SummaryDecember, 1991: The Prince and Princess of Wales’ marriage has long since grown cold. Though rumoursof affairs and a divorce abound, peace is ordained for the Christmas festivities at Sandringham Estate. There's eating and drinking, shooting and hunting. Diana knows the game. This year, things will be a whole lot different.
Directed By:Pablo Larraín
Written By:Steven Knight
Spencer
Metascore
Generally Favorable
76
User score
Generally Favorable
6.8
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
79% Positive
42 Reviews
42 Reviews
17% Mixed
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
4% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Nov 5, 2021
100
Kristen Stewart is inspired casting as a woman on the brink of escape from a superficially comfortable prison. Who better to play a person remembered for her perceived shyness than the current maestro of hooded introspection?
Nov 4, 2021
90
The royal family’s travails have long been likened to that of a soap opera, but Spencer, even as it conjures the emotional extravagance of a first-rate melodrama, refuses to be hemmed in. It’s a historical fantasia, a claustrophobic thriller and a dark comedy of manners, all poised on a knife’s edge between tabloid trash and high art.
User score
Generally Favorable
65% Positive
218 Ratings
218 Ratings
14% Mixed
47 Ratings
47 Ratings
21% Negative
71 Ratings
71 Ratings
Nov 24, 2022
10
Underrated and under-appreciated masterpiece. Kristen Stewart should have won the Oscar for Best Actress.
Feb 19, 2022
10
Fascinating. Kristen Stewart stars in the best female performance of the year and plunges us into a labyrinth of complex emotions that, like a fable, has Diana Princess of Wales as the protagonist. The narrative could not be more suggestive and the character, so well built, has enough strength to practically stand alone for a large part of the footage. I thought it was a great film and a great point of view on this beloved character, who offers us in this invented fiction moving moments that could well have been true.
Oct 7, 2021
83
Desperately seeking stability while her marriage to Prince Charles crumbles, Diana is tragic and three-dimensional in the hands of Stewart.
Sep 3, 2021
80
Not everything lands in Spencer, and I often wondered if the film was so set on bucking convention that it would alienate its audience. But it tells a sorrowful story we all think we know in a new and genuinely disturbing light.
Sep 11, 2021
75
Pablo Larraín’s film readily conjures a paranoia-suffused atmosphere of fear for what might happen at any moment.
Nov 4, 2021
60
Stewart’s febrile, sensitive performance and Larraín’s trademark lyricism give it an emotional kick that such predecessors lacked.
Nov 8, 2021
25
It takes one of the most gifted screen actresses of her generation and casts her out to sea with nothing to hold onto but a hideous script that’s all attitude without depth or understanding.
Jan 11, 2022
10
Excellent drama. Spencer is a superbly moving, extremely poetic, and consistently beautiful drama that has much more in common with psychological horror than a normal period drama. Kristen Stewart delivers a phenomenal performance as Diana, fully embodying her without ever sounding like a parody. Sally Hawkins, Sean Harris, Jack Farthing and Timothy Spall are great. Pablo Larraín's direction is excellent, it's extremely well shot, stylish and visually stunning. The costumes are fantastic. He also has an extremely good rhythm and Jonny Greenwood's music is amazing.
Dec 28, 2021
6
A psychological horror/fantasy of what may or may not have happened in Sandringham, Christmas 1991. The filmmakers effectively create the claustrophobia entrapping their imagined version of the 'Queen of Hearts', then further flesh out the frigidity and oppressive nature of a Royal Christmas. Kristen Stewart's English accent in impressive, but her performance becomes very one-note after a few scenes. Compare it with A Woman Under the Influence, for example. Spencer is another example of a film with stunning hair, make-up, costumes, locations, mise-en-scene, only to be let down in the most important department: writing and direction. The overbearing soundtrack is very grating and ultimately undermines the film.
Nov 23, 2023
3
A dreadfully dull and uninteresting film. I also found the mannerisms of Kristen Stewart to be quite annoying.
Jan 20, 2022
3
I totally went in 100% rooting for this film and Kristen Stewart after hearing about all her accolades. And was ready to shove it to SAG. But I’m bewildered, to put it mildly this was NOT good. I realize this is an interpretation not autobiographical so I did my best to suspend my judgment but it was impossible. It felt like Kristen Stewart in Princess Diana cosplay shooting a moody perfume commercial/horror movie. Despite it’s interesting takes, the screenplay felt insincere and gimmicky. I never really cared for the royal family, but if I were William or Harry I’d feel insulted they used the memory of my mother for this film. Sorry but I have to agree with SAG.
Production Company:
- Shoebox Films
- Komplizen Film
- FilmNation Entertainment
- Topic Studios
- Fabula
Release Date:Nov 5, 2021
Duration:1 h 51 m
Rating:R
Tagline:Every fairy tale ends.
Awards
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Nomination
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
DiscussingFilm Critic Awards
• 4 Wins & 10 Nominations
