A Knight's Tale (PG-13, 2001)

Heath Ledger plays William Thatcher, a knight's squire who steps into his liege's armor when the knight is killed in a jousting match. All he is thinking of is winning the match so that he can get some food for himself and the other two squires ("The Full Monty's" Mark Addy as Roland and "28 Days'" Alan Tudyk as Wat). But once the armor is on and the lance is in his hand, his childhood dream of being a knight is awakened, and he persuades Roland and Wat to help him pretend to be a nobleman, so he can continue to compete.

Of course William meets a beautiful princess (newcomer Shannyn Sossamon) and an arrogant champion who competes with him for the princess and the title (Rufus Sewell, wonderfully brooding as Count Adhemar). The secret of William's low birth is revealed at the most dramatic moment. But there is a happily-ever-after ending that is just right for this fairy tale. Ledger holds his own well in his first leading role, and Bettany is completely winning as Chaucer, who may have a gambling problem but who knows the value of words. Sossamon, in her first role, is pretty, but unimpressive. The art direction sets the scene beautifully, and, if you are willing to give it a chance, the music works very well, especially in a dance sequence that shifts about 600 years into David Bowie mid-step. I'm sure that if Bachman Turner Overdrive had been aroundin the 1400's, they would have played "Taking Care of Business" during combat.

If the idea of a medieval jousting movie set to classic rock songs like "We Will Rock You," "Low Rider," and "The Boys are Back in Town" bothers you, forget A KNIGHT'S TALE and rent Ivanhoe instead. But if the idea appeals to you, get some popcorn and get ready for a ravishingly good time. This is Ivanhoe crossed with Rocky for the MTV/WWF generation, and it is great silly movie fun. In other words, leave skepticism behind and it will rock you.