critics consensus

The Emperor's New Clothes offers trenchant, timely insight on the current socioeconomic climate that is only partly undermined by star Russell Brand's self-aggrandizing on-screen persona. Read critic reviews

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Movie Info

Comedian Russell Brand and filmmaker Michael Winterbottom explore the effects of economic policies on the world.

Genre:

documentary
Original Language:

English
Director:

Michael Winterbottom
Writer:

Russell Brand
Release Date (Theaters):

Dec 6, 2015 limited
Release Date (Streaming):

Mar 31, 2017
Runtime:

1h 41m

Cast & Crew

Russell Brand
Himself - Host

Michael Winterbottom
Director

Russell Brand
Writer

News & Interviews for The Emperor's New Clothes

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Critic Reviews for The Emperor's New Clothes

All Critics (40) | Top Critics (20) | Fresh (24) | Rotten (16)

The latest effort from British director Michael Winterbottom is a well-intentioned but poorly executed documentary on wealth inequality.

January 7, 2016 | Full Review…

Eric Lutz
Chicago Reader
It too often feels like "Button-Pushing Encounters with Russell Brand."

December 18, 2015 | Rating: 1.5/4 | Full Review…

Simon Abrams
RogerEbert.com
Advocacy documentaries simply don't get better or more compelling than this.

December 17, 2015 | Full Review…

Martin Tsai
Los Angeles Times
Brand is a hectoring irritant throughout the film, a walking info dump who occasionally makes a spectacle of himself for the camera.

December 17, 2015 | Full Review…

Scott Tobias
NPR
The only experience more enervating than hearing about The Emperor's New Clothes is actually watching it.

December 17, 2015 | Rating: C- | Full Review…

Noel Murray
AV Club
"The Emperor's New Clothes" is moderately effective agitprop.

December 15, 2015 | Full Review…

Stephen Holden
New York Times
This is something to watch if you're interest or you like Russell Brand and his shtick. It does work fine for a good Sunday afternoon streaming watch, though.

January 11, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/5 | Full Review…

Julian Lytle
Punch Drunk Critics
Brand infuses dry wit into every moment. His non sequiturs are never non grata. Cutting together a thorough portrait of all those affected, this is a documentary that is hard to look away from.

April 5, 2019 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Allie Gemmill
CineVue
Filmmaker Winterbottom has crafted an informative yet persistently erratic documentary that benefits from an ongoing emphasis on personal stories...

June 11, 2018 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…

David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
In this Michael Winterbottom documentary, Brand's Left-wing agenda is undisguised and his views go unchallenged, but he tilts at the familiar windmills with passion, humour and some persuasive, if selective, statistics.

October 30, 2017 | Full Review…

Matthew Bond
The Mail on Sunday (UK)
The structure of the film, as bouncy as Brand is himself, doesn't generate much more than curiosity. This is activism as oddity, and while that's not worthless the way some might claim, it's also not exactly inspiring.

September 25, 2017 | Full Review…

Teo Bugbee
The Daily Beast
The Emperor's New Clothes is watchable, though its long running time and slightly repetitive nature make it a bit warring for those who understand the financial situation.

January 9, 2017 | Full Review…

Alex Lines
Film Inquiry

View All Critic Reviews (40)

Audience Reviews for The Emperor's New Clothes

Oct 19, 2015

http://cinephilecrocodile.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/the-emperors-new-clothes-dir-michael.html

Anthony L Super Reviewer
Jun 21, 2015

Russell Brand takes us on a enigmatic journey inside the corporate heads and dirty deals of banks as well as the growing capitalist regime dominating worldwide financial markets. You may compare him to Michael Moore, targeting the rich profiteering from there gross income whilst ignoring their financial compensation towards the public on ordinary matters getting away with dirty deeds that have you screaming out 'Guilty". Very fascinating and insightful in scope, with enough radicalized wit and glamour of Brand's own political activism. Caution is advised as well as open minds encouraged when watching a documentary like this.

Luke E Super Reviewer