Considering director Andy Tennant's previous efforts include things like "Ever After," "Fools Rush in" and the made-for-TV
"Amy Fisher Story," "Anna and the King" is a fantastic achievement. Not giving any extra credit for rising above his most recent work, however, "Anna" fails to be the grand, sweeping drama it wants to be. Based rather loosely on the true story of Anna Leonowitz, an Englishwoman who went to Siam in 1862 to be a schoolteacher to the king's numerous children, "Anna and the King" is a character drama. We see how Anna (Jodie Foster) helps change Siam for the better, and how Siam -- particular its king (Chow Yun-Fat) changes Anna for the better.
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