Movie Review for Shakespeare in Love

Summary: It is the summer of 1593, and the rising young star of London's theatre scene, Will Shakespeare, faces a scourge like no other: a paralyzing bout of writer's block. While the great Elizabethan age of entertainment unfolds around him, Will is without inspiration on material. What Will needs is a muse--and in an extraordinary moment in which life imitates art, he finds and falls for a woman who draws him into his own dramatic adventure of star-crossed love. It all begins when Lady Viola, desperate to become an actor at a time when women were forbidden from such depravity, disguises herself as a man to audition for Will's play. But the guise slips away as their passion ignites. Now Will's quill again begins to flow, this time turning love into words, as Viola becomes his real-life Juliet and Romeo finds his reason to exist. Yet all is not well in Will's world. For even as the parchment begins to pile up, he's plagued by the fact that Lady Viola must marry the insufferable Lord Wessex.

                         Reviews of Shakespeare in Love
By Carlo Cavagna of AboutFilm.com (7/0)
            Quite accessible even if you haven't seen or read any of Shakespeare's work.

By Mike McGranaghan of Aisle Seat (7/0)
            Shakespeare in Love is one of those great movies, the kind of film that makes me clack away furio...

By Dan Jardine of Apollo Guide (7/0)
            Takes us out of ourselves, immerses us in another world, introduces us to people we'd love to cal...

By Marjorie Baumgarten of Austin Chronicle (7/0)
            A frothy romantic comedy that is equally nourished with truisms of historic lore and modern sensi...

By Nev Pierce of BBC (7/0)
            This is a joyous and quite brilliant comedy.

By William Gallagher of BBC (7/0)
            ...a joyous and quite brilliant comedy.

                         Reviews of Shakespeare in Love
By Emily Blunt of Blunt Review (7/0)
            Get out and see this.

By Bryant Frazer of Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus (7/0)
            Smart, cute, mooningly expressive and swooningly romantic.

By Lisa Alspector of Chicago Reader (7/0)
            It's easy to suspend disbelief and embrace this historically creative fiction, whose clever relat...

By Roger Ebert of Chicago Sun-Times (7/0)
            I was carried along by the wit, the energy and a surprising sweetness.

By David Keyes of Cinemaphile.org (7/0)
            The writing is brilliant; the acting is masterful; the direction is breathtaking; the costumes ar...

By Alex Ramirez of Cinenganos (7/0)
            la pasión como elemento creativo y fundamento para vivir

                         Reviews of Shakespeare in Love
By Karina Montgomery of Cinerina (7/0)
            Shakespeare in Love is a delight on every level of movie-going...This is why people go to the mov...

By Jeffrey M. Anderson of Combustible Celluloid (7/0)
            Shakespeare in Love moves fast, and may deserve multiple viewings. It's a delicious feast of lowb...

By Harvey S. Karten of Compuserve (7/0)
            Visually elegant.

By Arthur Lazere of culturevulture.net (7/0)
            A film that will amuse and beguile, and doubtlessly create a generation of new fans for Will Shak...

By John J. Puccio of DVDTown.com (7/0)
            ...it works wonderfully, giving audiences that wouldn't normally sit through an Elizabethan play ...

By Oz of eFilmCritic.com (7/0)
            The stars have done their job with devastatingly good aplomb.

                         Reviews of Shakespeare in Love
By Emanuel Levy of EmanuelLevy.Com (7/0)
            A rare crowd pleasing movie that's smartly written and splendidly acted, representing a combinati...

By Eugene Novikov of Film Blather (7/0)
            It is a mature, adult romantic comedy, with enough swashbuckling, humor and love scenes to keep e...

By David Noh of Film Journal International (7/0)
            The screenplay is a glorious pastiche.

By John R. McEwen of Film Quips Online (7/0)
            Shakespeare In Love is funny, tragic, romantic... I love it; should I count the ways?

By Merle Bertrand of Film Threat (7/0)
            Shakespeare in Love is a great date movie; that rarest of 'chick flicks' that all can enjoy. Even...

By Christopher Null of filmcritic.com (7/0)
            ...gets a hands-down recommendation for all filmgoers.

