William Hundert is a passionate and principled Classics professor who finds his tightly-controlled world shaken and inexorably altered when a new student, Sedgewick Bell, walks into his classroom. What begins as a fierce battle of wills gives way to a close student-teacher relationship, but results in a life lesson for Hundert that will still haunt him a quarter of a century later.
The movie may not be worthy of an Oscar, but Kline's highly nuanced performance is certainly worthy of our attention.
– Peter Howell,
Toronto Star,
22 Nov 2002
fresh:
You don't have to be an especially tough grader to give a charitable B-minus to The Emperor's Club.
– Mike Clark,
USA Today,
22 Nov 2002
rotten:
It's a simpering, ineffective ersatz-drama, so simple-minded and unrealistic and so full of fussy stupidity, it exiles you.
– Stephen Hunter,
Washington Post,
22 Nov 2002
fresh:
This isn't a stand up and cheer flick; it's a sit down and ponder affair. And thanks to Kline's superbly nuanced performance, that pondering is highly pleasurable.