The Emperor's New Clothes (2015) User Reviews

An Efficient Michel Winterbottom Documentary

[JoshuaHarryMurphy · 6/10 · 5 May 2015]

Labelled as a film regarding the growing disparity between economic classes, Michael Winterbottom's The Emperor's New Clothes is an effective documentary balancing political and economic investigation with Russell Brand's palpably galvanic and marmite personality.

The film combines interviews with Brand himself, along with politicians and bankers. Brand begins by summating that much of what will be explored in the documentary won't be instantaneously enlightening, a far stretch from the explosively impactful manner as last year's masterful Citizen Four. Despite this, where I do believe the film achieves success is in its exposing of issues and its raising of awareness towards certain issues. As aforementioned, much of Brand's insight is foreseeable to those of a certain age. However; the teenage and young adult audience, much of what is explored could be thought-provoking, and is presented in a straightforward and confronting style which appears purposeful yet remains focused throughout. This, taken in combination with Brand's personality, does make what initially appears challenging subjective matter abundantly more digestible.

What is problematic is that the film at times felt like a flaccid attempt of a brief Russell Brand biopic. For the majority of the film Brand's presence is handled adeptly, yet I find at times the focus on his unabashed comedic set pieces (pleading at the top of his voice to bystanders to give up corrupt bankers and his Michael Moore-ish attempt of breaking and entering a bank) turned the focus from suggested gargantuan corruptness into a love letter to Brand's eccentricity. For fans of Brand, it's nothing particularly abhorrent, but for those on the other side of the fence, this shift will do little to convince them to change their tune.

A look into rapacious capitalism

[cekadah · 8/10 · 10 May 2015]

Russell Brand presents a quick look into global capitalism, the spreading ownership cult of the one percent and it's devastating effects on the working class and the unemployed.

Director/writer Michael Winterbottom tries to simplify this very complex and often esoteric issue so the average person can comprehend it. The scenes with the school children is a good example. Plus the one on one interviews with the people on social assistance is another example.

Unfortunately for me, I had a rather difficult time understand everything Russell Brand is saying with that terrible inner city British accent! I feel as if I missed some important statements by him. But please do not let his speaking influence your decision to watch this documentary. There is a lot to be learned about how the 1% is setting themselves into ivory towers --- the future overlords of all.

Important Contemporary Social Comment

[claptrap-48642 · 9/10 · 2 May 2015]

The Pros:

1) This is a very well made documentary in true Brand style - no holds barred presentation of the facts.

2) Winterbottom, Brand and their team should be congratulated for capturing a true reflection of current financial inequality and hardship in Britain (and to some extent, globally).

3) Easy to watch and relate to. Hard not to agree with everything Brand says, with compelling evidence of banking system corruption, government secret deals and corporate tax avoidance.

I particularly enjoyed the scenes with the kids at the school and thought the analogy about sharing toys equally was powerful.

Cons: Other than the obvious points: 1) that many of the figures presented could be argued for accuracy

2) the timing of the release to coincide with a British election is a bit suspicious.

3) very little if not zero critique of any Labour policies, therefore makes it clear where Brand's political party allegiance lies, which is fine, but it appears to be concealed.

4) Whilst the subject matter is painfully true and this film should be seen by everyone - it is very light on any form of prescription or a "what to do next" or "what can you do now". Obviously the team have decided not to take that route - but it seems a missed opportunity if someone sits through 90 minutes, agrees with it and then goes back to watching Eastenders afterwards. Even a "Subscribe to the Trews" link would have been better than nothing... youtube.com/user/russellbrand

Conclusion

Russell, thanks for putting yourself on the line to speak for the gross inequalities that exist in Britain. Regardless of what your motives might be - you are doing a great service to the human race.

This film should be shown free and played on loop in the hope that Occupy or whatever organisation comes next - can be more widely mobilised in order to be successful.

Attack on present day in the British system.

[charlesmowood · 10/10 · 27 April 2015]

Entertaining film concerning some of the inequalities present in the UK. Brand takes on the banking policies that caused the 2008 crisis. Calling for bankers for their risky behavior to pay the price rather than the most vulnerable through austerity cuts.Brand's delivery is typical of his comedic works lively with plenty light-hearted moments despite the largely serious content presented such as: disabled people losing their benefits and council estates being privatized by UK councils. Overall, those interested in an alternative to current system of governance will find this film a breath of fresh air and interesting insight into the future of our society.