                         Reviews of Shakespeare in Love
By Christopher Null of filmcritic.com (7/0)
            Easily the best comedy of the year.

By MaryAnn Johanson of Flick Filosopher (4/3)
            The film's humor ranges from the wonderfully intellectual to snarky movie and theater in-jokes, f...

By Steve Rhodes of Internet Reviews (7/0)
            The script will sweep you away.

By JoBlo of JoBlo's Movie Emporium (7/0)
            Don't let the hype fool ya, cause this puppy pees just like the rest of them!

By Alex Sandell of Juicy Cerebellum (7/0)
            As overrated as Shakespeare himself.

By Robert Roten of Laramie Movie Scope (7/0)
            Shakespeare in Love has to be one of the most irresistible movies I have ever seen.

                         Reviews of Shakespeare in Love
By Jeffrey Overstreet of Looking Closer (7/0)
            It has powerful language and a wealth of talent as its distinguishing marks, but it shies away, c...

By Kenneth Turan of Los Angeles Times (7/0)
            A happy conceit smoothly executed, this is one of those entertaining confections that's so pleasi...

By Kevin N. Laforest of Montreal Film Journal (7/0)
            This film is very entertaining, and it's the most sophisticated and mature romance of the year.

By Marty Mapes of Movie Habit (7/0)
            Hardly deserving of 13 Oscar nominations and 7 Oscars, this film is nevertheless an entertaining ...

By Michael Dequina of Mr. Brown's Movies (7/0)
            Shakespeare has now finally arrived onscreen... in the right hands -- those of director John Madd...

By Stuart Klawans of Nation (7/0)
            Although Shakespeare in Love benefits from a delightful screenplay by Marc Norman and Tom Stopp...

                         Reviews of Shakespeare in Love
By Widgett Walls of Needcoffee.com (7/0)
            A comedy that Shakespeare would truly be proud to have his name in lights above.

By Janet Maslin of New York Times (7/0)
            ...an intoxicatingly glamorous romance.

By Nick Davis of Nick's Flick Picks (7/0)
            John Madden's first film after the stately but exceptionally closed-off Mrs. Brown is as lively a...

By Jim Chastain of Norman Transcript (7/0)
            Funny, sexy, romantic, and intelligent.

By Jeffrey Westhoff of Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL) (7/0)
            A tale of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy.

By Dennis Schwartz of Ozus' World Movie Reviews (7/0)
            Full of life.

                         Reviews of Shakespeare in Love
By Cynthia Fuchs of Philadelphia City Paper (7/0)
            The film grants a kind of insiders' knowledge, assuming certain educational, class and cultural p...

By James Kendrick of Q Network Film Desk (7/0)
            Given slight twistings and tweakings for a 1990s audience, this Shakespeare is true to its inspir...

By Bob Bloom of rec.arts.movies.reviews (7/0)
            Shakespeare in Love is a luminous, entertaining tale.

By David N. Butterworth of rec.arts.movies.reviews (7/0)
            Like any good Shakespearean work, Shakespeare in Love is filled with love, sex, villainy, despair...

By Dragan Antulov of rec.arts.movies.reviews (7/0)
            The greatest enjoyment of the film is for those who are familiar with Shakespeare's plays.

By Mac Verstandig of rec.arts.movies.reviews (7/0)
            A thin, predictable plot that is only carried by the portrayal of people that we revere in our hi...

                         Reviews of Shakespeare in Love
By Mark R. Leeper of rec.arts.movies.reviews (7/0)
            One does not have to be a fan of Shakespeare to enjoy it, but bardophiles will get more out of it...

By Susan Granger of rec.arts.movies.reviews (7/0)
            At last, a juicy, funny, romantic comedy -- aimed at adults!

By Tor Thorsen of Reel.com (7/0)
            One would have to be a melancholy Dane not to enjoy Shakespeare in Love's ample pleasures.

By Robin Clifford of Reeling Reviews (7/0)
            The matter of fact telling of just how young Will got many of his ideas is leavened with all the ...

By James Berardinelli of ReelViews (7/0)
            Shakespeare in Love is not a great film, but it's an excuse to have an evening of pure enjoyment ...

By Jack Garner of Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (7/0)
            Cheers all around for such an inspired tale about inspiration.

