An English Duke from 1876 is inadvertently dragged to modern day New York where he falls for a plucky advertising executive.An English Duke from 1876 is inadvertently dragged to modern day New York where he falls for a plucky advertising executive.An English Duke from 1876 is inadvertently dragged to modern day New York where he falls for a plucky advertising executive.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 1 win & 5 nominations total
- Gracy
- (as Arthur Nascarella)
- Passerby
- (as Robert Manning)
Featured reviews
Using time leap as a metaphor between the way we live in present times and all those little things that we long so badly but that we ourselves deny or just give up in the search, the story open a parenthesis in the crazy rhythm of the today New York and involve the characters -and ourselves- in a mixture of true romanticism and happiness that taste like a virgin flavor in our stone lips. Facing issues like post-breaking relationships and career success versus personal life success, the plot fill us with joy and laughter that makes us even cry when we realize all that we have at our fingertips and that we miss.
The acting was very natural and the five main actors deliver the characters very well. Particularly, JJ (Bradley Whitford) has a very well defined personality. Meg give us her "ugly duck" charming prettiness that is already her trademark and Hugh is perfect for the role: Tall, handsome, gallant, romantic...
Definitely, one of the best movies (if not the one) I've seen this year -at least. Go and see it, you'll enjoy it !
I've seen 'Kate & Leopold' a few times now and enjoy it every time. Yes, it is predictable, but it is really funny. Hugh Jackman is just so incredibly charming that he can be as credible in a romantic comedy as he is in a fantasy action movie. Jackman stars as the titular Leopold, a Duke from 1876, who is accidentally transported to present time New York through a porthole. The person to blame for this mishap, is Stuart (Liev Schreiber), who discovered the porthole.
Stuart is Kate (Meg Ryans)'s ex-boyfriend, and they still live in the same apartment building. I enjoyed the fact Kate and Leopold didn't fall in love straight away. For once Hollywood got it right. This is a film about romance (and not lust!), where two people fall in love over a period of time thanks to moments they share together. This was far more realistic than so many of the romantic comedies out there.
'Kate & Leopold' is also a wonderful illustration of how customs have changed; costumes, speech, traditions, etc. I liked the characters and the set-up of each character. The character development was also very good. The film's visual effects - especially back in 1876 - are good. Yes, the ending is predictable and cheesy, but it is oh-so-wonderful. I really do enjoy everything about 'Kate & Leopold'.
As for MEG RYAN, she is giving her usual Meg Ryan schtick--a sort of slightly brighter version of Goldie Hawn--but here it doesn't matter because Jackman manages to steal every scene he's in. BRECKIN MEYER is excellent as her boorish brother who learns a few things from his 18th Century friend about manners and etiquette. But it's the time travel aspect of the story that is its weakest link.
Highly recommended as a romantic comedy that owes much of its charm to the performance of its leading man--an actor of remarkable skill whose hunky presence dominates much of the movie.
It's the sort of romantic fluff that would have starred JEAN ARTHUR and GARY COOPER had it been made in the '30s. The New York location photography is excellent.
Did you know
- TriviaAccording to the DVD commentary, several of the film's actual crew members appear in the crew of the margarine commercial.
- GoofsWhen Leopold wakes up in Stuart's apartment, he tells Stuart "For all I know, you could be Jack the Ripper!" Leopold is from 1876, but the Jack the Ripper murders occurred in London in 1888.
- Quotes
Stuart: It is no more crazy than a dog finding a rainbow. Dogs are colourblind, Gretchen. They don't see colour. Just like we don't see time. We can feel it, we can feel it passing, but we can't see it. It's just like a blur. It's like we're riding in a supersonic train and the world is just blowing by, but imagine if we could stop that train, eh, Gretchen? Imagine if we could stop that train, get out, look around, and see time for what it really is? A universe, a world, a thing as unimaginable as colour to a dog, and as real, as tangible as that chair you're sitting in. Now if we could see it like that, really look at it, then maybe we could see the flaws as well as the form. And that's it; it's that simple. That's all I discovered. I'm just a... a guy who saw a crack in a chair that no one else could see. I'm that dog who saw a rainbow, only none of the other dogs believed me.
Gretchen: I believe you.
- Crazy creditsIn 1852, Elisha Graves Otis invented the safety brake for a lifting platform. One year later in 1853, he founded the Otis Elevator Company in Yonkers, New York. The Otis Elevator Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation.
- Alternate versionsThe following scenes were cut from the film just a few days before the release:
- References suggesting that Kate has a genetic relationship to Stuart
- a scene where Ryan appears in the background of a 19th-century party
- a cameo by director James Mangold where he plays a director whose film is being changed to meet the demands of a test screening
- SoundtracksManhattan Beach
Performed by University of Michigan Band
Composed by John Philip Sousa
Courtesy of Vanguard Records, a Welk Music Group Company
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- Kate y Leopold
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $48,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $47,121,859
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $9,725,408
- Dec 30, 2001
- Gross worldwide
- $76,019,048
- Runtime1 hour 58 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1