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.… Expand

Solid movie, but better than "Saving Private Ryan"?? Hell no.

Brilliant movie, best ive seen in ages!

Very boring, need Will Smith & Martin Lawrence to jump out halfway through all guns blazing saying "We ride together, we die together, Bad Boy for life"

Kinda boring film, although nice cinematography. I can't help feel though that it's overrated. If you're into a historically themed romatic comedy though, you should like it. Personally I *hate* Shakespeare -- he's too wanky ;)

Once you get past the love story, the poor boy and the rich girl, and get to the meat of this pie, the love affair with the theater, this becomes really savory. it opens with an empty stage and an equally empty house. it ends with a richly peopled stage, and an equally packed house. they are all stage struck. we are all stage struck, or screen struck. this movie touched in that.

Boring, sappy, and pointless. The performances were unispired and the writing lame. A waste of time.

One can appreciate the writing but too clever an idea to pull off for over 2 hrs. And, Paltrow is as usual paltry, convincing neither as woman nor man.

A remarkably original, uplifting film that is brilliant in its simplicity and its superbly crafted production. The marriage between the actors and characters is superlative, the writing gives it all the backbone it needs, and the smooth direction is simply the icing on the cake; it deserved every one of its kudos. Paltrow and Fiennes have never been better and Dench, Rush, et al, are the perfect support. This is an adorable film, accessible by all, and one that brings a little sunshine to the heart. Enjoy!… Expand

Amazing acting, marvellous directing and quite good cinematography. There is no moment of the film when you think that the time consume is not worth it

Smart script; well-executed. Knowing a thing or two about Shakespeare only adds depth to the experience.

An innocuous, charming little movie that did not deserve the Oscars it got, especially Best Picture or Best Actress. And if I see another movie where a woman disguises herself as a man, still looks like a woman, but the characters are fooled by her disguise, I'm going to slit my own throat.

Like Shakespeare, has something for everyone. Understandably easier to follow for one who appreciates Shakespeare, and some of the contrivances may distract some (how did the queen sneak into the theatre unnoticed?) But in focus and impact a perfect film that reminds us of the roots and power of drama.

A gorgeous monument to Shakespeare and his greater master-piece "Romeo & Juliet". This is one of the best pictures of all time.

As far as romantic comedies go, this one is just about perfect. I loved the fact that the movie itself used so many classical theatre devices, from a woman disguising herself as a man to the Deus ex Machina of Queen Elizabeth's surprise appearance in the movie's climax. The acting is superb, the direction and cinematography are perfect, and the story is fun and moving.

I found that the movie was not very good at all and was quite boring to say the least. The thing that makes me the most mad was the fact that it got Best Picture over SAVING PRIVATE RYAN!!! Saving private Ryan was a definite 9.0-10.0 rated film (out of 10). The other thing is (as T.M. mentioned) was the whole girl dressed as a guy to fool the other actors but still looks like a girl. This makes the film even worse (if that is possible). I would not recommend it at all.… Expand

If you don't like this, there's no hope for you. Delightful.

A brilliantly written, directed, and acted masterpiece of romantic comedy. Deservedly won the Best Picture Academy Award.

Beautiful, funny, sweet, androgynously sensual. Wonderful!

Too long , it shouldn't have been written in bed, but excelent costumes, and perfect sets, great camera catching.

Time is unbeatable. Giving the Best Picture for this simple, mediocre romantic comedy was a mistake: now most of the people know that.

Paltry?She is simply at her best! you are an other jealous american loser.The movie is great.

I can see why Shakespeare in Love won Best Picture back in 1998. I expected that’d it be a good date movie, but really, it’s a good film.

Perfect movie, one of my favourites, Gwyneth is amazing, I could watch it a zillion times and never get bored.

I don't now why Shakespeare in Love won the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Actress. It is not so good as the critics said, I think that Saving Private Ryan is very better. It stays boring in a lot of parts and it has a lot of errors. Finally, I don't recommend it.

Wow, this movie was so terrible that the only good thing about it was Geoffrey Rush. So Shakespeare got his inspiration for Romeo and Juliet from experiencing similar events. Lame!

There is a special place in my brain for movies/videogames/albums where I store things that are supposed to be amazing, but that I find rediculously terrible. This is one of those. This is like watching a high school play. As long as the high school actors are extra annoying beyond the abilities of a high school student. I'm not a big fan of romance movies but I believe I'm being objective here. It's not as bad as Notting Hill (that one gets a minus 1,000,000), but it's in the ballpark. I never liked Shakespeare, but I like a movie about him even less.… Expand

Shakespeare in Love is a feast for the eyes, the heart and the soul. A comic-romantic-fantasy with a historical setting, it is self-aware, extremely well-written, and the huge and varied cast all shine. The brilliant Gwyneth Paltrow and the fleetingly on-screen Judi Dench quite rightly received awards for their roles as Shakespeare's love interest and muse Viola and an elderly, irritable Queen Elizabeth I, and Joseph Fiennes is also great as a the titular bard, playing him as a rock star with a creative block. The rest of the cast are made up of an unusual, but somehow rather effective mix of thespians (Geoffrey Rush, Rupert Everett, Simon Callow), old reliables (Colin Firth, Tom Wilkinson, Imelda Staunton), British comics (Martin Clunes, Mark Williams, Simon Day), and Ben Affleck. Though it's an undeniably clever take on historical romance, a re-telling of what may or may not have inspired the playwright, and a film with enough tongue-in-cheek references to Shakespeare's great works to satisfy even the most ardent fan, where Shakespeare in Love truly shines is in its story, characters and emotion. You're invested in the relationship between Will and Viola from the very start, and passionately want them to live happily ever after, though you likely expect imminent tragedy to befall the lovers (this being a film about the writing of Romeo and Juliet). John Madden's passionate and theatrically dramatic direction keeps the film running smoothly, and a dream-pairing of screenwriter Marc Norman and much-acclaimed playwright Tom Stoppard manages to keep the dialogue grounded, yet poetic, believable yet melodramatic, with heavy doses of both laughter and tears - a difficult balancing act. With the addition of Sandy Powell's top-notch period costumes, Stephen Warbeck's romantic and memorable score, and authentic-looking set design from Jill Quertier, Shakespeare in Love becomes an extremely rewarding, thoroughly memorable film. It's handsome, well-rounded and full of heart.… Expand

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.

Beautifully written. Commendable costumes. Excellent cast and their acts. Emotionally convincing. Morally uplifting. One of the best in the 90s. SPLENDID. movienotesbook.blogspot.com

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.

wonderful film.terribly underrated just because it's romantic comedy that won an Oscar instead of WWII epic. forget Oscars and enjoy in one of the most original and witty romantic comedies. though I wish it was less romantic and more wacky. but still the idea to use Shakespeare as a character in Shakespearean comedy makes this one the most original romantic comedies ever. Maybe Saving Private Ryan was better (it's the matter of taste, and they cannot be compared cause they are so different) but this is still one of the best Oscar winning films in the last 30 years (especially comparing to the subsequent ones).… Expand