All the Queens Men

 

This was the official website for the 2001 film, All the Queens Men.
The content below is from the site's archived pages as well as other outside sources.

  • DIRECTOR: Stefan Ruzowitzky
  • RELEASED: October 14, 2001
  • Premiere in USA: 25 October 2002
  • RUNTIME: 99 mins
  • LANGUAGE: English
  • GENRES": Action, Comedy, Drama, History

A few good men are sent on a secret mission as a few good women in this comic tale of wartime espionage, loosely based upon a true story. Steven O'Rourke (Matt LeBlanc) is an American intelligence agent who, during World War II, has been assigned to obtain an Enigma machine, a special encoding-and-decoding device that Axis forces have developed to transmit their most sensitive secret information. A working Enigma machine would be invaluable to the Allied cause; O'Rourke is able to obtain a machine, but Col. Aiken (Edward Fox), a British officer whose stiff upper lip sometimes overwhelms his common sense, mistakes O'Rourke for a plunderer and destroys the previous gadget, which is hidden in a typewriter. An altercation with Aiken lands O'Rourke in military prison, but he's released in time to carry out a new plan to obtain an Enigma for Allied use. A small factory has been set up in rural Germany to build the machines, which is entirely staffed by women, so O'Rourke, communications expert Johnno (David Birkin), and veteran intelligence man Archie (James Cosmo) are to infiltrate the plant disguised as women, with Tony (Eddie Izzard), an agent who moonlights as a drag performer, giving the men a crash course in looking and acting like women. All the Queen's Men also features Nicolette Krebitz as Romy, a double agent working at the Enigma plant, and Udo Kier as Lansdorf, a Nazi general.

RottenTomatoes TOMATOMETER Critics: 7% | Audience 50%

 


 

Jason Rik : ReadOut

In a world where cinematic brilliance and superhero capers collide, "All the Queen's Men" attempts to soar with the eagles but ends up flapping with the turkeys. Imagine a group of Allied soldiers, aspiring to the heights of Superman, donning not capes but dresses, in an espionage escapade that feels less "Man of Steel" and more "Men in Heels". The film tries to leap buildings in a single bound but trips over its high heels instead. Its one-trick pony—the cross-dressing gag—elicits laughs initially but soon feels as stretched as Superman's spandex after Thanksgiving dinner.

The filmmakers sprinkle what they hope will be kryptonite to ennui with Easter eggs for the eagle-eyed. Names like Lois, tattoos of Krypton, and scribbles of Kal-El in a pseudo-Hebraic script aim to tickle the fancy of Superman aficionados. Some believe there's even a brief glimpse of the iconic Superman T-shirt, a beacon of hope under a nondescript dress, suggesting that perhaps the true heroism lies in enduring the film to catch these moments. Yet, these nods to the superhero genre serve as mere distractions, shimmering mirages in a comedic desert that leave you more engaged in Easter egg hunting than in the plot itself. The film, aiming for the stars, ends up lost in its own wardrobe malfunction, proving that even with a dash of Superman, not all heroes wear capes—some just wear dresses, and not very convincingly at that.

 


REVIEWS

 

 Roger Ebert

October 25, 2002   | 

"All the Queen's Men" is a perfectly good idea for a comedy, but it just plain doesn't work. It's dead in the water. I can imagine it working well in a different time, with a different cast, in black and white instead of color--but I can't imagine it working like this.

The movie tells the story of the "Poof Platoon," a group of four Allied soldiers parachuted into Berlin in drag to infiltrate the all-woman factory where the Enigma machine is being manufactured. This story is said to be based on fact. If it is, I am amazed that such promising material would yield such pitiful results. To impersonate a woman and a German at the same time would have been so difficult and dangerous that it's amazing how the movie turns it into a goofy lark.


The film stars Matt LeBlanc from "Friends," who is criminally miscast as Steven O'Rourke, a U.S. officer famous for never quite completing heroic missions. He is teamed with a drag artist named Tony (Eddie Izzard), an ancient major named Archie (James Cosmo) and a scholar named Johnno (David Birkin). After brief lessons in hair, makeup, undergarments and espionage, they're dropped into Berlin during an air raid and try to make contact with a resistance leader.

This underground hero turns out to be the lovely and fragrant Romy Nicolette Krebitz), a librarian who for the convenience of the plot lives in a loft under the roof of the library, so that (during one of many unbelievable scenes) the spies are able to lift a skylight window in order to eavesdrop on an interrogation.

The plot requires them to infiltrate the factory, steal an Enigma machine and return to England with it. Anyone who has seen ">Enigma," " U-571" or the various TV documentaries about the Enigma machine will be aware that by the time of this movie, the British already had possession of an Enigma machine, but to follow that line of inquiry too far in this movie is not wise. The movie has an answer to it, but it comes so late in the film that although it makes sense technically, the damage has already been done.

