SummaryShakespeare in Love is a romantic comedy for the 1990s set in the 1590s. It imaginatively unfolds the witty, sexy and timeless tale behind the creation of the greatest love story ever told. (Miramax Films)
Directed By:John Madden
Written By:Marc Norman, Tom Stoppard
Shakespeare in Love
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
87
User score
Generally Favorable
7.0
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Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
91% Positive
30 Reviews
30 Reviews
9% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
100
Anyone not romantically inclined going into Shakespeare in Love surely will be by the end.
100
These are the heights of cinematic achievement.
User score
Generally Favorable
69% Positive
131 Ratings
131 Ratings
22% Mixed
42 Ratings
42 Ratings
8% Negative
16 Ratings
16 Ratings
Oct 20, 2024
10
"Shakespeare in Love" is still hipper, smarter and cleverer than any contemporary romantic comedy in recent memory. Sorry to Chloé Zhao but this is the definitive film about Shakespeare's life. The way Tom Stoppard writes characters is so inspired, his script is a playful delight; the tone is exuberant and lively. For that we'll truly miss him! R.I.P.
Mar 31, 2022
10
Shakespeare in Love was a fantastic film in all departments. You cannot go wrong with the splendid locations and the wondrous costumes. The screenplay was superlative, very witty and moving, and one of the few screenplays out there that completely blew me away. The direction from John Madden was spot on, and I believe it is the same John Madden who directed some of the greatest Inspector Morse episodes, and Inspector Morse in my opinion is the best British detective drama out there. And what a talented cast, with Joseph Fiennes utterly charming and handsome as William Shakespeare, and Gwyneth Paltrow in possibly her best performance was by every means captivating as Lady Viola. Geoffrey Rush, who actually looks like the Barbossa character he created in the Pirates of the Caribbean films, was hilarious, and Colin Firth makes Lord Wessex intentionally insufferable. Simon Callow, Martin Clunes and Ben Affleck are solid in their roles, not to mention the wonderful performance of Judi Dench as Queen Elizabeth I. Her end monologue was beautifully written and Dench's interpretation was flawless. I am 17, and I do hope I am not the only person who doesn't think this movie is overrated- I thought it was a brilliant film, that wholly deserved the accolades it received. 10/10 Bethany Cox
100
With most historical films the informed viewer scrutinizes in order to cluck at errors. (There are books full of such cluckings.) With Shakespeare in Love, the more one knows, the more one can enjoy the liberties taken. [Jan. 4, 1999]
90
The beauty of this extremely clever movie, directed with fleet, robust theatricality by John Madden, is how deftly it manages to work on multiple levels.
88
Its brazen mixture of the comic and dramatic, the high and low and the emotional and intellectual is positively Shakespearean.
75
Not a great film, but it's an excuse to have an evening of pure enjoyment with a little culture painlessly mixed in.
40
It soon becomes evident just how inane a film this is.
Nov 29, 2015
10
This is a love story written around the staging of Romeo & Juliet in old London town. We don't know the details about everyday life then but somethings never change. I'm sure the goings on with the money lenders, the city bureaucrats, even which actor is chosen still happens on Broadway. A rich man's daughter being married to a poor man who has a title; seen many a movie about that. But the dropping of famous Shakespearean quotes throughout the movie make this more enjoyable if you know a little. I own this DVD in my collection.
May 1, 2025
6
A decent production that I enjoyed more for its comedic turns than any of the Shakespeare lore.
Apr 6, 2012
6
I did have a good time watching it, but I don't think I will watch it again. Please, don't misunderstand me; it is a very nice film but there are many other movies that are as enjoyable as this one. I think a 6 is good enough for it. I am glad, however, I watched it on dvd and I didn't go to the movies to do so, otherwise my disappointment would have been great.
Oct 13, 2011
1
This movie deserves a special place in hell. On its own, it is a truly terrible movie - with boring characters and tons of whiny girly love cr&p.
The real reason why all copies of it should be burned was the fact that it beat "Saving Private Ryan" for best picture. This is the 2nd greatest outrage of all TV/Movie history next to Firefly being cancelled. SPR is possibly the best war movie of all time, and this is just some sappy made-up fantasy cr&p which does not follow the realities of the time of Shakespeare at all.
Boring, terrible, overrated - punch one of the members of the Academy if you ever meet them.
Jun 12, 2011
1
I read a lot of good critics about this movie but I can't understand what was so great about it. Story is lame, actors are not that good (I can't stand Gwyneth Paltrow). Nothing original. In one word : boring.
Production Company:
- Universal Pictures
- Miramax
- The Bedford Falls Company
Release Date:Dec 11, 1998
Duration:2 h 3 m
Rating:R
Tagline:...A Comedy About the Greatest Love Story Almost Never Told...
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 7 Wins & 13 Nominations
Golden Globes, USA
• 3 Wins & 6 Nominations
BAFTA Awards
• 4 Wins & 15 Nominations
