Stars: Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Rupert Everett, Ben Affleck, Judi Dench, Daniel Brocklebank, Colin Firth, Simon Callow, Jim Carter, Martin Clunes, Anthony Sher, Estelle Harris, Tom Wilkinson, Mark Williams

Director: John Madden

Summary: The reign of Elizabeth I finds Will Shakespeare, a writer, broke and envious of a rival. Then, he meets with a woman who wants to be an actor and who disguises herself as a man...

WIN DVDs by rating this DVD

Average User Rating:

WIN DVDS by being amongst the first to review this DVD. Reviewing DVDs earns you bonus entries and lets you WIN DVDs!Please login before reviewing this DVD. If you're a new user, register for free and enter to WIN FREE DVDs!

One of the most endearing and intelligent romantic comedies of the 1990s, the Oscar-winning Shakespeare in Loveis 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 theatre 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).

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 trulyregal 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 ardour. --Mark Englehart

Aspect Ratio:	2.35 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Making Of Documentary, Directors Commentary, Cast And Crew Commentary, Deleted Scenes, Theatrical Trailer
Subtitles:	Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, German, Hebrew, Norwegian, Polish, Swedish
Year:	1998
Release Date:	November 30, 1999
Runtime:	119 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	820 741 2
Keywords:	Love, Comedy, General, Wide, Screen, Romantic, Shakespeare
Genre:	Comedy