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A KNIGHT'S TALE (PG-13)

Plot Summary: When a young squire’s master dies, he masquerades as a knight in order to compete in jousting tournaments and carve a new, successful future for himself.

Reason for the Rating: Action violence, some nudity, and brief sex-related dialogue.

A KNIGHT’S TALE is a different kind of action movie. I didn’t know much about it when I went to see it, except that it starred Heath Ledger, a rising star and teen heartthrob. I also knew it was about jousting. I must admit, jousting didn’t excite me very much. I wondered how an entire action movie could center around two people on horses lunging at each other with big sticks. But by the end of the movie, I actually thought jousting was cool.

A KNIGHT’S TALE, despite many somewhat hokey plot turns, managed to draw me in.

Ledger stars as William, a young squire who dreams of achieving success. When his master dies, he finally gets the chance to create the life he thinks he deserves. Posing as a knight, he begins to compete in jousting tournaments, earning money and fame. The catch is that only “true royalty” are allowed to compete in the tournaments; if discovered, William is going to be in serious trouble.

A KNIGHT’S TALE has all the prerequisites for an action movie: a handsome hero successfully fighting the odds; an evil villain; a love story on the side; and the comic relief. It’s not a superb example of what this type of movie could be, but it doesn’t go wrong in any major ways.

Although Ledger is the only big name in this film, the supporting cast adds true flavor to the story. I especially enjoyed the character of Geoffrey Chaucer (of pre-Canterbury Tales fame) who supplies many a humorously verbose speech. The idea of Chaucer really being crazy and off-the-wall is a funny one. Along with the regular formula, the movie includes some interesting additions. Although I suppose it’s theoretically possible the crowd at the tournaments knew the words and music to Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” something about the soundtrack seemed a little bit too 20th century. But, the movie embraces this, and it almost becomes just another funny moment.

The one thing that bothered me about the movie was the prolonged viewing of Geoffrey Chaucer’s backside. When he was first introduced, he was nude, and he remained visibly so for what seemed like far too long. Aside from a brief sexual innuendo, this unnecessary footage contributed to the movie’s PG-13 rating. Even the violence seemed rather understated. Parents should note this.

FamilyFans.com Recommends: Though not a fabulous flick, A Knight’s Tale is still worth seeing if all the other summer blockbusters are sold out.

After the Show…If members of your family choose to view this movie, use these questions to spark discussion about it afterward:

-- Why do you think only royalty was allowed to compete in the jousting tournaments?

-- Who would you say are America’s “royalty” today? What are they allowed to do that average people are prohibited from doing?

-- Do you think it was okay for William to lie about his heritage in order to be allowed to joust? Explain your answer.

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