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Victoria & Abdul

Play trailer 2:24 Poster for Victoria & Abdul PG-13 Released Oct 6, 2017 1h 50m History Drama Biography Play Trailer Watchlist
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65% Tomatometer 196 Reviews 68% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Abdul Karim arrives from India to participate in Queen Victoria's golden jubilee. The young clerk is surprised to find favor with the queen herself. As Victoria questions the constrictions of her long-held position, the two forge an unlikely and devoted alliance that her household and inner circle try to destroy. As their friendship deepens, the queen begins to see a changing world through new eyes, joyfully reclaiming her humanity.
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Victoria & Abdul

Victoria & Abdul

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Critics Consensus

Victoria & Abdul reunites Dame Judi Dench with the role of Queen Victoria -- which is all this period drama needs to overcome its imbalanced narrative.

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Critics Reviews

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Andrea Gronvall Chicago Reader Victoria & Abdul may capture the ugly side of Britain's colonial past, but its demeaning portrait of Abdul reinforces the Orientalism it purports to lampoon. Rated: 2/4 Oct 13, 2017 Full Review Max Weiss Baltimore Magazine It's hard not to like Victoria & Abdul-but it's all shiny surfaces. I can't help but to wonder how much deeper Frears might've dug into this rich material had he directed it 20 years ago. Rated: 2.5/4 Oct 5, 2017 Full Review Marjorie Baumgarten Austin Chronicle There's not a whole lot to Victoria & Abdul, but fans of stories about the royals should find their thirsts satisfied. Rated: 2.5/5 Oct 5, 2017 Full Review Hosea Rupprecht Catholic News Service An endearing historical drama... Aug 12, 2021 Full Review Richard Crouse Richard Crouse If the recent film mother! was an attempt, as one writer suggested, "to shock its audiences out of complacency," Victoria & Abdul is an attempt to lull its audience into complacency. Rated: 3/5 Mar 1, 2021 Full Review Leigh Monson Substream Magazine Victoria and Abdul exposes itself as being just as shallow as the bigots it derides; the only difference is the purity of its intentions. Rated: 2.5/5 Oct 1, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (354) audience reviews
Weighty Connected L The portrayal of an unlikely yet real-life friendship between the British Queen Victoria and an Indian muslim servant Abdul Karim during her final years, this 2017 Stephen Frears film shows the beauty of friendship and the ugliness of racialist prejudice and greed for power, seen in the beautiful performances of the cast, esp. Judi Dench. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/29/24 Full Review Felix Anthony L The story showcases a friendship that was ahead of its time - unbiased, transcends generational, religious and cultural differences. Victoria and Abdul shares the idea of openness and kindness in friendships where an age difference is not a hindrance, rather the focus is on curiosity, appreciation and acceptance. Although some aspects of the movie may have been fictionalised to enhance the story, the emotional roller coaster and sparks of comedy is on point. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/17/24 Full Review Julian P You cant ask for anything more in a movie. True story (mostly), touching and actually hilarious. Brilliantly written and the costumes / sets are incredibly. And then there is Judy Dench....enough said. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 04/10/24 Full Review Savannah G Judi Dench is clearly one of the best actors of our time and has been able to play these roles with such grace and talent. Great story the costume was good! and the gravataze of it all really brought it home for me Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/18/23 Full Review Shail F I only liked Mohammed. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/05/23 Full Review isla s I really enjoyed this film, with Judi Dench playing the titular queen, being very self assured and deciding to do things that surprise and astound other members of the royal household staff, much to my amusement. Meanwhile, Ali Fazal plays Abdul - someone who seems rather humble and initially is less than impressed at the prospect of having to travel, to present the queen with a coin at an official ceremony. I thought it was charming how the friendship between the two of them developed, seeing the curiosity and interest in the queen towards learning more about Abduls culture, the food and teachings of India etc. There is some pretty good cinematography, with various landscape panoramas shown during the characters travels, both within and outwith the UK. The pure lavishness of their surroundings is something to see, if nothing else. Cast wise, I also liked Eddie Izzard, who plays Bertie, Prince of Wales - he doesn't think a great deal of the new found friendship Victoria finds. I also found it amusing when Puccini (played by Simon Callow) was present. I believe this film is based on a true story, which made it all the more interesting to me and I know I really enjoyed another similar film, which also stars Judi Dench as Queen Victoria. A film called Mrs Brown, in which Billy Connolly plays John Brown. Coincidentally, Brown is referenced in this film. I do think Judi Dench does do particularly well at portraying the forthright queen. Of course there is undoubtedly a racist element, with the indian colonisation side of things - there are some cringe-y moments with members of royal household staff making some very unfair judgements and rude comments, somewhat unsurprisingly given the circumstances of the plot. Watching it, I felt more keen on queen Victoria for how she responded - I'll say no more so as not to provide any spoilers. I would very much recommend this film as a period drama which is based on a true story, yes. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Victoria & Abdul

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Victoria & Abdul

Victoria & Abdul: Official Clip - Absolutely No Eye Contact Victoria & Abdul: Official Clip - Absolutely No Eye Contact 1:42 Victoria & Abdul: Official Clip - I Will Accept Your Resignations Victoria & Abdul: Official Clip - I Will Accept Your Resignations 2:17 Victoria & Abdul: Official Clip - The Banquet Hall of Eternity Victoria & Abdul: Official Clip - The Banquet Hall of Eternity 2:55 Victoria & Abdul: Official Clip - The Queen's Munshi Victoria & Abdul: Official Clip - The Queen's Munshi 3:21 Victoria & Abdul: Official Clip - Anything But Insane Victoria & Abdul: Official Clip - Anything But Insane 3:07 Victoria & Abdul: Official Clip - Life Is Like a Carpet Victoria & Abdul: Official Clip - Life Is Like a Carpet 2:33 Victoria & Abdul: Official Clip - The Queen's Song Victoria & Abdul: Official Clip - The Queen's Song 2:32 Victoria & Abdul: Official Clip - I Will Be Courteous Victoria & Abdul: Official Clip - I Will Be Courteous 3:33 Victoria & Abdul: Official Clip - I Am the Sultan of Persia Victoria & Abdul: Official Clip - I Am the Sultan of Persia 3:02 Victoria & Abdul: Official Clip - You Really Are Beautiful Victoria & Abdul: Official Clip - You Really Are Beautiful 2:49 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis Abdul Karim arrives from India to participate in Queen Victoria's golden jubilee. The young clerk is surprised to find favor with the queen herself. As Victoria questions the constrictions of her long-held position, the two forge an unlikely and devoted alliance that her household and inner circle try to destroy. As their friendship deepens, the queen begins to see a changing world through new eyes, joyfully reclaiming her humanity.
Director
Stephen Frears
Producer
Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Beeban Kidron, Tracey Seaward
Screenwriter
Lee Hall
Distributor
Focus Features
Production Co
BBC Films, Cross Street Films, Working Title Films
Rating
PG-13 (Some Thematic Elements|Language)
Genre
History, Drama, Biography
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 6, 2017, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 5, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$22.2M
Runtime
1h 50m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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