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A Knight's Tale won't be winning any Oscars anytime soon, but neither will it be a disappointment at the box office. It is a pretty typical popcorn movie full of corny dialogue, action, humor, and even a recycled plot. But despite all of this, A Knight's Tale still manages to deliver two solid hours of entertainment, though it probably is worth waiting to see on DVD.
The story focuses on a brave young squire named William, (Heath Ledger) who decides to impersonate his dead master in order to win a jousting tournament. After his success he convinces his fellow squires that it would be a good idea for them to create a royal identity and travel the land competing in tournaments and wooing fair maidens along the way.
Now before people start emailing me telling me that I am one of those 'anal-retentive bastard' critics I claim to hate, I feel that I should say one thing. I do realize that this film wasn't supposed to be a period piece along the lines of Braveheart and Gladiator (supposedly), but come on!!! a little realism would have been nice. I knew I was in trouble when the opening sequence had a crowd singing "We Will, We Will, Rock You". Luckily I had seen the previews and was expecting it at some point, just not right away. What I really was not prepared for was the new lows this film would strive for in cheesiness. I'm sorry, but the dialogue was absolutely hilarious, particularly the scenes where Ledger and his cohort's were composing a love letter. The Nike Swoosh on the armor just about sent me into the aisle, but I guess if you think about it Nike had to steal the idea from someone. Perhaps my biggest complaint had to do with Jocelyn. What the hell was up with her makeup! Now I know that I sound a bit odd when I say that, but come on, sparkly makeup crap on a mid-evil princess, that's just going to far! I will give Shannyn Sossamon this though, she was by far the most beautiful thing in the film. To bad the horses had more personality.
Enough with the complaining before you kind folks get the wrong idea. I actually did enjoy myself and there were plenty of positives to go along with the negatives I mentioned. The action sequences were solid, with just the right amount of humor to keep the audience on their toes. Most of the performances were strong, with Paul Bettany stealing most of the scenes he was in. Even though we have seen the plot before, it still managed to be entertaining, well-paced, and created a fun rivalry. I really dug the reference to Geoffrey Chaucer (know your history kiddies!), though it seems that I have to explain it to most of my friends.
Despite all of these positives, the film still could have been a disaster if it wasn't for the fact that it didn't take itself too seriously. A Knight's Tale does not try to say anything profound, but instead just tries to entertain the audience for a couple of hours. In today's age of deep inner-meanings this can be a welcome relief, though I bet those 'professional critics' would disagree.
6/10
