Shakespeare in Love (1998)-"R"

Run Time:122 minutes

4 stars out of 4

Well, its hard to say anything about this film that hasn't already been said. True, I loved it, and it seems that all other critics have too, and I can't really offer much praise that hasn't already been praised, but I will try anyway. In this fictional story, set in 16th century London, an up-and-coming playwright named William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) has found that he has lost his gift for writing. Away from his wife in Stratford for a while, he has come to London to be aomng the theater-folk, and to make some money, but has come down with a serious case of writer's block. He has started a play for his desperate, debt-ridden boss, Philip Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush), called, Romeo and Ethel the Pirate's Daughter. As the viewer, the infamous Shakespeare tragedy, Romeo and Juliet is immediately brought to mind, but we are left wondering how Shakespeare gets his feeble plot to legendary status. He suddenly meets the beautiful Viola de Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow), the daughter of a wealthy nobleman, who is soon to be married to the unlikeable Lord Wessex (Colin Firth). The two fall deep into a forbidden love, much like in the real play, and Viola dresses up like a man, calling herself Thomas Kent, so that she can bring real emotion to a woman's role in the play(tradionally played by men, despite the cross-dressing). She ends up playing a man anyway, but is so convincing, even Shakespeare has no idea, until she kisses him while dressed as Kent. Viola's love inspires Shakespeare, along with some tips from a respected actor and the help of a rival playwright, to make the masterpiece that is still a household name today. Shot with a vivid color palette and an excellent cinematographer, the film is visually beautiful and lifelike. The characters, though mostly fictional, are completely believable for the time period and circumstances, and had me caring about what happened to them. I do, however, highly reccommend that you read the original play of Romeo and Juliet first, considering the film will be immensely more enjoyable, with all of the references and in-jokes. Shakespeare in Love is refreshing, fun, and truly enjoyable, with excellent direction from John Madden.