Kate & Leopold (2001)

Good concept, poorly executed.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

With all its cheesiness it offers a couple of good laughs, some good acting and good vibes.. and for that it deserves a 7. Do not expect anything out of the ordinary, just be entertained.

The great license sci-fi or fantasy films have is that they don't have to make sense. And, the fictitious aspects of the film can be as preposterous or outrageous as the movie makers want them to be. The idea of time travel has fascinated movie makes almost since the beginning of films. Yet, no more than a couple early scientists gave it any serious thought or attention. It's one of the goofiest of scientific possibilities, yet audiences still enjoy the occasional time travel movie out of Hollywood. Time travel fantasy has lived for decades on TV with the original BBC series of "Dr. Who" (1963-89), and since 2005 in the new "Dr. Who series. This 2001 flick, "Kate & Leopold," is a fair comedy romance that takes place all in New York City. But it moves through a time crack between 1876 and about 2000. The players all are OK, but nothing special. Most viewers would be interested just in seeing the romance develop between the two stars. Meg Ryan is Kate McKay and Hugh Jackman is the Duke Leopold of Albany. Methinks that the Miramax folks trifled considerably with the history of New York in 1876. I doubt very much that there was that much of a society with royalty yet from England. Of course, it's fantasy and sci-fi, so anything goes. The story is very predictable as it goes along, and it's slow. It's OK for a rainy afternoon if one can't find something better. But not a film worth going out of one's way for, or to buy.

An English Duke from 1876 is inadvertedly dragged to modern day New York where he falls for a plucky advertising executive. Thanks to a great performance by Hugh Jackman and a very believable chemistry between him and Meg Ryan, Kate & Leopold is an enjoyable romantic comedy with some good laughs threw out and even some touching moments of it's own. The movie does have it's flaws tho such as the whole time travel thing that doesn't get explained in the way that they should or even the fact that Jackman chases a thief that stole Ryan's purse and that whole scene was kinda dumb? From the 3 films that Director James Mangold and Actor Hugh Jackman worked this one is easily my least favorite it's not a bad movie by any means but certain things could have been done and explained better but overall it's a good time for the whole family and i'm sure many people will enjoy the chemistry between the 2 leads and Jackman just being great as always. (8/10)

Critics of this film need to give it a rest. No the plot is not fantastic. But what romcom is? We don't watch them because they are so fabulously written (maybe with a few notable exceptions). We watch them because they make us happy. We watch them because they give us hope. And in that vein, Kate and Leopold has done a fantastic job. I would also like to applaud the producers of this film for being creative. When I say that other romantic comedies are unrealistic, I find it annoying that many of them at least act as though they are depicting the lives of normal humans and fail miserably. This film does not pretend to be anything it's not. It's unrealistic because it contains time travel, an idea which is actually refreshingly original. The charm of the movie is further amplified by Hugh Jackman's phenomenal acting. I love a good story about someone who time travels and has to adjust to a new time. Jackman does this flawlessly and adds to the overall appeal of the movie, not only with his good looks and perfect accent, but also with his ability to perfectly portray the character.