Kate & Leopold

Kate McKay is a practical New York event planner whose carefully scheduled life is shaken when her scientist ex, Stuart, demonstrates that a functional portal through time exists. To prove his breakthrough he brings back Leopold, a polite and bewildered 19th-century English duke, and Kate agrees to shepherd him through modern Manhattan. She has to explain simple conveniences, translate social norms, and cover for his antiquated behavior while juggling work and family. The mismatch of eras provides comic mishaps and tender moments as Kate's skepticism softens and she grows closer to Leopold. Underneath the romance, the story raises clear questions about responsibility, how a single absence could alter history, and whether love can bridge such different worlds and frequent culture shocks.

Directed by James Mangold and written by Steven Rogers, Kate & Leopold opened in 2001 as an original romantic fantasy set in New York, pairing Meg Ryan with Hugh Jackman and featuring Liev Schreiber.

The film was a moderate commercial success, earning steady box office returns for a romantic comedy and later finding a wider audience on home video, helped by the stars' publicity and the film's mix of period charm and modern humor.

Kate & Leopold raised Hugh Jackman's profile in mainstream film while offering a memorable rom-com twist on the time-travel device. Its fish-out-of-water sequences and courtesy-driven courtship scenes continue to attract fans, and the movie often appears on streaming lists for nostalgic date-night viewing among early 2000s cinema enthusiasts and critics.

Critics gave mixed to warm reviews, noting uneven plotting but applauding the leads' chemistry, especially Ryan's grounded performance and Jackman's old-fashioned charm. The film balances comedy with reflections on class, manners, and responsibility, using time travel as a device to test whether modern life can accommodate older codes of conduct.