Love, valor and jousting

The new medieval fable "A Knight's Tale," starring Aussie hunk Heath Ledger, knows its target audience of mostly-teens is waiting to sink its teeth into summer fare, but the film's warring time elements doesn't make it easy to digest.
   Chew on this: William (Ledger) is a young squire with a dictated future in front of him. His social class determines his life's path, and he can't fulfill his dream of becoming a jousting knight because only noblemen can joust.
   When his master dies, William dons his armor and takes over for him. He hones the craft through training, and with the help of his fellow squires, William the imposter wins a match. The next competition, however, requires his lineage papers.
   Along the way he meets a verbose lad named Geoffrey Chaucer (Paul Bettany) who's able to forge descendant-proving papers, and William is granted admission into all the jousts he can handle. In the mix, he falls in love with the beautiful maiden Jocelyn (Shannyn Sossamon), but only after every other knight has pledged his affection and devotion to her.
   Olde school
   The film haphazardly searches for a Baz Luhrmann-esque product that mixes the Olde World with millennial traits, fashions and mannerisms. Luhrmann's "William Shakespeare's Romeo+Juliet" was a brilliantly staged "West Side Story" for a new generation, and the people behind "A Knight's Tale" want it to be held under the same light.
   But its inconsistency detracts from its high points. Keep in mind, we're in medieval times:
   The opening scene features a medieval crowd physically getting into Queen's ritualistic jock jam "We Will Rock You."
   Jocelyn wears very hip outfits, glittery hair extensions and trendy jewelry.
   During a post-joust formal dance, the dance floor turns into a gyrating wave reminiscent to a Dre-induced hip-hop club circa 2001.
   The juxtaposing abuse of artistic license can be a great thing as long as you pick a theme and stick with it. Modern life sneaks into the film occasionally, but it needs to have a more dominant presence so it effectively flows rather than appearing out of place.
   Jocelyn is the only one in contemporary garb and the current music and pop culture references are too few and far between to give the story a thoroughly modern spin. Had the costumers and writers added more pop-culture references, the tactic would have worked as it has so many times before.
   A scene-saver
   Also risky is the introduction of Chaucer as a character; the press materials say the film is inspired by "The Canterbury Tales," but the alleged connection makes no sense in the course of the film.
   When Chaucer first shows up, he's naked and claims he was robbed of everything including his clothes. His intro seems forced at first, but the amusing character and Bettany's performance are the brightest elements of the film. Chaucer, as he would have liked it, cuts quite a rug and tells the best of stories, and Bettany's eccentric panache is delightfully vivid.
   Ledger flatteringly flexes his chops as William, and he proves he has what it takes to make him Hollywood's newest leading hunk. People find him devastatingly attractive and alluring, and he makes up for his acting inexperience with his Australian mystique and boyish charm.
   He showed better skills in the smart "10 Things I Hate About You," but with "A Knight's Tale" he'll prove he can translate mediocre medieval fare into box office gold.
  

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