The message is worthy, but the style of the film, and the personality at the core, makes it a scruffy, unfocused documentary of limited interest and value

[bob the moo · 9 October 2015]

I don't really follow celebrity culture, and just in case you think that means I'm far too highbrow to do so, I also am pretty bad at following the other end of that spectrum either. I mention this because Russell Brand is in both of those in some ways, and in both areas I am aware of him but little more than that – for some reason I don't care for him when I have seen him, but at the same time I would struggle to specifically tell you what I have seen him in. This film of course got more attention due to his involvement, and it was this publicity that drew me to watch the film, even if it was the message that I actually wanted to hear.

In terms of that message, it is perfectly worthy and valid, and, as Brand says at the start of the film – really nothing you have not heard before. Problem with that sentence is that it is only part of the truth, because not only will you have heard all of this before, but predominately you will have heard it all done better too. Brand seems to have been identified as the key problem with the film, but for me the whole approach and tone of the film is off – okay it is off because it is modeled around the Brand brand (if you will) but this is not a solo project, there are other people who should have evened this out, not least of which is Winterbottom. The issue with the film is evident from the very start, because no matter its other faults, the film is at least consistent across its running time. It appears to be aimed at 'the people', or at least the perception of who 'the people' are. What this means in reality is that we have the 'geezer' factor turned up to 11, everything is a little bit cheeky, and things are played out in very simple terms, and with a very basic structure and approach.

For some maybe this will win you over, but personally I found it grating and patronizing – and not just Brand. To focus on the content (as we should), the film has this great point, but it makes it far too simply; getting school children to yell out like the film is a panto doesn't work, and the film not having access to people beyond security guards also doesn't work. Many other devices and specifics fall flat, and the fact we have heard this all before does tend to come across even louder – and the fact it isn't working just highlights how much better others have covered the same material, whether in documentaries or in satirical news shows. This is my fundamental problem with the film – that it doesn't make its case at all well; however there is no point in me pretending that Brand himself is not a big part of this. His style and manner here seems so insincere and patronizing. His efforts to 'speak to the people' seem too labored, and his many throwaway sentences attempting to charm just grated on me; he does appear to have good intentions, but he overplays the act of 'I'm just a simple bloke me, just a local boy like yourself mate' – for example saying he doesn't know anything about Libor when he so clearly does, as if angry ignorance is something he thinks will appeal to those watching (which maybe is true, but it still speaks to his views on the 99% when he thinks such a character is one we will appreciate). To be fair, in the film people do seem to respond to this approach, so he may well be a matter of taste.

Ultimately the film is Brand and it is hard to separate them. As such it is a film with a mostly worthy message and intent, but done in an insincere and messy fashion which seems to be trying to ingratiate itself to the populace but actually just comes off as an insincere act which at best is a bit grating, and at worst is patronizing and condescending.

Thought provoking.

[j-nicholson1 · 9/10 · 27 September 2015]

I spotted this on Amazon Prime video and decided to take a look, I've never been a huge fan of Russell Brand and was curious about the content.

I found this documentary to be thought provoking and well worth watching. Russell Brand has gained my respect because I believe he is, in his own inimitable style, trying to open people's eyes to the gross inequalities of life in Britain today. I felt compelled to write this review having seen a couple of negative comments about looting, nobody bothered to mention the bankers? This documentary explains in simple terms about the economic crisis and the application of austerity measures to the detriment of those least able to afford it and it does it in a way that keeps you watching to the very end. I do not think It will ever change the opinions of those with closed minds, but for anyone else it should at least make you think, I thoroughly recommend watching this documentary.

KISS Approach

[ferguson-6 · 5/10 · 16 December 2015]

Greetings again from the darkness. I'm not one of those who subscribe to the belief that documentary films should present all sides to the story in a "just the facts, ma'am" style. In fact, I respect a filmmaker who is so passionate about a topic that he/she enthusiastically attempts to overwhelm the viewer with "proof" that their opinion is the definitive truth and no further debate is needed. Here, renowned director Michael Winterbottom (The Trip, 2010) supports comedian/actor/activist Russell Brand in his agenda to educate the masses on the evil of big banks and rich people, and the need for re-distribution of wealth.

Now that agenda may seem a bit odd coming from an admitted rich guy, but in fact, Brand's professional success lends some credibility to his argument … or at least it's a different approach than having a group of people living in poverty talk about how they got screwed by "the man".

To say that Brand dumbs-down his explanation is certainly an understatement. To emphasize this, there are a couple of segments where he utilizes elementary level students to differentiate between rich and poor – what's fair and what's not. Concentrating mostly on the British economy, while also noting the similarities to the United States 2008 crash, Brand makes the argument that the turning point was approximately 35 years ago as Margaret Thatcher assumed power and Free Market Capitalism took over. It's a bizarre point coming from a native of a country whose Monarchs (not known for their "fairness") date back for centuries. However, this is an example of the keep-it-simple approach in getting the masses to join his quest.

