The Queen (2006)
89%RT Audience Score: 85%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Full of wit, humor, and pathos, Stephen Frears’ moving portrait looks at life of the British royals during the period after Princess Diana’s death.
The Queen” is a film that will make you feel like royalty, or at least like you’re watching royalty. The performances are regal, especially Helen Mirren’s portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II. The film manages to balance humor and drama, making it a perfect watch for a cozy night in. It’s a fascinating look into the inner workings of the royal family and how they handle crises. Overall, “The Queen” is a must-watch for anyone who loves a good story, whether you’re a fan of the monarchy or not.
Production Company(ies)
CNN Films, Statement Pictures,
Distributor
Miramax Films
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
TV-MA
Year of Release
2006
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Stereo
-
Aspect ratio:1.78 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 41m
-
Language(s):
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Sep 30, 2006 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 24, 2007
Genre(s)
Biography/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen, James Cromwell, Helen McCrory, Alex Jennings, Roger Allam, directed by Stephen Frears, written by Peter Morgan, biography, drama, PG-13, box office, budget, reviewed by Namrata Joshi, Graham Fuller, Bob Mondello, Joshua Rothkopf, Nell Minow, Sandra Hall, Sarah McMullan, Felicia Feaster, PJ Nabarro, Patrick Nabarro, produced by Andy Harries, Christine Langan, Tracey Seaward, Miramax Films, Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Diana, Tony Blair, British royals, compromise, privacy, mourning, class divide, Windsors, Blairs, tragedy, pathos, humor, wit, portrait, life, period, critic reviews, audience score, original language, release date, distributor, cast and crew, photos, runtime, critic consensus, Shakespeare in Love, Big Fish, The Aviator, Friendly Fire, Romeo and Juliet
Worldwide gross: $123,384,128
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: $56,441,711
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Michael Sheen – Tony Blair
James Cromwell – Prince Philip
Helen McCrory – Cherie Blair
Alex Jennings – Prince Charles
Roger Allam – Robin Janvrin
Director(s)
Stephen Frears
Writer(s)
Peter Morgan
Producer(s)
Andy Harries, Christine Langan, Tracey Seaward
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (199) | Top Critics (58) | Fresh (192) | Rotten (7)
Makes for engaging and entertaining viewing. Not just the subject, it’s also the interpretation and storytelling that one closely identifies with.
January 25, 2019 | Rating: 3/4
Namrata Joshi
Outlook
TOP CRITIC
The film makes brilliant use of juxtaposition to underscore the class divide between the Windsors and the Blairs.
April 12, 2018
Graham Fuller
Film Comment Magazine
TOP CRITIC
A lesser director might make all of this deadly earnest, but Frears treats it as what you might call a tragi-comedy of manners, perfectly serious but human foibles everywhere.
October 18, 2008
Bob Mondello
NPR.org
TOP CRITIC
Both [Michael Sheen and Helen Mirren] understand the prickly push-and-pull that defines the fight — the Gray Monarch v. the Great Modernizer — and give quiet gravitas to the polite but firm standoffs.
February 3, 2007 | Rating: 4/6
Joshua Rothkopf
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Like Blair, we are moved from skepticism to sympathy and ultimately to respect by the stunning performances and the perceptive screenplay.
January 17, 2007 | Rating: A
Nell Minow
Movie Mom
TOP CRITIC
The tight grey curls, the tilt of the head and the no-nonsense walk with elbows and toes stuck out are the Queen’s. The faint hint that this carapace harbours a wicked wit is all down to Mirren.
December 30, 2006 | Rating: 4.5/5
Sandra Hall
Sydney Morning Herald
TOP CRITIC
As always, Mirren is superb as a woman who believes her motivations are beyond reproach, as Queen and that protocol justifies everything.
December 29, 2021
Sarah McMullan
Stuff.co.nz
The Queen feels like a classic women’s picture with a 21st-century media-age makeover.
January 28, 2020
Felicia Feaster
Creative Loafing
It’s surprising how tame and incurious Stephen Frears’ documentation of the aftermath of Diana’s death on the Royal Family (and the Queen in particular) actually is.
August 21, 2019 | Rating: 2/5
PJ Nabarro
Patrick Nabarro
A fantastic, endlessly engrossing film, anchored by some of the year’s best performances and Alexandre Desplat’s liltingly beautiful score.
June 6, 2019 | Rating: 4/4
Mattie Lucas
The Dispatch (Lexington, NC)
A slyly amusing blend of fact, fantasy and hearsay set in England in 1997.
August 23, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
Leigh Paatsch
Herald Sun (Australia)
Frears’s movie pays Britain’s first family the supreme compliment of taking it seriously, and it’s hard not to feel that the results will enjoy a long and fruitful reign in the affections of moviegoers.
August 21, 2018
Andrew O’Hagan
The New York Review of Books…
Plot
Following the death of Princess Diana, Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Tony Blair struggle to find a balance between the royal family’s need for privacy and the public’s demand for an outward show of mourning in “The Queen.”
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Dame Helen Mirren’s portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II is “superb” and “perfectly serious but with human foibles everywhere,” according to critic Bob Mondello.
Stephen-Frears.jpg
