Movie Information
Overall Rank: 2528
Average Rating: 2.8/4
# of Ratings: 236
Theatrical Release Date: 12/11/1998
Language: English
Genre: Drama, Romance
MPAA Rating: R
Director: John Madden
Actors: Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Tom Wilkinson, Geoffrey Rush, Judi Dench
Plot: A young Shakespeare meets an inspiring women who tries out for a role in his newest play, Romeo and Juliette, when women were not allowed to act.
Quick Movie Reviews
Rating of
3/4
Logan D. McCoy - wrote on 05/28/2019
"Shakespeare in Love" strives to be many things: a period piece, a romance, a screwball comedy, a showbiz picture, and a fictionalized telling of creative inspiration. It succeeds, even if it never reaches the greatness a premise like this deserves.
Rating of
3/4
Matthew Brady - wrote on 11/25/2013
So this the movie that beat Saving Private Ryan for Best Picture at the Oscars...WTF?. Shakespeare in Love isn't a bad movie as people are pointing out to be just because it won Best Picture at the Oscars, but Saving Private Ryan was overall a better movie and should have won, just saying. The acting was good, the directing was fine and the sets and costumes were good as well.
Rating of
3.5/4
worleyjamers - wrote on 06/29/2013
One of the most criminally underappreciated Best Picture winners of all-time. Yes, I think Saving Private Ryan is better, but I absolutely loved Shakespeare in Love!
Full Movie Reviews
Rating of
3/4
Indyfreak - wrote on 02/01/2021
This movie gets a lot of hate for beating Saving Private Ryan over Best Picture. Whilst I agree that’s a better film, Shakespeare in Love remains a very good one.
The story wisely plays loose with historical accuracy and alerts the audience that it’s more of a celebration of Shakespeare and not a straight biographical drama. Thank goodness.
I will admit that the first half of the movie is more farcical than the second half. Some may call it too slight and breezy for its own good. There’s cheeky Shakespeare in-jokes thrown in as well. Some of it pays off, but others are annoying.
Luckily despite these setbacks, Joseph Fiennes is quite charismatic as the bard himself and Gwyneth Paltrow is likable as his love interest Viola. The supporting cast is good. Geoffrey Rush and Tom …
Rating of
2.5/4
Review - Shakespeare in Love (1998)
Delorted - wrote on 11/07/2007
Playwright William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) was struck with writer's block. No matter what he tried, he could not find a muse. This all changed, however, when he met Viola De Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow) and instantly fell in love. Now, while trying to write his play, Romeo and Juliet, he must work through his own love story to win Viola from her cold-hearted courter Lord Wessex (Colin Firth) in the Best Picture winning film, "Shakespeare in Love."
How on earth did this film win Best Picture? There were so many things fighting against it, and not just the fact that Titanic had won the year before and this film is basically the same thing all over again. There's also the fact that it disgraces the name of William Shakespeare by turning one of his greatest works into a Hollywood-ized …
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