Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

classicsoncall I would never have expected to be as entertained as I was by "Shakespeare in Love", but the humorous way in which it was presented made watching it a genuine pleasure. The situations and characters, such as they are spoofing the works of the great bard, is done with such creativity that one doesn't mind that his famous plays are given a royal send-up. Aside from Will Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) and his lady love Viola De Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow), supporting players Geoffrey Rush, Tom Wilkinson and Ben Affleck are all hilarious in their characterizations, with a noteworthy mention of Judi Dench as Queen Elizabeth. What the picture had me wonder about was how the historical William Shakespeare might have actually spent his daily routine writing plays, sonnets and poems, and if he had to deal with underfunded theaters and lack of paying customers. The man is so famous today you don't really think of him as a mere mortal carrying on day to day with the kind of superficial problems that came up in this story. Erectile dysfunction - who knows?Anyway, this is a good break from more serious movie fare, but in the grand scheme of things, to win out as Best Picture over "Saving Private Ryan", and even "Life is Beautiful" is something of a stretch to my mind. Best Costume Design I can agree with, and if there was a category for best Romantic Comedy, then it would have been a winner hands down. Still, not a bad little picture, and who knows, it might even have you looking up a little Shakespeare for your own personal reading pleasure.

merelyaninnuendo Shakespeare In LoveThe first act takes its time to settle in with the audience and basically just works as an introduction and then the scrutiny begins when the plot thickens and politics kicks in its second act that lures the audience hoping for something majestic but instead disappoints them utterly in its last act that is loosely scattered onto the script. John Madden is not in its A game which is visible from the first frame as it fails to create the anticipated impact on screen. Joseph Fiennes still needs a lot of work to do on its acting skills for all the work in here is carried by Gwyneth Paltrow who is mesmerizing in her act. Shakespeare In Love never had the script or concept to bedazzle the audience and accounting in the poor execution on its part, the feature delivers a far fetched vision that never comes close.

romanorum1 The setting is 1593 London, in the glory days of the Elizabethan theater. The screen caption reads, "Two playhouses are fighting it out for writers and audiences: The Curtain Theater with Richard Burbage, England's most famous actor, and the Rose, built by Philip Henslowe." Plays are often closed because of plagues and bad debts. Because Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush) has a cash flow problem, he is literally being legally (?) tortured by Hugh Fennyman (Tom Wilkinson) at film's commencement. Henslowe saves further pain by explaining that as Will Shakespeare's patron, he is expecting the playwright's latest play within two weeks. The show should garner twenty pounds, or enough to pay off his debt. The working title of the play is "Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter," the precursor of "Romeo and Juliet." In reality, Will Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) cannot even get started as he has run out of ideas. Now Will needs inspiration. He tells therapist Dr. Moth (Antony Sher) that his quill is broken and that the organ of his imagination has dried up. The therapist advises Will to seek a new romance. Enter Viola de Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow). But there are complications, one of which is that Will has a wife in Stratford. Also, Viola has been promised by her rich father to another man, Lord Wessex (Colin Firth), a most disagreeable fellow. Wessex discusses his tobacco farms in Virginia, but he is several decades early! But Viola falls in love with Will, and they have an affair. When aging and sharp-tongued Queen Elizabeth (Judi Dench) seems to approve of the upcoming marriage, she quips to Wessex that "Have her, then, but you are a lordly fool. She's been plucked since I saw her last, and not by you. It takes a woman to know it." Viola loves poetry and wants to act, but she is not yet allowed on stage because of her gender ("the law of the land has our beauties played by pipsqueak boys"). She disguises herself as a mustachioed man, Thomas Kent.Meanwhile Kit Marlowe has been killed. Will blames himself, as he had misled Wessex into believing that Kit had plucked Viola. But Will soon learns that Kit did not perish at the hand of Wessex; rather he died in a quarrel over a bill at a tavern (In real life Marlowe died at age 32 at Deptford under mysterious circumstances.). There would be a later sword fight between Will and Wessex. When Viola is discovered to be a woman, the Rose is closed down. But then Burbage offers his Curtain Theater, and the play is on. It is successful as the Queen humorously pardons Viola (Thomas!). Of course, Will can never really marry Viola; he works on his next play, "Twelfth Night." While it takes a few liberties, this fictional story well captures the flavor of the late 16th century, and shows the difficulties in arranging for the plays, how they were often racked with financial problems, backstage politics, and court intrigue. The period sets and costumes are wonderfully done. John Madden created a film that is energetic and witty; it is a fine romantic comedy with tongue-in- cheek humor. For the most part, the casting works well. The statuesque Gwyneth Paltrow is quite appealing, speaks Shakespearean well, and artistically displays her "golden apples" for folks to admire. She shows great chemistry in her scenes with Fiennes, but in reality she is much too feminine to pass as a man on stage. Judi Dench was undoubtedly authoritarian as Queen Elizabeth. Ben Affleck (as Ned Alleyn), who speaks in modern English, is no Shakespearean actor. Geoffrey Rush has some nice comical lines, like "That's no one important, that's the author." Rupert Everett is uncredited as Christopher "Kit" Marlow. (At the time, the struggling Shakespeare was engaged in a rivalry with the already popular Kit as to who was the greater playwright. Nonetheless, both do show grace to each other in the film.) The feature certainly was one of the best of the 1998 year, and in fact won seven Academy Awards, including the Oscar for Best Picture.

Sam smith (sam_smithreview) Don't be afraid of the word Shakespeare in the title! This movie is not a junior-high history lesson. It's light, funny, romantic, and a totally irreverent look at Elizabethan England.The screenplay is brilliant. The best writing in a movie I've seen this year. The idea is that Shakespeare is not some grave, great poet, but a young guy trying to make his way in the theater. He's written good plays, but nothing truly transcendent. The conceit is that an ill- fated romance--the one great true love of this life-- with a beautiful, smart woman is what inspires him to write his first immortal play: Romeo and Juliet.In this era of world-exploding auctioneers and cookie-cutter Adam Sandler movies, it's rare to see such a specific, ingenious, and inspired story for a film.The best part about this movie is its sense of humor. It plays with history, takes a great man abut whom we know almost nothing, and creates a fantasy about his life that is totally outrageous, funny and real.Also, the movie is really romantic. The costumes are lush, the leads look great and have real chemistry together. I used to think that Gwyneth was overrated, but here she's radiant. And Joe Fiennes has an intensity and a vulnerability, as well as a sense of humor, that I for one find sorely lacking in his older brother Ralph.Needless to say, this is the best date movie of the year. Women take note: I am a red-blooded straight American male, and I loved it. Take your boyfriends to see this movie. It will make up for you forcing them to sit through The Piano.