I Served the King of England (2008)
85%RT Audience Score: 81%
Awards & Nominations: 12 wins & 13 nominations
With charm and an eye for life’s bittersweet moments, Czech New Wave master Jiri Menzel paints a picaresque story with whimsy and intellect
I Served the King of England” is a movie that will make you laugh, cry, and question your own life choices. It’s like “Forrest Gump” meets “Life is Beautiful,” but with more exposed nipples. The film takes you on a surreal journey through history, but don’t worry, it’s not too dangerous or brutal. It’s a heartwarming celebration of what makes us human, and it’s definitely worth a watch. Just be prepared to have the catchy theme song stuck in your head for days.
Production Company(ies)
Columbia Pictures, Relativity Media, Scott Rudin Productions,
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Harrachov, Czech Republic
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for sexual content and nudity
Year of Release
2007
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Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 58m
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Language(s):Czech, German, French, English, Italian, Korean, Hungarian
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Aug 29, 2008 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 17, 2009
Genre(s)
Comedy/Romance
Keyword(s)
I served the king of England, Ivan Barnev, Oldrich Kaiser, Julia Jentsch, Martin Huba, Marián Labuda, Milan Lasica, Jirí Menzel, Robert Schaffer, Andrea Metcalfe, Comedy, Romance, War, Czech, R, $617.2K, reviewed by Hank Sartin, Wally Hammond, David Fear, Lisa Schwarzbaum, Roger Moore, Peter Rainer, David Lamble, Mattie Lucas, Steve Erickson, Larry Ratliff, Jean Lowerison, James Verniere, 80%, 88 reviews, 81%, 5,000+ ratings, directed by Jirí Menzel, written by Jirí Menzel, produced by Robert Schaffer, Andrea Metcalfe, Sony Pictures Classics, nudity, sexual content, aspiring millionaire, train attendant, prominent hotels, wealthy guests, string of affairs, fanatical Nazi, temptation, social ruin
Worldwide gross: $7,354,478
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $10,535,789
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,954
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 1,148,941
US/Canada gross: $617,403
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $884,472
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,214
US/Canada opening weekend: $53,218
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $76,238
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,047
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): CZK 84,450,000
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
Oldrich Kaiser – Jan Díte, old
Julia Jentsch – Liza
Martin Huba – Skrivanek
Marián Labuda – Walden
Milan Lasica – Professor
Director(s)
Jirí Menzel
Writer(s)
Jirí Menzel
Producer(s)
Robert Schaffer, Andrea Metcalfe
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
12 wins & 13 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (88) | Top Critics (40) | Fresh (70) | Rotten (18)
November 16, 2011 | Rating: 3/5
Hank Sartin
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
November 16, 2011 | Rating: 3/5
Wally Hammond
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
November 16, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
David Fear
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
September 7, 2011 | Rating: A-
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
May 13, 2009 | Rating: 4/5
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
The world it depicts is too dangerous and too lovely to classify.
November 21, 2008 | Rating: A
Peter Rainer
Christian Science Monitor
TOP CRITIC
It’s a gently amusing, surreal vision that dishes up hard truths in an unsentimental but never brutal fashion.
June 2, 2020
David Lamble
Bay Area Reporter
A captivating, heartwarming, and ultimately life affirming celebration of what makes us human.
July 6, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4
Mattie Lucas
From the Front Row
… the film dishonors the history it glides through by lacking any sense of real danger.
March 8, 2018
Steve Erickson
Gay City News
I Served the King of England plays like a combination of Life Is Beautiful and Forrest Gump.
October 24, 2008 | Rating: 3/4
Larry Ratliff
San Antonio Express-News
[A] delightful, lighthearted satire, a quirky story of fantasy, wealth and pretty women with exposed nipples.
October 18, 2008
Jean Lowerison
San Diego Metropolitan
October 18, 2008 | Rating: A-
James Verniere
Boston Herald…
Plot
Czechoslovakia, 1963. Jan Díte is released from prison after serving 15 years. He goes into semi exile in a deserted village near the German border. In flashbacks, he tells his story: he’s a small, clever and quick-witted young man, stubbornly naïve, a vendor at a train station. Thanks to a patron, he becomes a waiter at upscale hotels and restaurants. We see him discover how the wealthy tick and how to please women. He strives to be a millionaire with his own hotel. Before the war, he meets Líza, a German woman in Prague. Is this his ticket to wealth or his undoing? Meanwhile, we see Jan putting a life together after prison: why was he sentenced, and who will he become?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film in the Fresh Kernels review.
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