Rotten Tomatoes Logo Do you want to see ‘A Knight's Tale’?

A Knight's Tale (2001)

tomatometer

58

Average Rating: 5.8/10
Reviews Counted: 146
Fresh: 85 | Rotten: 61

Once you get past the anachronism, A Knight's Tale becomes a predictable, if spirited, Rocky on horseback.

57

Average Rating: 5.7/10
Critic Reviews: 35
Fresh: 20 | Rotten: 15

Once you get past the anachronism, A Knight's Tale becomes a predictable, if spirited, Rocky on horseback.

audience

80

liked it
Average Rating: 3.5/5
User Ratings: 345,764

My Rating

Movie Info

This crowd-pleasing medieval adventure tale is very loosely inspired by Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales and mixes the anachronistic elements of modern-day rock music and colloquialisms with a period setting and characters. Heath Ledger stars as William Thatcher, a low-born 14th century squire who, in a fit of inspired spontaneity, replaces his deceased employer as the competitor at a jousting competition. Jousting is a pastime only permitted to knights, who are of noble birth, but

Sep 25, 2001

$55.0M

Columbia Pictures

Cast

All Critics (153) | Top Critics (37) | Fresh (90) | Rotten (63) | DVD (36)

Instead of pulling young audiences imaginatively back into the past, A Knight's Tale cheapens the process by demonstrating that there's no essential difference between then and now.

August 6, 2001 Full Review Source: New York Magazine | Comment (1)
New York Magazine
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The movie promises to rock you, and much of the time it does.

June 11, 2001 Full Review Source: Washington Post | Comment
Washington Post
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The result is half Python, half Ivanhoe -- and not as much fun as either.

June 4, 2001 Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | Comment
TIME Magazine
Top Critic IconTop Critic

You might find yourself smiling and laughing all the way through it.

May 21, 2001 Full Review Source: Slate | Comment
Slate
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Essentially, it's a screenful of pseudo-medieval popcorn that hits a high enough level of goofy fun to transcend a pretty blatant marketing strategy aimed at the MTV demographic.

May 14, 2001 Comment
Boston Globe
Top Critic IconTop Critic

May please aficionados of oldies stations and Xtreme sports but few others.

May 11, 2001 Full Review Source: USA Today | Comment
USA Today
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Slightly edgy medieval tale with rock music.

December 21, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | Comment
Common Sense Media

It's as if Helgeland didn't have enough confidence in his own material's basic appeal that he resorted to desperate pandering.

April 4, 2010 Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | Comment
TheMovieReport.com

Endless jousting tournaments transpire with lots of balsa wood jousting poles splintering across the screen. It's a classic example of a "'what-on-earth-were-they-thinking" movie that no group of filmmakers and actors could have ever pulled off with much

July 18, 2009 Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | Comments (2)
ColeSmithey.com

Unmotivated storyline, bad love interest situation, dull leading man, quick plot with no set-up. Lazy movie.

April 29, 2009 Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | Comment
Cinema Crazed

For all its mainstream exertions, A Knight's Tale is actually something of an experimental melding of old and new.

July 23, 2007 Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | Comment
eFilmCritic.com

A Knight's Tale looks and sounds pretty darned good in Blu-ray.

September 16, 2006 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis | Comment
Movie Metropolis

Whipping along at speed, with elaborate camera movements and rousing speeches, this knows how to engage a crowd. It's corny, of course, but a guilty pleasure: romantic, diverting, with mildly amusing modern gags.

June 24, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out | Comment

An inventive medieval epic....

November 26, 2005 Full Review Source: Zap2it.com | Comment
Zap2it.com

It can get a bit old. But in the end, the populist theme and anachronisms save the day. A Knight's Tale is a fun and funky romp.

September 26, 2005 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis | Comment
Movie Metropolis

A breezy, lightweight romp perfect for a summer afternoon.

September 23, 2005 Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | Comment
Combustible Celluloid

...surprisingly intelligent summer fare...

August 1, 2003 Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | Comment
Reel Film Reviews

It's all done with a light-hearted touch and a wicked sense of humor.

April 5, 2003 Full Review Source: Killer Movie Reviews | Comment
Killer Movie Reviews

Historical accuracy is cashed in for a classic rock soundtrack and a forest of shattered lances, but the trade-off is worthwhile.

