Love's Labour's Lost (2000)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Kenneth Branagh

Writers:

William Shakespeare (play)
Kenneth Branagh (screenplay)

Release Date:

24 March 2000 (Norway)

Genre:

Romance | Comedy | Musical

Tagline:

A New Spin on the Old Song and Dance

Plot:

An update of the classic Shakespeare story, director Kenneth Branagh shot this movie like a classic 30s musical. Love's Labour's Lost tells the story of four best friends who swear off love.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Princess | Bet | Directed By Star | Male Female Relationship

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Alessandro Nivola	...	King Ferdinand of Navarre
Alicia Silverstone	...	The Princess of France
Natascha McElhone	...	Rosaline
Kenneth Branagh	...	Berowne
Carmen Ejogo	...	Maria
Matthew Lillard	...	Longaville
Adrian Lester	...	Dumaine
Emily Mortimer	...	Katherine
Richard Briers	...	Nathaniel
Geraldine McEwan	...	Holofernia
Stefania Rocca	...	Jacquanetta
Jimmy Yuill	...	Dull
Nathan Lane	...	Costard
Timothy Spall	...	Don Armado
Anthony O'Donnell	...	Moth (as Tony O'Donnell)

Also Known As:

Peines d'amour perdues (Canada: French title) (France)

MPAA:

Rated PG for sensuality and a brief drug reference.

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

France | UK | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:L | Netherlands:6 | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:6 | Hong Kong:IIB | Norway:7 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:U | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

Arts Council of England

Trivia:

Mercade was offered to Stephen Fry.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: During the tearing of the contract, you can see Kenneth Branagh mouthing Matthew Lillard's lines as he is saying them.

Quotes:

Berowne: Why, all delights are vain; but that most vain, which, with pain purchased, doth inherit pain.

Movie Connections:

References Casablanca (1942)

Soundtrack:

Cheek to Cheek

Much better than the remarks found here

Interesting reading the reviews herein. The reviewers either loved or hated it. Some witty shots taken at Branagh's effort to make one of The Bard's weakest comedies into something enjoyable. I mean, c'mon. The play is a story of young men swearing off of love and being made to eat their vows by clever women through little games and switched clues. Hardly a deep plot with potentially tragic twists like Much Ado About Nothing, or confusion reigning during a lover in love with love as in Twelfth Night, or a knee slapper like Midsummer's Night Dream. So, Branagh, ever the innovator and risk-taker, makes it into a gishy late 30s musical with all the trappings (make that 'tappings') from lead into song and dance routines to coordinated smiling shapely swimmers peeling off like a deck of cards into a swimming pool. Busby Berkeley would have loved it, as would those guys like Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and Vincent Youmans who wrote those songs back in the 30s. OK, so the ending sucks but how else can you wind up this comedy? It's not Branagh's fault this play is Much Ado About Nothing; blame it on the Bard. He wrote it.