Shakespeare in Love

Name: Shakespeare in Love
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
Released: December 11, 1998
Duration: 123 min
Rating: 87
Cast: Geoffrey Rush, Joseph Fiennes

1998

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 33 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 188 Ratings

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7.1	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 188 Ratings

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Shakespeare In Love

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Movie Details & Credits

Buena Vista Television | Release Date: December 11, 1998 | R

Starring: Geoffrey Rush, Joseph Fiennes

Summary: Shakespeare 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)

Director: John Madden

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy, Romance

Rating: R

Runtime: 123 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Rod Dreher

If she (Paltrow) were the only good thing about Shakespeare in Love, it still would have been worth seeing; that she is the crown jewel in a glittering tiara of a film studded with writing and acting gems testifies to the deep pleasures to be found in this remarkable movie. Read full review

100

Elvis Mitchell

Shakespeare meets Sherlock, and makes for pure enchantment in the inspired conjecture behind Shakespeare in Love. Read full review

100

Roger Ebert

I was carried along by the wit, the energy and a surprising sweetness. Read full review

David Ansen

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. Read full review

Marjorie Baumgarten

The end result is a delightful, though a smidge too long, reminder of one of the reasons we so enjoy going to the movies: perchance to dream. Read full review

Walter Addiego

Its brazen mixture of the comic and dramatic, the high and low and the emotional and intellectual is positively Shakespearean. Read full review

Amy Taubin

It soon becomes evident just how inane a film this is. Read full review

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User Reviews

bcool

Jan 29, 2012

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 awonderful 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

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

kyle20ellis

Mar 31, 2022

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 MaddenShakespeare 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… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

MarianaHJaimes

Feb 25, 2015

This film is very tender, i like very much the argument and the actors are charming. Funny situations and drama mixed with natural performances not wanting to imitate the air in that time if not giving a touch own.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

ourtimehascome

Jul 19, 2017

You don't have to be a Shakespeare scholar to enjoy this film. There are enough cursory details to be well-informed of the plot, considering its simplicity. In fact, that was my biggest problem with Shakespeare in Love. Without the setting and unique characters, it becomes a boring plot.You don't have to be a Shakespeare scholar to enjoy this film. There are enough cursory details to be well-informed of the plot, considering its simplicity. In fact, that was my biggest problem with Shakespeare in Love. Without the setting and unique characters, it becomes a boring plot. However, with these details, the cleverness stands out. The cast is excellent and for once Gwenyth Paltrow is likable.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

JennetP

Mar 20, 2011

I'm not usually one to fault a film for historical inaccuracy, but this one went too far--and then failed to compensate with a decent story. I disagree with those who say knowing Shakespeare adds to a viewer's enjoyment, unless what is known is a play or two and some half-remembered factsI'm not usually one to fault a film for historical inaccuracy, but this one went too far--and then failed to compensate with a decent story. I disagree with those who say knowing Shakespeare adds to a viewer's enjoyment, unless what is known is a play or two and some half-remembered facts about Elizabethan London. Knowing a lot about Renaissance drama just makes the film galling, as real historical figures are wrenched from their actual lives and made to serve a contrived and fantastical plot. I almost walked out when John Webster, who would soon be writing complex, intellectual plays, was depicted as a child torturing rats and informing on Shakespeare's company, but that was just one of many instances. As for the love story and its theatrical issue, both were the height of silliness. I'm not saying it wasn't possible for a woman to cross-dress in early modern England; it happened. But Gwyneth Paltrow in a tiny fake moustache is about as masculine as a troupe of ballerinas at a quilting bee, so believing that everyone was fooled requires some serious IQ-shaving. I normally like Paltrow, but this film lowered my opinion of her acting chops. Then there's the idea that Shakespeare was blocked and needed experience to write from. Leaving aside the ample evidence that the playwright may have been the least blocked writer who ever lived, he always used other texts as the basis for his plays. I hope we don't get a sequel called "Shakespeare in a Jealous Rage" that shows him killing his wife so he can write Othello. On the plus side, the supporting cast, sets, and costumes are excellent. The film gets most of the little stuff right, oddly enough; would it had lavished the same care on the big stuff.… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

LeonardoP.

Apr 11, 2008

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.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

csw12

Apr 2, 2012

Shakespeare in Love flat out sucks, sucks, sucks. Who would want to watch this overperformed, over dramatic and overdone movie. It deserves to have a special place in hell right next to the Devil, also while your at it add the director.

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

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3	#3 Best Movie of 1998
24	#24 Most Discussed Movie of 1998
21	#21 Most Shared Movie of 1998