Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

The Affair of the Necklace

Play trailer Poster for The Affair of the Necklace R Released Nov 30, 2001 2h 0m History Drama Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
15% Tomatometer 62 Reviews 42% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Romantic drama based on the controversial true story of Jeanne De La Motte Valois, a countess whose name was stripped from her by the Royal Family during the late 18th Century. The story of her fight to restore her name and proper place in society is filled with mystery, intrigue and desire, with an infamous diamond necklace at the center of it all.
Watch on Fandango at Home Rent Now

Where to Watch

The Affair of the Necklace

The Affair of the Necklace

What to Know

Critics Consensus

A film about court intrigue, The Affair of the Necklace turns out to be more dull than juicy. Swank seems flat and miscast in the central role of Jeanne.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (62) Critics Reviews
Empire Magazine Rated: 2/5 Dec 30, 2006 Full Review Ella Taylor L.A. Weekly Jeanne is no fun at all. Oct 2, 2002 Full Review Rick Groen Globe and Mail A cheap bauble of a flick. Rated: 1.5/4 Mar 22, 2002 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews ...what really sinks the film is its script... Rated: 2/4 Feb 8, 2015 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Much of the dramatic juice and intrigue have been drained out of this old-fashioned costume drama, that in the hands of director Charles Shyer and actress Hilary Swank becomes stiff, stuffy, and banal affair. Rated: D- Dec 1, 2005 Full Review Alan Dale Blogcritics.org Swank's honest mistake is in trying to be worthy of a project that's beneath her. Feb 1, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (136) audience reviews
Susi N Disappointing to say the least. Christopher Walken is the only credible character in this sad and boring adaptation of one of the really important stories of the French Revolution. Hilary Swank just doesn’t cut it and along with Simon Baker are badly miscast. It is 23 years old but the script belongs in the 50’s. Don’t waste your time or money. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 11/20/24 Full Review Steve D You screwed up badly if you can't even make Swank believable. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member Interesting story. Beautiful cinematography. Yet another sociological take on the excess that led to the French Revolution. And yet, the movie is somehow flat. It is okay watching. But it really could have been done better Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Audience Member I only gave this two stars because the costumes and scenery was well done. As someone who respects and appreciates history, I was appalled at the absurd depiction of a known thief, liar, and prostitute (Hilary Swanks character) twisted to be a victim. Jeanne De La Motte was manipulative, conniving, and low class. In real life, her father was a drunkard, her mother a maid, and her only claim to royalty was speculative. I could not feel sorry for her character and the vilification of Marie Antoinette was also false. Hilary Swank was awkward a and to claim this story as true is about as successful as this movie did in the theater Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review Audience Member I'm not sure why I never saw this movie. I enjoyed it. The intrigue kept me engaged throughout. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Rather dull and undramatic historical piece that plays loose with the facts and seems uncertain about its tone. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Affair of the Necklace

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

Anna Karenina 63% 50% Anna Karenina Watchlist W.E. 13% 48% W.E. Watchlist Curse of the Golden Flower 65% 65% Curse of the Golden Flower Watchlist Tulip Fever 10% 42% Tulip Fever Watchlist TRAILER for Tulip Fever Chunhyang 86% 74% Chunhyang Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Romantic drama based on the controversial true story of Jeanne De La Motte Valois, a countess whose name was stripped from her by the Royal Family during the late 18th Century. The story of her fight to restore her name and proper place in society is filled with mystery, intrigue and desire, with an infamous diamond necklace at the center of it all.
Director
Charles Shyer
Producer
Charles Shyer, Redmond Morris, Andrew A. Kosove, Broderick Johnson
Screenwriter
John Sweet
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
Alcon Entertainment
Rating
R (Some Sexuality)
Genre
History, Drama, Romance
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 30, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 1, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA)
$430.3K
Runtime
2h 0m
Sound Mix
Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
Most Popular at Home Now