All the Queen's Men

All the Queen's Men has the makings of a broad comedy--in particular, it features men in dresses. At the height of World War II, American agent Matt LeBlanc (Lost in Space, the TV series Friends) leads an oddball team behind enemy lines to steal a Nazi code-making machine; the trick is, the factory where the machines are made is entirely staffed by women, and so the team has to go in drag. But despite this seemingly farcical premise, All the Queen's Men is strongest in its dramatic elements, such as a scene in which the team is delayed when Allied airplanes bomb Berlin, forcing the undercover operatives to see the havoc of war from the other side. LeBlanc is the weak link; the rest of the team (David Birkin, James Cosmo, and brilliant comedian/transvestite Eddie Izzard) navigate the film's unstable tone and numerous implausibilities with considerably greater skill. --Bret Fetzer Amazon.com,

Eddie Izzard has great legs

I got this video just to see Eddie and I wasn't disappointed. It was worth it just to see him walk around in sling-backs and seemed stockings. The man has great legs.

January 20, 2008

I Love Eddy Izzard

"All the Queen's Men" is far far better than it should be. The acting on all levels (especially Matt LeBlanc) is simply enchanting and situation perfect. The topic (locating the Enigma machine during WWII); the plan: (dress in drag to infiltrate the only German manufacturing plant making these machines whose workforce must be the women left behind). The funny and the fear here are mixed wonderfully. The supporting cast is dead-on...this is a movie, again, that is far far better than it should be. I don't watch many films over and over...but this is one that gets a pretty good workout when the hour is late, the mind is still buzzing and one needs to remember that great things can be accomplished by incredibly ordinary people. November 14, 2007

Joey & eddie in the army then

Matt LeBlanc makes an incredibly ugly woman. Eddie's not that cute either. But the movie's a riot. If this was the war movie that Joey made on FRIENDS Chandler would not have fallen asleep. April 2, 2007

Eddie Izzard stole this movie !

I love Eddie Izzard. Can't help it - the man is a genius. I bought this movie just because he was in it, and he completely dominated the movie. Just loved him in it. Ok, not that it's a great movie - it's plenty entertaining, but not sure someone who doesn't like Eddie (can't imagine who) would enjoy it like I did. January 10, 2007

God, save this movie

I'd finished watching "Flags of our Fathers," which was a good film, but ultimately depressing, like spending two hours on grandpa's lap listening to blood-and-guts war stories. After that, I needed a funny film about war to balance me out, something like "The Americanization of Emily" or at least a collection of "Hogan's Heroes" episodes. The video store didn't have either of those, but they did have "All the Queen's Men." Matt LeBlanc was kind of funny on "Friends" I thought, maybe LeBlanc is funny in a dress.

There should be a rule for actors: DON'T sign up to do a movie in drag if you don't want people to laugh at you for wearing a dress. Throughout the feature, LeBlanc looks as if he's going to punch out anyone who doubts his masculinity. Maybe LeBlanc wasn't fully informed the kind of movie he was signing up for. Or maybe the filmmakers changed their mind on the film's tone halfway through production. Whatever the problem is, no one here looks like they're having any fun, which is a shame because most other elements of the production -- cinematography, set design, special effects, etc -- are top quality.

There are sophomoric, so-bad-they're-good cross-dressing comedies like "Sorority Boys" and "Just One of the Guys," there are classics like "Some Like it Hot" and "Tootsie," and on the more serious end of the spectrum you have films like "Yentl" and "Boys Don't Cry." "All the Queen's Men" starts off with the sophomoric, attempts to switch gears into serious territory, and blows its transmission halfway through.

The only time I really laughed was the scene where LeBlanc waddles out of the factory with an Enigma between his legs. November 6, 2006

More reviews at Amazon.com ...