Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsABFFPride MonthOutfest OutfrontsSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Queen to Play

Original title: Joueuse
  • 2009
  • Unrated
  • 1h 41m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
3.1K
YOUR RATING
Kevin Kline, Sandrine Bonnaire, and Francis Renaud in Queen to Play (2009)
Middle-aged chambermaid Hélène's newfound obsession with the game of chess leads her to seek the tutelage of a reclusive American expat, transforming both of their ho-hum lives in the process.
Play trailer1:38
1 Video
5 Photos
Drama

A chambermaid on Corsica is obsessed with chess after seeing a US expat play it lovingly with l'Américaine. She cleans his house and now also plays with him on Tuesdays.A chambermaid on Corsica is obsessed with chess after seeing a US expat play it lovingly with l'Américaine. She cleans his house and now also plays with him on Tuesdays.A chambermaid on Corsica is obsessed with chess after seeing a US expat play it lovingly with l'Américaine. She cleans his house and now also plays with him on Tuesdays.

  • Director
    • Caroline Bottaro
  • Writers
    • Caroline Bottaro
    • Bertina Henrichs
  • Stars
    • Sandrine Bonnaire
    • Kevin Kline
    • Francis Renaud
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.9/10
    3.1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Caroline Bottaro
    • Writers
      • Caroline Bottaro
      • Bertina Henrichs
    • Stars
      • Sandrine Bonnaire
      • Kevin Kline
      • Francis Renaud
    • 31User reviews
    • 59Critic reviews
    • 70Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 3 nominations

    Videos1

    Queen to Play (Joueuse)
    Trailer 1:38
    Watch Queen to Play (Joueuse)

    Photos

    Kevin Kline, Sandrine Bonnaire, and Francis Renaud in Queen to Play (2009)
    Sandrine Bonnaire in Queen to Play (2009)
    Kevin Kline and Sandrine Bonnaire in Queen to Play (2009)
    Sandrine Bonnaire in Queen to Play (2009)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Sandrine Bonnaire
    Sandrine Bonnaire
    • Hélène
    Kevin Kline
    Kevin Kline
    • Kröger
    Francis Renaud
    Francis Renaud
    • Ange
    Jennifer Beals
    Jennifer Beals
    • L'Américaine
    Valérie Lagrange
    Valérie Lagrange
    • Maria
    Alexandra Gentil
    • Lisa
    Alice Pol
    Alice Pol
    • Natalia
    Élisabeth Vitali
    • Marie-Jeanne
    Daniel Martin
    • Le président du club d'échecs
    Dominic Gould
    Dominic Gould
    • L'Américain
    Laurence Colussi
    • Pina
    Didier Ferrari
    • Jacky
    Valérie Tréjean
    • L'infirmière
    François Orsoni
    • Le journaliste
    Christine Ambrosini
    • La femme de l'autocar
    Anne-Camille Challier
    • Fanny
    Maxime Delauney
    • Le jeune homme du tournoi
    Lionel Tavera
    • Le chauffeur du bus
    • Director
      • Caroline Bottaro
    • Writers
      • Caroline Bottaro
      • Bertina Henrichs
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Love Me No More
    7.0
    Love Me No More
    Colonel Chabert
    6.9
    Colonel Chabert
    Dialogue avec mon jardinier
    7.1
    Dialogue avec mon jardinier
    C'est la vie
    6.8
    C'est la vie
    Fear and Trembling
    7.0
    Fear and Trembling
    Those Who Remain
    6.9
    Those Who Remain
    The Student and Mister Henri
    6.7
    The Student and Mister Henri
    The Extra Man
    5.8
    The Extra Man
    My Old Lady
    6.4
    My Old Lady
    The Luzhin Defence
    6.8
    The Luzhin Defence
    Me and My Sister
    6.4
    Me and My Sister
    Welcome Aboard
    6.1
    Welcome Aboard

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The film subtly suggests Hélène's improvement at playing chess through her opening moves. At the beginning, with her mentor, she opens by moving a side pawn, a move typical for inexperienced players who don't understand chess openings. Half-way through the apprenticeship, she opens with the king's pawn, the most widely used opening move, which shows that she now understands that chess playing is more than moving pieces and has an inner logic to be followed. For her last game with her mentor, she opens with the queen's pawn, a more complex opening which requires a better understanding of the dynamics of the game.
    • Goofs
      When Helene and Kroeger were playing their blind game. Kroeger calls for a move of j6, which is no such square. Obviously the person who translated the subtitles misunderstood plus doesn't know chess.
    • Quotes

      Hélène: When you take a risk, you may lose. When you don't take a risk, you always lose.

    • Connections
      Featured in Maltin on Movies: Conan the Barbarian (2011)

    User reviews31

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Rapture and Chess
    On some levels this movie works. Its' slow paced, languid, and the characters draw you in – particularly Sandrine Bonnaire. It's about the addiction of the game of chess and its appeal. So if you feel nothing for the game then you have been warned! The scenery on the island of Corsica is very colourful.

    However it's also a somewhat self-indulgent film – it's about addiction after all. There are many long and lingering shots of Sandrine and Kevin staring at each other and then at chess pieces. Sandrine's family is so very much accommodating to her new found passion. There is certain lack of logicality – it takes years with many different chess partners to become a solid player and then participate successfully in a tournament. Still the movie does dreamily captivate.
    helpful•11
    13
    • MikeyB1793
    • Apr 3, 2011

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 1, 2011 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • France
      • Germany
    • Official site
      • Studio Canal (France)
    • Languages
      • French
      • English
    • Also known as
      • La jugadora
    • Filming locations
      • Corsica, France
    • Production companies
      • Mon Voisin Productions
      • Blueprint Film
      • StudioCanal
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • €5,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $478,710
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $28,092
      • Apr 3, 2011
    • Gross worldwide
      • $2,458,601
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 41 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • DTS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Kevin Kline, Sandrine Bonnaire, and Francis Renaud in Queen to Play (2009)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Queen to Play (2009) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.