Here's a wonderful film you've got to see. Shakespeare in Love is not a play by William Shakespeare; it's a fictionalized movie about him. Let's drop aside whether this is fact or fiction. It's a damned fine film.

Young Will is having writer's block working on his new play Romeo and Ethel, The Pirate's Daughter; which will eventually become Romeo and Juliet. Along the way, he falls for a woman who will wed someone else, and Shakespeare's life begins to parallel the Romeo and Juliet storyline. At times this film will make you laugh hard enough to make your sides hurt; at other moments, the tragedy is awesome.

This film has everything a great Shakespearean play has: heroes, villains, sex and violence, comedy and tragedy. The cast is large and well-defined. When a character comes on screen, you know who they are and why they are there.

Casting, acting, writing, editing, photography -- there just isn't anything to slam here. This is a film far better than I expected.

No Suction!

Film Facts

Cast
• Joseph Fiennes
• Gwyneth Paltrow
• Geoffrey Rush
• Ben Affleck
• Colin Firth
• Judi Dench
• Simon Callow
• Jim Carter
• Antony Sher
• Imelda Staunton
• Martin Clunes
• Tom Wilkinson
• Rupert Everett
• Mark Williams
• Adam Barker
• Harry Gostelow
• Alan Cody
• Joe Roberts
• David Curtiz
• Steve O'Donnell
• Tim McMullen
• Steven Beard
• Patrick Barlow
• Bridget McConnel
• Georgie Glen
• Nicholas Boulton
• Desmond McNamara
• Barnaby Kay
• Paul Bigley
• Jason Round
• Rupert Farley
• Gregor Truter
• Simon Day
• Jill Baker
• Amber Glossop
• Robin Davies
• Hywel Simons
• Nicholas Le Prevost
• Timothy Kightley
• Mark Saban
• Bob Barrett
• Roger Morlidge
• Daniel Brocklebank
• Roger Frost
• Rebecca Charles
• Richard Gold
• Rachel Clarke
• Lucy Speed
• Patricia Potter
• John Ramm
• Martin Neeley
• Sandra Reinton

Directed by John Madden

Released in 1998

MPAA Rating: R

Reviewed by Mongo