                         Reviews of Shakespeare in Love
By Ruthe Stein of San Francisco Chronicle (7/0)
            ...wholly original...

By Walter V. Addiego of San Francisco Examiner (7/0)
            The movie is accessible but not insulting, and transcends easy categories.

By Jim Judy of Screen It! (7/0)
            Delightful!

By Philip Kemp of Sight and Sound (7/0)
            A rich but satisfying plum-pudding.

By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat of Spirituality and Practice (7/0)
            A beautifully realized tribute to the rush of imagination as one of the great creative force fiel...

By Rob Blackwelder of SPLICEDWire (7/0)
            The most deliciously witty film of the year.

                         Reviews of Shakespeare in Love
By Derek Adams of Time Out (7/0)
            It's Tom Stoppard's witty, intelligent script which proves so satisfying.

By Sandra Contreras of TV Guide's Movie Guide (7/0)
            Henslowe may be onto something when he jokes that all audiences want is love and a bit with the d...

By Ian Waldron-Mantgani of UK Critic (7/0)
            Shakespeare in Love is a wonder to behold, and to cherish.

By Urban Cinefile Critics of Urban Cinefile (7/0)
            Shakespeare in Love is rollicking entertainment on a grand scale.

By Amy Taubin of Village Voice (7/0)
            At first, the breakneck pace is entertaining (all these people knocking themselves out for our pl...

By Michael O'Sullivan of Washington Post (7/0)
            So consistently intelligent that seduction is inevitable!

                         Reviews of Shakespeare in Love
By Marjorie Baumgarten of Austin Chronicle (3/4) No reference
            ...delightful, though a smidge too long...

By L.J. Strom of Boxoffice Magazine (6/1) No reference
            An inspired re-imagining of history and a deft look at the relationship between art and life.

By Roger Ebert of Chicago Sun-Times (3/4) No reference
            I was carried along by the wit, the energy and a surprising sweetness.

By Madeleine Williams of Cinematter (6/1) No reference
            Not merely a period piece, Shakespeare in Love is the rival of many a modern-day romantic comedy.

By Garth Franklin of Dark Horizons (3/4) No reference
            It's the performances which push this to a very high level.

By Jeff Vice of Deseret News, Salt Lake City (6/1) No reference
            Delightfully clever.

                         Reviews of Shakespeare in Love
By Merle Bertrand of E! Online (3/4) No reference
            I haven't liked ANY movie this much in a long, long time...

By Caroline Westbrook of Empire Magazine (3/4) No reference
            Shakespeare In Love delivers unfailingly sparkling entertainment.

By Gemma Files of eye WEEKLY (6/1) No reference
            A rollicking good time, full of genuine emotional pull and incandescent acting, and anchored by a...

By MaryAnn Johanson of Flick Filosopher (3/4) No reference
            Shakespeare in Love is a comedy worthy of the Bard himself.

By Bruce Kirkland of Jam! Movies (3/4) No reference
            Delicious and sensual.

By Kenneth Turan of Los Angeles Times (3/4) No reference
            ...so pleasing to the eye and ear you'd have to be a genuine Scrooge to struggle against it.

                         Reviews of Shakespeare in Love
By Matt Easterbrook of Matt's Movie Reviews (3/4) No reference
            The storyline works on so many different levels that it doesn't matter whether you teach Shakespe...

By Michael Elliott of Movie Parables (3/4) No reference
            Words are the real stars of this movie... wonderful, poetic, inspiring words.

By Wesley Lovell of Oscar Guy (3/4) No reference
            A sumptuous fictional glimpse into the creative mind of one of history's most brilliant theatrica...

By Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee (3/4) No reference
            Paltrow and Fiennes make an irresistible team.

By Richard Corliss of TIME Magazine (3/4) No reference
            Let the kids toy with their Rugrats and hold their Sandler high. Shakespeare in Love is a movie t...

By James Berardinelli of ReelViews (3/4) Not Reachable
            ...not a great film, but it's an excuse to have an evening of pure enjoyment with a little cultur...

Movie Distributors
Miramax Films

Production Companies
Bedford Falls Company

Movie Studios
Miramax Films
Universal Pictures