March 20, 2003 Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | Comment
eFilmCritic.com

Minor grievances aside, this warped medieval yarn glides by on a funny, friendly, goofy sort of goodness.

March 10, 2003 Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | Comment
Austin Chronicle
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for A Knight's Tale

Prince Edward: Your men love you. If I knew nothing else about you, that would be enough. "He didn't make the rules. He was born to break them."A Knight's Tale is a cool and fun ride through the Medieval time period with a classic rock soundtrack. I honestly fell in love with this movie right away because of the first

January 19, 2011
blkbomb
Melvin White

Super Reviewer

Oh Heath Ledger, you were so good in here. I seriously felt bad when watching this. This was awesome. He was just fantastic. R.I.P Heath Ledger :(

October 17, 2010
3niR
Dead Angel

Super Reviewer

    1. John Thatcher: [hearing William enter] Is someone there? If you're here for the net, I haven't finished it yet. Who are you?
    2. William Thatcher: A knight. My name is...Ulrich.
    3. John Thatcher: I hear your name called out there. What business have you here?
    4. William Thatcher: I have word, Master Thatcher. Word of your son.
    5. John Thatcher: [drops his tools] Of my William? Come in, sir. What word? Does he live?
    6. William Thatcher: Oh yes. He lives. He wanted you to know...he changed his stars after all.
    7. John Thatcher: [emotion washes over, he starts crying] And has he followed his feet? Has he found his way home at last?
    8. William Thatcher: Yes. [his father blindly reaches out; now it's William's turn to cry] Oh, Father.
    9. John Thatcher: Oh, William. Oh my boy. [shoulders shake with sobs as he and his son melt in each other's arms]
    – Submitted by Jordan P (21 days ago)
    1. Chaucer: [keeping time with a stick as William and Wat dance] And one, two, and three and four and your hands should be light like a birdy on a branch. And one, two, and three and four and Wat doesn't lead. He follows like a girl.
    2. Wat: [looks at William]
    3. William Thatcher: [shrugs in agreement with Chaucer]
    4. Wat: [laughs a bit, then punches Chaucer in the nose]
    5. Chaucer: [with some bloody cotton up his nose moments later, conducting William and Wat] And one, two and twirly, twirly, twirly. One and two and you're still getting it wrong. And one, two, and three and four. You can hit me all day cause you punch like a what?
    6. Roland: A girl.
    – Submitted by Jordan P (21 days ago)
    1. William Thatcher: Your just a silly girl!
    2. Jocelyn: Better a silly girl with a flower than a silly boy with a horse and a stick.
    3. Wat: It's called a lance. Hello?
    – Submitted by Conner F (8 months ago)
    1. William Thatcher: [sees a naked man on the road] Oi sir, what are you doing?
    2. Chaucer: Uh... trudging. You know, trudging? [pause] To trudge: the slow, weary, depressing yet determined walk of a man who has nothing left in life except the impulse to simply soldier on.
    3. William Thatcher: Uhhh... were you robbed?
    4. Chaucer: [laughs] Funny really, yes, but at the same time a huge resounding no. It's more of an... involuntary vow of poverty... really.
    – Submitted by Aske P (11 months ago)

Latest News for A Knight's Tale

December 14, 2005:
San Fran Crix Make Their Year-End Picks
SAN FRANCISCO -- The love story "Brokeback Mountain" won three major awards, including...

June 15, 2005:
Trailer Bulletin:The Brothers Grimm
AOL Moviefone.com unleashes the first trailer for Terry Gilliam's "The Brothers Grimm,"...

What's Hot On RT

Luis Guzman
Luis Guzman

What are his 10 best movies ever?

<em>Amazing Spider-Man</em>
Amazing Spider-Man

See the all-new action-packed trailer!

The Avengers!
The Avengers!

Five new Marvelous pictures

Total Recall
Total Recall

Unconventional Superheroes

Top Movie Quizzes

LEGO Mania: 2011 Best Picture Nominees
by natalie - 18,542 taken
created 12 months ago
How Much Do You Know About Leonardo DiCaprio?
by natalie - 44,380 taken
created 15 months ago
Pixar Movies!
by jdikwlzviv - 27,124 taken
created 15 months ago
The Wizards of Harry Potter
by jdikwlzviv - 27,626 taken
created 15 months ago
Help | About | Jobs | Newsletter | Critics Submission | API | Licensing | Blog | Developers | Mobile