The Young Victoria (2009)
77%RT Audience Score: 68%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 Oscar
13 wins & 17 nominations total
Emily Blunt shines as Victoria in this romantic but plodding royal portrait
The Young Victoria is like a fancy cake that looks amazing but doesn’t quite taste as good as it looks. It’s a slow burn that never quite reaches a satisfying conclusion, but it’s still worth a watch for the stunning visuals and Emily Blunt’s commanding performance. Plus, who doesn’t love a good period drama with political intrigue and a steamy romance? Just don’t expect to be blown away.
Production Company(ies)
Ashton Productions, The Mirisch Corporation,
Distributor
Apparition
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Belvoir Castle, Belvoir, Grantham, Leicestershire, England, UK
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG for some mild sensuality, a scene of violence, and brief incidental language and smoking
Year of Release
2010
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital DTSS DDS
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 44m
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Language(s):English, German
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jan 8, 2010 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 20, 2010
Genre(s)
Romance
Keyword(s)
starring Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany, Miranda Richardson, Jim Broadbent, Thomas Kretschmann, directed by Jean-Marc Vallée, written by Julian Fellowes, romance, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Deborah Ross, Ed Koch, Nell Minow, Ben Kenigsberg, Perri Nemiroff, Jonathan F Richards, Felicia Feaster, Amie Simon, Kelly Jane Torrance, PG rating, produced by Graham King, Martin Scorsese, Tim Headington, Sarah Ferguson, Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, Lord Melbourne, Duchess of Kent, King William, King Leopold, regency order, political machinations, Belgian uncle, marriage, love of her life, coronation, wedding, historical drama, opulent, dress, scenery, sophisticated, character development, villain, bad guy, cinematography, score, costumes, sets, shooting locations, work of art, touching love story, elegant
Worldwide gross: $29,196,409
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $39,689,205
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,439
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 4,328,158
US/Canada gross: $11,001,272
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $14,954,981
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,496
US/Canada opening weekend: $260,591
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $354,244
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,485
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $35,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $47,578,528
Production budget ranking: 834
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $25,621,037
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$33,510,361
ROI to date (est.): -46%
ROI ranking: 1,659
Rupert Friend – Prince Albert
Paul Bettany – Lord Melbourne
Miranda Richardson – Duchess of Kent
Jim Broadbent – King William
Thomas Kretschmann – King Leopold
Director(s)
Jean-Marc Vallée
Writer(s)
Julian Fellowes
Producer(s)
Graham King, Martin Scorsese, Tim Headington, Sarah Ferguson
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
13 wins & 17 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Achievement in Costume Design Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Winners
All Critics (156) | Top Critics (56) | Fresh (119) | Rotten (37)
Look, this is a well-groomed film, and an earnest film, full of the things you will like if you like this kind of film… but it somehow fails to convey any real tension. It’s lovely to look at, but also peculiarly inert and leaden.
August 29, 2018
Deborah Ross
The Spectator
TOP CRITIC
The acting is fine, and while the plot is somewhat stale and very slow in taking shape, it is never boring. Those who like opulent movies in dress and scenery will love this movie. Regrettably, they will also soon forget it after they leave.
January 16, 2018
Ed Koch
The Atlantic
TOP CRITIC
April 21, 2012 | Rating: B+
Nell Minow
Movie Mom
TOP CRITIC
November 17, 2011 | Rating: 1/5
Ben Kenigsberg
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Talky and stately, but it has a degree of humanization making it far more enjoyable and relatable than others of its kind.
August 13, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
Perri Nemiroff
CinemaBlend
TOP CRITIC
This Victoria is not particularly Victorian, but then she is young; and everyone wants a piece of her, politically speaking. Emily Blunt is lovely and strong-minded as the Young Vic.
January 15, 2010
Jonathan F. Richards
Film.com
TOP CRITIC
Playing up the romantic angle to a skin-crawling degree, The Young Victoria peters out with the kind of anachronistic “you complete me” movie love song by Sinead O’Connor that threatens to sink the whole enterprise in a river of schmaltz.
January 23, 2020
Felicia Feaster
Charleston City Paper
The chemistry between Victoria and Albert is white hot, and as the young Queen, Emily Blunt commands the screen with such grace and ease that I’m surprised it took this long for her to get such a great starring role.
March 9, 2019
Amie Simon
Three Imaginary Girls
Miss Blunt is convincing as both a girl falling in love for the first time and a steel-willed woman insistent on being in charge of her own – and her people’s – destiny.
November 22, 2018 | Rating: 3/4
Kelly Jane Torrance
Washington Times
With political intrigue as a savory seasoning, the love story provides the meat of the quietly gripping story. But just when the plot begins to deliciously thicken, The Young Victoria abruptly ends, a banquet closed before the satisfying conclusion.
October 25, 2016 | Rating: 3/4
Brandy McDonnell
The Oklahoman
Visually delicious, dripping in both diamonds and details, The Young Victoria is a fresh approach to both its subject and its genre.
June 22, 2016 | Rating: 3/5
Joanna Hunkin
New Zealand Herald
Emily Blunt joins the ranks of great screen monarchs.
December 31, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
Don Groves
sbs.com.au…
Plot
Dominated by her possessive mother and her bullying consort, Conroy, since childhood, teen-aged Victoria refuses to allow them the power of acting as her regent in the last days of her uncle William IV’s rule. Her German cousin Albert is encouraged to court her for solely political motives, but, following her accession at age eighteen, finds he is falling for her and is dismayed at her reliance on trusty Prime Minister Melbourne. Victoria is impressed by Albert’s philanthropy, which is akin to her own desire to help her subjects. However, her loyalty to Melbourne, perceived as a self-seeker, almost causes a constitutional crisis, and it is Albert who helps restore her self-confidence. She proposes and they marry, Albert proving himself not only a devoted spouse, prepared to take an assassin’s bullet for her, but also an agent of much-needed reform, finally endorsed by an admiring Melbourne.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Emily Blunt shines as Victoria in this romantic but plodding royal portrait.
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