Borrowing a page from Michael Moore's long-successful script, Brand presents the big banks and the super rich as the villains of society. It's a common theme and one that's pretty easy to agree with … the banks were bailed out, and then proceeded to pay their upper management huge bonuses. The viable argument is, why don't they pay "us" back? Brand attempts to follow Moore's lead again (while referencing Joseph Campbell) by walking into the banks and asking to see the CEO's. These attempts fall flat, and leave us with Brand wise-cracking while bystanders try to figure out if it's all a prank.

The most effective sequences involve Brand walking the streets of Grays London where he was raised. His discussions with the locals are real, and infinitely more enlightening than his storming into bank lobbies. The statistics don't lie – the rich are getting richer, while the rest of society struggles. George Carlin said it best … the poor are needed to keep the middle class motivated to work so the rich can benefit. Brand also rails against legal tax evasion via offshore accounts – especially in Grand Cayman. He lobbies for those accounts to be taxed and the money returned to the country of origin.

Most of Brand's mission is preaching the importance of fairness, and the claim is made that by definition, capitalism is the inequality of power. Whether you agree with him or not, Brand is to be respected for using his celebrity status for a cause much more important than the best table in a restaurant, or courtside seats to a game. His simple-is-best approach carries right through to the end where he does offer up his list of recommendations to create a more fair system. If his simple and sometimes funny approach allows more people to enter into discussions, then his cause is worthwhile, even if his recommendations are a bit lacking in substance and depth.

Russel Brand takes to the streets of England spreading controversial ideas about the growing gap between the rich and the rest...

[clawrence-03973 · 10/10 · 22 July 2015]

The Emperor's New Clothes is absolutely captivating from the first 10 seconds right to the very end. I found myself wanting MORE when it ended! It's an inspiring film and an easy watch as well as being easily digestible considering it focuses on such a heavy and complex topic. The best part for me was that it didn't leave me or the family member I saw it with feeling burdened and helpless by the state of the economy which, had it not been so delicately balanced in it's editing, it very well could have given the content, it left us feeling passionately empowered by the information and ideas Brand presents. It's a brilliant documentary: one of the best I've ever seen. And I confess, when I left the cinema, I went straight to the bookstore and bought both of his most recent books. This film is a must see for anyone and everyone with a conscience, a hope for a better economical future, and enough brain cells to comprehend it (so basically anyone). And let's be honest, who doesn't love a bit of Russel Brand??

Good but a bit of dis info

[robjames-907-919548 · 5/10 · 27 May 2015]

He's bringing up some really good points about the lawlessness of the city when it comes to financial crimes committed by the banks.

One thing he keep's blaming it on is a 'free market' This is just simply not true, we don't have a free market by any stretch of the imagination.

We live in an oligarchy with the rich being above the law.

Don't be fooled, more power to government is not the answer.

There's been many attempts to blame it on capitalism, since Marx. This has never and will never lead to a revolution that will do the common people any good whatsoever.

The children were impressed...

[imdb-487-881561 · 6 June 2015]

After watching this documentary, the children were impressed so I asked them to reach for their mobile phones and google "how many phones are in the world". They know no other phones than mobile phones and no better source than Wikipedia. Probably, neither do you.

Wikipedia told them that there are approximately over 6,800,000,000 mobile phones in use for a global population of 7,012,000,000. They also delighted themselves by looking up the breakdown by country etc. Please also do so yourself.

Thirty, forty years ago no one could have thought that by today each person would have their own private phone line, much less in their pocket, and to boot, not just a phone but a computer.

Yet the poor are getting poorer, we are told.

I wonder what this documentary would have been like if instead of wealth, Russell Brand had had knowledge or commonsense. We will never find out.

Entertaining exploration of a potentially boring subject

[HerbieStretch · 8/10 · 2 October 2021]

Sometimes life is simply not fair. Bad luck can visit us all.

What this film lays bare is that you can work hard all your life, try to stack the chips in your favour by doing that, and yet simply be screwed over by the wealthy powerful who gorge themselves on their wealth and power. It's not just a case of the have-nots being jealous of the haves. It's a case of the haves not being even remotely benign or even grateful to those who work hard all their lives to maintain the wealth creating machines. It's done by smoke and mirrors. The film shows British politicians using key words and phrases to convince voters that they are on their side, understand their daily grind and to convince them that they are their people. It also blows away the notion that the rich are 'wealth creators' as if there would be no wealth, happiness or even jobs in our society if it wasn't for Amazon or Google and the like. The post war period was one of cooperation and relative 'happiness' when CEO salaries were more in line with workers salaries and the taxpayer didn't need to subsidise corporations by subsidising low wages for example or by bailing out failed banks and financial institutions.

