Shakespeare in Love Review
by Dustin Putman (FilmFan16 AT aol DOT com)January 22nd, 1999
Shakespeare in Love * * 1/2 (out of * * * * )
Directed by John Madden.
Cast: Joseph Fiennes, Gwyneth Paltrow, Geoffrey Rush, Colin Firth, Ben Affleck, Judi Dench.
1998 - 123 minutes.
Rated R (for sex and nudity).
Reviewed January 20, 1999.
I have never been a particular fan of Period films and, for the most part, they all seem to be the same: boring and lifeless. When done right, however, they can spring to life (1993's "The Age of Innocence"). Such is the case with "Shakespeare in Love," a joyous, if flawed, romantic comedy that, for once, is not a film adaptation of a Shakespeare play, but about Shakespeare himself, and what led to his inspiration for "Romeo and Juliet."
Set in England, circa 1593, William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) is a handsome, young dreamer who is about to write his latest play for the Rose, one of two competing theaters in London, entitled "Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter." While attending a comedia one night, Shakespeare's eyes fall upon the gorgeous heiress, Viola De Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow). After dancing together, Shakespeare discovers that Viola is an admirer of his work and he himself, and they immediately fall head-over-heels in love with one another. Problems begin to form, however, as they grow close, all the while she is posing as a man to be in Shakespeare's latest play (women were forbidden to act back in the Elizabethan era). Shakespeare is the only one to know Viola's secret (even though just looking at her you can tell he's a she), and they are so passionate for each other that they actually steal kisses backstage when no one is looking. There is another pitfall for the star-crossed lovers, since Viola is arranged to marry Lord Wessex (Colin Firth), who is planning for them to move to Virginia. As their relationship grows more and more deep, and their longing to live "happily ever after" grows more and more unlikely, the play everyone is rehearsing for suddenly is transformed from a comedy to a romantic tragedy called "Romeo and Juliet," which is suggested to Shakespeare by a head-strong travelling player (Ben Affleck).
Although too problematic to go down as one of the better films of the year, "Shakespeare in Love" is, undoubtedly, the year's most romantic, thanks to the steamy electricity created by Joseph Fiennes, who in this year alone has also been outstanding in "Elizabeth," and the radiant Gwyneth Paltrow, who has never been better. These two people have such delightfully fiery chemistry with each other that it does not really matter that the elements surrounding them are decidedly weak and less interesting. So perfect they are together that the film springs to life every time they appear together, which is quite often.
Regardless of how good they are, though, they unfortunately cannot erase the more lacking elements, such as the fact that their relationship admittedly seems based on little more than lust. There is not enough time given between the two for them to believably care about the other person's inner being, and although passionate, I had a nagging feeling that once they finally got to know each other, they might not be so peachy. A second problem, although smaller, deals with the supporting characters who, when stacked beside the luminous Fiennes and Paltrow, pale in comparison. Geoffrey Rush did not have very much to do, Colin Firth made no impression whatsoever, and rising star Ben Affleck had even less to work with in a role that, as far as I can tell, was utterly pointless. Judi Dench, meanwhile, briefly appears as Queen Elizabeth, and although somewhat of a scene-stealer, was not shown nearly enough to be considered actually extraordinary.
What finally saves "Shakespeare in Love" and even buoys it over to actually being worthwhile was the show-stopping, touchingly felt climax when the completed play of "Romeo and Juliet" is performed in front of an audience for the first time. This exciting and even tense conclusion worked well in spades and again, the final scene with Paltrow and Fiennes was beautifully written and acted. Even the very last sequence unveils another trick up director John Madden's sleave which left me smiling as the end credits started to roll.
"Shakespeare in Love" is not a great motion picture, but it is the magic that the two leads bring to the proceedings that make things work so well. Without the chemistry of these two performers, the film would be a failure. Their relationship is so modern, in fact, that it never even felt like I was watching a "period film," but instead, one set in the 20th-century, albeit a genuinely charming one.
- Copyright 1999 by Dustin Putman
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