The Emperor's Club

PG-13

Released Nov 22, 2002

1 hr. 49 min.

Drama

List

50%

128 Reviews

Tomatometer

67%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Kevin Kline stars as Arthur Hundert, a dedicated and inspiring classics professor who has devoted his life to teaching at a prep school for boys. New student Sedgewick Bell, the headstrong son of a powerful senator, joins his class and inexorably alters Mr. Hundert's life. It is a clash of wills and personalities as these two people seemingly battle for the hearts and souls of the other students at St. Benedictus.

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Critics Consensus

Though Kline is excellent in his portrayal of Hundert, the movie is too dull and sentimental to distinguish itself from other titles in its genre.

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Jan V

Each year, I show this to my grade 9 high school students and let them decide if it's worthwhile,interesting etc. Been doing this for 20 years.It is one of the best received films I have shown..the students ,who you would think at first would pan itl love it! Some older ones, passing my door while its on have said,"oh, that movie...it was great." I agree ,but go figure.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/08/23

Full Review

bob p

Kevin Kline is superb but the plot could have been more. Stilted and unexciting ending. Nonetheless very much a good watch with good acting and some drama.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Tolerable, but the plot line is pointless. The acting is good, but it isn't worth your time. The movie more or less takes the viewer's hopes and dreams and crushes them. This is definitely not a "feel good" story, and I'm not sure why it ever made it out of the drawing boards.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Maybe it's not the most original movie you've seen, but still it is beyond doubt a masterpiece of the genre. You'll see excellent performances and moral messages that will definately make you watch this movie again and again. "All roads lead to... the Emperor's Club".

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

steve d

There is nothing new here but Kline's charming performance makes it fun.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

Kline was great but anything else is very dull and inconsistent. The Emperors Club really felt like a rip off of Dead Poets Society with no interesting narrative.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

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Michael Hoffman

Director

Kevin Kline

William Hundert

Steven Culp

Older Martin Blythe

Embeth Davidtz

Elizabeth

Patrick Dempsey

Older Louis Masoudi

Joel Gretsch

Older Sedgewick Bell

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Some mature content, but fine for many teens.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 28, 2010

Full Review

Empire Magazine

Rated: 2/5

Dec 30, 2006

Full Review

Steven D. Greydanus

Decent Films

William Hundert (Kevin Kline) isn't charismatic or cool… I like that about him. He isn't selling his own personality, authenticity, or commitment; he isn't selling education as self-actualization (Dead Poets Society)…

Rated: B

Aug 1, 2003

Full Review

Jas Keimig

The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

I'm not quite sure who The Emperor's Club is for. It plays like a patrician knock-off of Dead Poets Society...

Dec 9, 2021

Full Review

John A. Nesbit

Old School Reviews

A soulless rehashing of Dead Poet's Society is hardly the savior of American education

Rated: C-

May 31, 2012

Full Review

Michael Dequina

TheMovieReport.com

Prep school professor tries to mold his students into upstanding young men, in particular one problem student. Ho-hum.

Rated: 2/4

Jan 29, 2009

Full Review

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Synopsis

Kevin Kline stars as Arthur Hundert, a dedicated and inspiring classics professor who has devoted his life to teaching at a prep school for boys. New student Sedgewick Bell, the headstrong son of a powerful senator, joins his class and inexorably alters Mr. Hundert's life. It is a clash of wills and personalities as these two people seemingly battle for the hearts and souls of the other students at St. Benedictus.

Director: Michael Hoffman
Executive Producer: Sean Bailey, Cooper Layne, Armyan Bernstein, Thomas A. Bliss, Sidney Kimmel, Eric Newman
Screenwriter: Neil Tolkin, Ethan Canin
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Beacon Communications, Longfellow Pictures, Fine Line Features
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 22, 2002, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 4, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $14.1M
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby A, SDDS, DTS, Surround, Dolby Digital, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)