All the Queen's Men

After all the bashing it received elsewhere, I'd like to join the majority here saying this is a vastly underrated flick. It's a WW-II-comedy in "Some-like-it-hot-"drag, tinted by a touch of tragedy.

Though LeBlanc is not that convincing, the self-finding of the young decoder and the love story of Eddie Izzard are deeply emotional and worthwhile throughout. Beautiful Krebitz' character is one of the witty girls often found in war-times Germany, though her banter is toned down in speed to let even Austrians understand the meaning of her lines.

Great cast, good story with only minor plot holes (yes, you should watch it till it's over) and some really funny gags. Good blend of war drama and comedy.

When I finally found this movie, I had been looking for it for quite some time. I have been a very big Eddie Izzard fan for a long time and also a FRIENDS fan, so it was definitely something I wanted to see. And I think it met my expectations. No it isn't an Oscar-worty movie or anything like that, but it is throughly enjoyable. It is the best thing aside from Friends that I've ever seen Matt Le Blanc in (I know that isn't saying a *lot*, but he does give a decent performance). The stand out as many people have said is obviously Eddie Izzard. The fact that he is a more polished comedian and since he is a transvestite in reality he seems pretty comfortable in the plot. He also has the best timing of them all. The only true complaint I have about this movie is that on the DVD in order to have subtitles for the few German lines you have to have the subtitles on the whole time, but that has nothing really to do with the movie as a whole. It isn't a movie that takes a lot of concentration to watch, but that isn't always bad. I really hate that so many people have written comments basically praising everyone in it and then calling the movie awful. There are some very touching scenes especially one between Izzard's character and his boyfriend who have been apart for a long time. So I would definitely recommend this movie to a friend.

** 1/2 stars out of four.

Look, I know we're all different, but this poor movie's gotten a heck of a bashing all over the net -- and it doesn't really deserve it.

Yes, the first ten minutes are slow. They're funny, but they're slow. And yes, the movie has a different tempo than most audiences are used to.

But Matt LeBlanc is wonderful as "Agent Almost", the guy who tries with all his studly spy-boy might, but never quite gets the job done. There's a brilliant sequence 3/4th's of the way through the film where our hero slithers, shimmies, and dodges his secret agent man way around a German town, trying to get some information -- at the same time that his very ragtag group (plus one fiesty librarian) tries their own hand at the spy stuff. Guess who gets the goods?

Floating behind the drag and spy jokes are some striking and raw scenes of war from the point of view of the women and children left behind. They create a rich backdrop, as well giving life to some of the motivation behind the characters' actions.

Give it a chance -- it's a good movie.

Even as an Eddie Izzard and Matt LeBlanc fan this film endures a few hardships in providing a really great war-drama-comedy. Even from the outset you can tell this isn't a major motion picture, (and the fact i brought it for £1 brand new from a national chain store backs that up). Despite this, the acting cast do a good job, with a few recognisable faces making well acted appearances. But the big problem comes with LeBlanc, because his appeal is primarily to an American audience and fans of 'Friends', and of course, he isn't playing Joey. The lack of subtitles for the German dialogue also didn't help for people like me who don't have an excellent grasp on the language, and this film features quite a lot of foreign dialogue. Nether-the-less the film does deliver something quite different, and funny in times, so isn't a total drag. Its worth a watch, maybe when you've got a couple of hours to spare, just like i did today!

I've been an Eddie Izzard fan for quite a long time (As has the friend I watched this film with) and we approached it from that stand point. In fact as we picked it we couldn't help but recite "it's the 131st transvestite brigade, parachuting behind enemy line with fabulous make-up and a fabulous gun." Taking it as that style of campy send up of war we found it rather funny, of course it was cheesy and full of plot holes, but that was part of the appeal. "I have to get my mousy-kins!" I mean if this film wasn't laughing at itself it should have been. Yes Eddie turns in a brilliant performance from an emotional stand point as well, as does David Birkin, but their performances add to the humour not over shadow it. Yes from the stand point of making the world a better place this film did not accomplish a single blow for understanding, but not everything has to be a statement for the cause. Some things are allowed to be funny for humour's sake, and those of us who get that the stereotypically wooden characters are there to make a point find them all the more funny. Give it a try.