Amazon.com video review:
One of the most endearing and intelligent romantic comedies of the '90s, the Oscar-winning Shakespeare in Love is filled with such good will,
sunny romance, snappy one-liners, and devilish cleverness that it's
absolutely irresistible. With tongue placed firmly in cheek, at its outset
the film tracks young Will Shakespeare's overwrought battle with writer's
block and the efforts of theater owner Philip Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush, in
rare form) to stage Will's latest comedy, Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's
Daughter. Jokey comedy, though, soon takes a backseat to ravishing
romance when the beautiful Viola De Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow) disguises
herself as a young man to wangle herself an audition in the all-male cast,
and wins both the part of Romeo and, after much misunderstanding, the
playwright's heart. Soon enough, Will's pirate comedy becomes the
beautiful, tragic Romeo and Juliet, reflecting the agony and ecstasy
of Will and Viola's romance--he's married and she's set to marry the slimy
Lord Wessex (Colin Firth) in the near future.
The way that Oscar-winning screenwriters Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard
enfold their story within the parameters of Romeo and Juliet (and
even Twelfth Night) is nothing short of brilliant--it would take a
Shakespearean scholar to dissect the innumerable parallels, oft-quoted
lines, plot developments, and thematic borrowings. And most amazingly,
Norman and Stoppard haven't forgotten to entertain their audience in
addition to riding a Shakespearean roller coaster, with director John
Madden (Mrs. Brown) reigning in his huge ensemble with rollicking
energy. Along the way there are small gems to be found, including Judi
Dench's eight-minute, Oscar-winning turn as a truly regal Queen
Elizabeth, but the key element of Shakespeare in Love's success
rests on the milky-white shoulders of its two stars. Fiennes, inexplicably
overlooked at Oscar time, is a dashing, heartfelt Will, and as for Best
Actress winner Paltrow, well, nothing she'd done before could have
prepared viewers for how amazing she is here. Breathtakingly beautiful,
fiercely intelligent, strong-willed, and lovestruck--it's a performance
worthy of Shakespeare in more ways than one. By the film's end, you'll be
thoroughly won over--and brushing up your Shakespeare with newfound ardor.
--Mark Englehart
Amazon.com video review:
One of the most winning and intelligent romantic comedies of the '90s,
Shakespeare in Love is filled with such good will, sunny romance,
snappy
one-liners, and devilish cleverness that it's absolutely irresistible. At
the
1999 Academy Awards, this dark-horse costume comedy sneaked off with seven
Oscars,
besting the highly favored Saving Private Ryan for Best Picture.
With tongue
placed firmly in cheek, at its outset the film tracks young Will
Shakespeare's overwrought battle with writer's block and the efforts of
theater owner Philip Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush, in rare form) to stage Will's
latest comedy, Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter. Most
of the jokes in the first one-third of the film are along these lines: Will's
anachronistic therapist session, a mug inscribed "A Souvenir from
Stratford-Upon-Avon," Henslowe's battles to pay off his debts, and the
backstage high jinks of pre-production. However, once Will sets his eyes on
the
beautiful Viola De Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow), joking takes a backseat to
ravishing romance. Well, almost--turns out Viola wants to break into the
world of male-only theater, and disguises herself as a young man to wangle
herself an audition. She wins the part of Romeo and, after much
misunderstanding, the playwright's heart. Soon enough, Will's pirate comedy
becomes a beautiful, tragic romance, and Ethel is shoved aside for a woman
named Juliet. Will and Viola's romance, however, is equal parts comedy and
tragedy--he's married, and she's betrothed to the slimy Lord Wessex (Colin
Firth), and it doesn't take an English major to figure out that it's not
all's well that ends well.
Like Shakespeare's work itself, the film is instantly accessible to
everyone, from the raucous groundlings looking for low comedy to the
aesthetes
hankering for some intellectual bite behind their entertainment. The way
that Oscar-winning screenwriters Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard enfold their
story within the parameters of Romeo and Juliet (and even
Twelfth Night) is nothing short of brilliant--it would take a
Shakespearean scholar to dissect the innumerable parallels, oft-quoted
lines, plot developments, and thematic borrowings. And most amazingly,
Norman
and Stoppard haven't forgotten to entertain their audience in addition to
riding a Shakespearean roller coaster. Director John Madden
(Mrs. Brown) reigns in his huge ensemble with a rollicking energy
that
keeps the film's momentum going at top speed for its entire two hours.
Along
the way there are small gems to be found: Ben Affleck's riotous egotistical
actor, Imelda Staunton's nimble nurse, and of course Judi Dench's eight-minute,
Oscar-winning turn as a truly regal Queen Elizabeth.
However,
the key element of Shakespeare in Love's success rests on the
milky-white shoulders of its two stars. Fiennes, inexplicably overlooked at
Oscar time, is a dashing Will as we might expect him at the early stage of
his career, bundled full of comedy and tragedy but unsure of how to harness
his talent. And as for Best Actress winner Paltrow... well, nothing
she'd done before could have prepared viewers for how amazing she is here.
Breathtakingly beautiful, fiercely intelligent, strong-willed, and
lovestruck--it's a performance worthy of Shakespeare in more ways than one. By
the
film's end, you'll be thoroughly won over--and brushing up your Shakespeare
with newfound ardor. --Mark Englehart
