Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

A Disappointing Continuation

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

The Emperor's New Clothes is a droll high-concept comedy: Napoleon finds a look-alike to replace him in his exile in Saint Helena, but his attempts to retake the throne are thwarted by his blooming relationship with a pretty widow.The Emperor's New Clothes is pleasant fluff, elevated by a few canny scenes and by Ian Holm, a great actor we've seen in dozens of movies and yet every time disappears in the character, whether he is playing an ambulance-chaser lawyer or a traitorous android, a meek Hobbit or a royal physician. Here, for the third time in his career in the role of Bonaparte, Holm gives once again a note-perfect performance, mixing steel, pride and yearning for a second chance.The script's main flaw is not milking its premise to full extent - the scenario of the fake Napoleon (Holm again, hilarious), a self-absorbed fool replacing the exiled emperor and obviously loving every minute of the deception, is ripe with comedic potential but explored only in a few passing scenes.Filmed in the lovely Italian city of Turin - nicknamed "the little Paris" - as a stand-in for the French capital.6,5/10

Ian Holm brings his classic understated acting to the dual roles of Napoleon and his double Eugene.Minor quibbles... at 70, Ian is a tad old to be playing a 52 year old, and his relationship with the thoroughly yummy Pumpkin (Iben Hjejle, who turned down the role of Arwen for the Lord of the Rings (?! now THERE's an alternate history for ya)) is, erm, best glossed over swiftly. And I know it's a movie, but no street in Paris in 1821 was EVER that clean. Apart from that... in every other respect, the soundtrack, editing, casting, costumes, script and tone, it's great fun, and a suitable movie for when you want to be able to watch something that doesn't have explosions, gun play, anything resembling explicit sex or cursing. You know, over Christmas and Thanksgiving when you're trapped in the house with elderly relatives.Watch out for: Holm's face as his character peruses the booths selling Waterloo memoribilia; The 'melon attack plan' scene, which is going on my personal goodies reel and in which one glimpses what a blazing intellect Napoleon was when faced with a tactical and logistical problem; Iben's face as she addresses her dead husband (best crying I've seen by an actress in many moons); Holm's face as he realizes where the good Dr. Lambert (Tim McInnerny) has ditched him.Eddie Marsan as Marchand is great - he gets one little bit that is priceless; all the rest of the supporting cast, including Nigel Terry (I didn't recognize him from John Boorman's Excalibur) are great.Recommended.

Ian Holm gives his usual sharp performance. The film is heavily dependent upon that, though Iben Hjejle gave a respectable portrayal of an up and coming produce merchant. The what-if historical situation is perfectly suited for this treatment and is squeaky clean enough for the whole family. The rest of the supporting cast was spiffy enough, but unremarkable, with the exception of the Tim McInnerny, who, as the Parisian doctor, is strongly understated.Lacking in this completely French story is French style acting or sensibility. The Italian production company pulls off the film with aplumb but lacks any French personality.I highly recommend this movie as a remedy to over-the-top action films and acutely self-indulgent Opray movies.

Great acting from Ian Holmes and Iben Hjejle is very very good too, having seen all the movies from Napoleon this is probably the most fun and refreshing of them all great twist on the story itself most likely not true but great anyway.