dating whatsoever.  So Cameron and his best friend enlist the aid of the rich ne'er-do-well to pay someone else, Patrick Verona, to take Kat out on dates.  He does this, thinking that he will have a shot at dating Bianca, but Cameron is hoping to secretly win her heart.

Eh, close enough, right?

So, let's see, starring as Cameron was Joseph Gordon Levitt, the "It" Guy of the moment.  I remember him from Angels in the Outfield, but this would really be his big silver screen moment.

And no, I didn't watch Third Rock from the Sun, so there's that for the rest of you.

Next up, Julia Stiles as the Shrew, Kat.  For me, this is her finest role, because otherwise, I'm just not that big a fan of hers.

Quite possibly, the biggest star at the time, was David Krumholtz as Michael, the best friend.  He was Bernard the Elf from The Santa Clause, so his was a face I was already familiar with.

My favorite character would have to be the dad, as envisioned by Larry Miller, I laugh at every scene he's in.

Finally, what can I begin to say about Heath Ledger?  File him under the same category as Chris Evans or Ryan Reynolds.  This was the first movie I saw Ledger in, and I was an instant fan.  As Patrick, he is funny, sensitive, angry and a very complex character.  Everyone thinks they know him, but no one is even close.

A Knight's Tale came very close to making this list as well, really on the strong performance that he gave in that role as well.

Sadly, a talent taken too soon from movie fans around the globe.  It would have been a tremendous body of work he could have created over the next 30-50 years...

But, don't dwell on the negative.  Enjoy the fun body of work that Ledger and company created here.  Their big breaks, in a lot of cases.  And one that is a blast to watch and holds up just as well today.

You have to give some credit to Shakespeare I would imagine.

: )