The film shows that we clearly live in a society where the wealthy are in control and, by lobbying, donating to, and employing MPs they can make laws that suit them.

One big message from the film is that collective action can work, as a starting point. See the film to see that in practice.

Thank you Russel, you weird combination of knowledgeable man and cheeky child. Keep it up.

Brave and direct.

[sinisa_ku · 10/10 · 15 May 2020]

Crude, simple, yet detailed. As a brilliance should be.

Not Good

[josip-19963 · 2/10 · 10 May 2015]

Okay first off the editing of this video is good.....That's about it

Cons:

1) Dosen't talk about actual facts, but opinions

2) Calls free market economist like Milton fringe economists, while he is considered the greatest economist in the 20th century

3) Dosen't provide any real substance besides

I'm right and your wrong

4) He brings up point about economics that aren't correct at all and don't have any supporting references

5) Uses the fair policy through-out the doc and at one point talks to children about fairness

6) Bias against the Conservatives and seems to miss any Labour failures in the UK

Overall this is a good documentary if you want to go down to the lowest common denominator when it comes to actual substance, he uses his celebrity to push for what he wants and acts like he dosen't need to prove any of his facts with actual references.

Overall 2/10

2 points for good editing.

Brand has an infant's mind

[amaston · 1/10 · 29 June 2015]

Oh great, another celebrity walking around in $500 jeans talking about the ills of society and how bad poor people have it.

I find it ironic that Brand blames the free market system for making the poor, poorer and the rich, richer than how things used to be when meanwhile the markets have only grown less free and the social safety nets have only grown over the same period of time. But then again, he's a burn out that suffers from buying his own BS.

If we had Brand as our Dear Leader, he'd raise income taxes on the wealthy, property taxes, and raise minimum wage significantly. In turn, with everyone making more money and the prices of goods increasing dramatically, we'd see prices go up significantly on everything from rent to toilet paper and groceries. Essentially the poor would be back in the exact same place they were before, except it would be even harder to accumulate any wealth so we'd be completely dependent on the state. Brand the rescue would enact price ceilings on goods in response to the inflation and then we'd see shortages.

Worst of all, Brand would be all fired up about this from his multi- million dollar house and would call his producer friends so that they could make another worthless documentary exactly as this one with the exact same solution.

So don't listen to this infant, don't let him have an excuse to make another film full of advice worth far less than his jeans.

Interesting Statistics! 4/10

[leonblackwood · 4/10 · 28 June 2015]

Review: Although the subject matter is very interesting in this documentary, Russell Brand did get on my nerves after a while. I tried to take the movie seriously but the fact that he is a rich comedian who had his 5 minutes of fame in Hollywood, really didn't help. I did find the statistics mind blowing and I would love for some like Michael Moore to get to the root of England's problems which is troubling many people in today's day to day life. From the banking and tax problems to the corruption in politics, this documentary does cover a lot but I doubt that anyone who can change the problems, will take it seriously. From a personal point of view, I can't see how things will change in the UK with so many rich people getting richer and the poor people getting poorer. Its a problem that is happening around the world and there isn't anyone who is able to make a drastic change to the poverty, debt and corruption which is destroying people's life's and the sad fact of the matter is that everyone knows that it's happening and there isn't any light at the end of the tunnel. This documentary does bring a decent argument to the table but too many people are benefiting from the state of the world today. Russell Brand seemed more like Ali G than Michael Moore in this documentary but he does show passion for the subject matter and it would be good to see something positive come out of this movie. Interesting statistics!

Round-Up: This documentary was actually put together well by Michael Winterbottom who also made the Look of Love with Steve Coogan and Trisha with Riz Ahmed. He has made over 40 movies in his career so he isn't new to the movie world and you can see some professionalism in the documentary but Russell Brand wouldn't have been my first choice to star in it. He has upset a lot of people with his personal views, before he decided to delve into the political world but he has a ruthless demeanor which is needed to take on these politicians who use clever words to get themselves out of tricky situations. I just hope that someone with clout will take on these tax dodging criminals and corrupt politicians because I really can't see how things are going to get better.

I recommend this movie to people who are into their in depth documentaries about the problem with tax, poverty and corruption in the UK today. 4/10