Life of a King

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Life of a King

PG-13

Released Jan 17, 2014

1h 41m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

38%

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13 Reviews

68%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

Determined to help at-risk youths avoid the mistakes he made, an ex-con (Cuba Gooding Jr.) forms a chess club to offer them an alternative to running with street gangs.

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Tim Grierson

Screen International

Unquestionably well-meaning, this tale of an ex-con who teaches some inner-city teens about discipline through chess treads incredibly familiar emotional terrain.

Jan 17, 2014

Full Review

Christy Lemire

RogerEbert.com

Solid performances-especially from star Cuba Gooding Jr.-elevate the film slightly above the familiar trappings of its genre.

Rated: 2/4

Jan 17, 2014

Full Review

Michael O'Sullivan

Washington Post

An effective, even heartwarming, tale of one man's commitment to teaching that playing by the rules is more important than winning.

Rated: 3/4

Jan 16, 2014

Full Review

Julian Lytle

Punch Drunk Critics

All in all this is a good movie.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jan 11, 2020

Full Review

Sandie Angulo Chen

Common Sense Media

Sentimental, formulaic tale of an inspiring chess teacher.

Rated: 3/5

Feb 4, 2014

Full Review

Todd Jorgenson

Cinemalogue

The result has a predictably wholesome and formulaic structure, yet is redeemed through solid performances from Gooding and the youngsters, and a heartfelt sincerity that rings true.

Jan 31, 2014

Full Review

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Cree J

Excellent movie, great acting. I truly enjoyed this movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/29/25

Full Review

Tino S

Had the potential to be another Stand and Deliver. Moved too fast with many expected clichés. This would have been so much better as a 2 1/2 hour movie with an awesome build up. Love the story. A remake is necessary.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/08/25

Full Review

Audience Member

A very good movie 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/03/24

Full Review

The R

An emotional filme what show us how the life is a very big chessboard.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/18/24

Full Review

Loved this movie so I was very disappointed to see the low critic scores. Why do we even have critics? Who even cares what they say? The audience score is what matters not some wanna be movie expert without a real job. Eliminate the critics.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/26/24

Full Review

K W

I loved this movie. I love teacher movies like To Sir with Love. This one has a slightly different premise and found cool moments btw the teacher and students. Cuba Gooding Jr is a great actor. I can't wait to watch this one again.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/01/24

Full Review

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Jake Goldberger

Director

Cuba Gooding Jr.

Eugene Brown

Malcolm M. Mays

Tahime

Richard T. Jones

Perry

Paula Jai Parker

Gina Sanders

Carlton Byrd

Clifton

Life of a King: Official Clip - The Radio Show

1:38

Life of a King: Official Clip - You Some Kinda Tough Guy?

2:09

Life of a King: Official Clip - One Mistake

2:13

Life of a King: Official Clip - The Final Round

2:12

Life of a King: Official Clip - They Think I'm Nuts

2:03

Life of a King: Official Clip - I Learned the Board

2:00

Life of a King: Official Clip - The Board of Life

2:13

Life of a King: Official Clip - The King is Your Life

2:09

Life of a King: Official Clip - Chess Club Cancelled

2:12

Life of a King: Official Clip - The Chess House

2:10

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Synopsis

Determined to help at-risk youths avoid the mistakes he made, an ex-con (Cuba Gooding Jr.) forms a chess club to offer them an alternative to running with street gangs.

Director: Jake Goldberger
Producer: Tatiana Kelly, Jim Young
Screenwriter: Jake Goldberger, Dan Wetzel, David Scott
Distributor: Millennium Entertainment
Production Co: Animus Films, Serena Films, Steakhaus Productions
Rating: PG-13 (Some Drug Content|Brief Violent Images|All Involving Teens|Thematic Elements)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 17, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 30, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $5.7K
Runtime: 1h 41m

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