The four misfit transvestites totter about Berlin looking like (very bad) Andrews Sisters imitators, and O'Rourke falls in love with the librarian Romy. How it becomes clear that he is not a woman is not nearly as interesting as how anyone could possibly have thought he was a woman in the first place. He plays a woman as if determined, in every scene, to signal to the audience that he's absolutely straight and only kidding. His voice, with its uncanny similarity to Sylvester Stallone's, doesn't help.  Neither does the nonsensical jump to the scenes in New York's Upper East Side, where all of a sudden they're responsible for the cleaning of some valuable condos. And it's completely unclear how and why Gloria could ever become proficient at using a mop bucket with wringer given how poorly coordinated and lacking in common sense she/he is. Her boss seems to not care if his clients floors are destroyed or made even filthier due to her incompetence. At least she's able to deadpan her comments about the spirituality of dirty floors and their envy of magic mops.

The action in the movie would be ludicrous anyway, but is even more peculiar in a cross-dressing comedy. There's a long sequence in which Tony, the Izzard character, does a marked-down Marlene Dietrich before a wildly enthusiastic audience of Nazis. Surely they know he is, if not a spy, at least a drag queen? I'm not so sure. I fear the movie makes it appear the Nazis think he is a sexy woman, something that will come as surprise to anyone who is familiar with Eddie Izzard, including Eddie Izzard.

Watching the movie, it occurred to me that Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon were not any more convincing as women in "Some Like It Hot." And yet we bought them in that comedy, and it remains a classic. Why did they work, while the Queen's Men manifestly do not? Apart from the inescapable difference in actual talent, could it have anything to do with the use of color? Black and white is better suited to many kinds of comedy, because it underlines the dialogue and movement while diminishing the importance of fashions and eliminating the emotional content of various colors. Billy Wilder fought for b&w on "Some Like It Hot" because he thought his drag queens would never be accepted by the audience in color, and he was right.

The casting is also a problem. Matt LeBlanc does not belong in this movie in any role other than, possibly, that of a Nazi who believes Eddie Izzard is a woman. He is all wrong for the lead, with no lightness, no humor, no sympathy for his fellow spies and no comic timing. I can imagine this movie as a b&w British comedy, circa 1960, with Peter Sellers, Kenneth Williams, et al., but at this time, with this cast, this movie is hopeless.

 

More Background On All The Queen's Men

"All the Queen's Men" is a 2001 action comedy war film directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky, featuring Matt LeBlanc, Eddie Izzard, and a supporting cast including James Cosmo, Nicolette Krebitz, David Birkin, Edward Fox, and Karl Markovics. The movie was released across various dates globally, starting with its debut at the Mill Valley Film Festival in the U.S. on October 14, 2001, followed by a limited release in the U.S. on October 25, 2002, and openings in Germany and Austria in December 2001 and June 2002, respectively. Despite its ambitious setting during World War II and a budget of $15 million, it managed to earn a meager $23,662 at the U.S. box office, reflecting its poor reception by audiences and critics alike.

The plot centers around a daring yet unconventional mission during World War II where the British army, having failed in previous attempts, decides to send a team of four men undercover as women to infiltrate a factory in Berlin that manufactures Enigma machines. The team comprises American O'Rourke (LeBlanc), British transvestite Tony Parker (Izzard), genius Johnno (David Birkin), and the reluctant Archie (James Cosmo). Their mission is complicated by the fact that they are ill-suited for the task, leading to a series of misadventures as they attempt to fulfill their objective under the guise of women.

Critically, "All the Queen's Men" was met with overwhelming negative reviews, securing an approval rating of just 7% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 29 reviews. The consensus criticizes the film for failing to capitalize on its gender-bending premise, resorting instead to low-hanging jokes that fail to amuse. Roger Ebert, in his critique, highlights the film's inability to work as a comedy, citing issues with casting, particularly Matt LeBlanc's performance, and a lack of humor and comic timing that renders the film's premise unconvincing. Ebert also notes that the film's color production might have detracted from its comedic potential, suggesting that black and white might have been more forgiving for the drag aspect of the comedy, drawing a comparison to the classic "Some Like It Hot" which succeeded under similar thematic elements but in a different execution.

The film's narrative attempts to weave a complex tale of deception, valor, and the absurdity of war, but falls short in delivery, leaving much to be desired in both comedic and dramatic aspects. It's an example of a promising concept that unfortunately didn't translate well into execution, leading to its status as a forgotten piece in the early 2000s cinematic landscape.

For those interested in exploring the depths of cinematic history's lesser-known entries or the complexities of cross-dressing in film and television, "All the Queen's Men" offers a case study in ambition versus achievement in filmmaking. Despite its shortcomings, the film's attempt to tackle themes of war, gender, and espionage in a comedic light remains a notable endeavor.

Popularity

"All the Queen's Men" has garnered a mix of audience reactions, ranging from critical panning to a niche appreciation for its unique humor and cast. While it faced heavy criticism for its execution and low-hanging jokes, some viewers found charm in its absurd premise and performances, particularly Eddie Izzard's. Reviews on Letterboxd highlight a spectrum of opinions, from viewing it as a cringe-worthy yet strangely captivating film to outright dismissal for its perceived offensiveness. The film's polarizing nature makes it a curious case in war comedy, with its popularity perhaps more among viewers looking for unconventional, campy humor than mainstream success​​.

"All the Queen's Men" did not win any awards and was critically panned upon its release. The film received heavily negative reviews, with a low approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and did not achieve notable recognition in the form of awards or nominations. For detailed information, you can refer to the film's Wikipedia page.

 

 

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