Shakespeare in Love (2012)

(2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)I honestly did not know what to expect when I first sat down to watch "Shakespeare In Love." Perhaps that was for the best, since this film teems with unexpected moments and twists, turning literary history upside down and giving it a clever and bawdy twist.

Gywenth Paltrow plays a young noblewoman who is expected to be demurely betrothed, but who wants none of the life ahead of her. She yearns for the theater, and, in her headstrong, ambitious drive, dresses like a boy to obtain a part in Will Shakespeare's newest drama. Of course, the two fall in love (hence the title!) and their duplicity leads to plot complications that get more and more outrageous. Literary jokes abound, but you don't need to know a whit about Shakespeare to enjoy this romp. This is a romantic comedy cloaked in Elizabethian times, an anachronism that is thoroughly satisfying.

Paltrow's Viola is gutsy, intelligent, and torn, a portrayal that deservedly earned her an Oscar. Joseph Fiennes makes a lovable, bumbling Will Shakespeare. The two display a chemistry that brings the witty script to life and elevates this film to a level above most romantic comedies.

This film should appeal to a wide range of viewers even those who hated studying Shakespeare in school.

This movie really hit home for me. I just sat there in awe of the acting, the way the story unfolded. It totally engrossed me. I saw it three times at the movies and could have easily gone to see it again and again. When it won so many Academy Awards, I wasn't surprised except I thought Saving Private Ryan should have won Best Picture. I also felt that Tom Wilkinson didn't get the praise he deserved. His performance was, as usual for Tom, understated and perfect. I thought he should have been nominated instead of Geoffrey Rush, for best supporting actor, and I'm an aussie.

I also felt Joseph Fiennes should have got a Best Actor gong. Gwyneth was great but Joseph's performance of Will was exceptional to say the least.

The highlights for me were the unfolding of the two stories, (Romeo and Juliet & Will and Viola). Then the actual performance of Romeo and Juliet and the intertwining tragedy of Will and Viola. The way the audience reacted at the end said it all.

I think that 'Shakespeare In Love' is mainly a movie that females thoroughly love. The males in my circle of friends and family didn't quite GET IT so to speak.

Also deserving of mention were Colin Firth and the actor with the the stutter, which miraculously disappeared at the start of the play.

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This is the kind of movie the Academy loves and through its love, rewards.

The script by Stoppard and Norman is erudite and cunning, passionate and playful, filled with witticisms by and about the Bard; and the parallels to Shakespeare and his work, especially the play within a play, Romeo and Juliet, and the play to come, Twelfth Night, are marvelous and a bit miraculous. The romantic direction by Madden conjures up an Elizabethan England and its London theatre with enough lusty color to delight the poet himself. The acting is wonderful with Gwyneth Paltrow conquering a very demanding and delightful four-part role as Viola/Tom Kent, and on the stage as first Romeo and then as Juliet! Joseph Fiennes as the young Shakespeare writing his Romeo and Juliet on the fly, fired with the energy from his adulterous love for the lovely Viola, is better than advertised.

Of course what would a Shakespearean play or a great Hollywood movie be without its bit players and supporting roles? Judi Dench as the queen in her Academy Award winning performance gives the impression of somebody doing something marvelously well but with such ease as to look unemployed. (I stole that line from somewhere.)

From the gutter snipe with his rodents to the queen's bad teeth, from Colin Firth's delightfully villainous Lord Wessex to Geoffrey Rush's wise, but bumbling stage manager, from the tavern trollops to the gentry at the ball (in which the sonnet within a play from Romeo and Juliet is once again given life by Fiennes and Paltrow) everything is expertly presented. You don't have to be a Shakespearean buff to appreciate this resplendent romantic comedy, but if you are, your experience will be enhanced.

This is Hollywood at its best. For all the clunkers and the mass-mindless indulgences that are the usual fare-tinsel town, you are forgiven!

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I would like to point out that Blu Ray of "Shakespeare in Love" that Mark Barry is reviewing is actually the European/UK 1080p release, but he has erroneously listed his review on the site for the Canadian (Alliance) 1080i Blu Ray release. Those in the USA interested in obtaining the European 1080p/24 5.1 DTS-HD MA release should know that it plays FLAWLESSLY on my standard Sony PS3 in the USA, as it is "Region Free". It can be obtained at amazon.co.uk for less (delivered) than the inferior Canadian version. Also note that the 1080i/60 Canadian (Alliance) edition only has subtitles in French, while the 1080p/24 UK/European edition contains subtitles in English as well as many other languages.

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The first time I saw the movie, my reaction was: "Hmm, not bad. An OK movie, but nothing striking. Maybe even got a bit turned off 'cuz it's such a 'chick movie'."

Two months later, I was dying to go back to the theater and watch it again why, it was a mystery. So I paid a little more attention the 2nd time round, and I found out why subconsciously I'd already come to like that film after the first viewing.

To begin with, the dialogues are witty and very well-written. As someone who had never read any Shakespeare before (pardon me, Shakespeare gurus), I didn't know at first that there're many, many lines that were taken directly from the poet/playwright. As I read 12 of Shakepeare's plays and all of his sonnets after the movie (you can tell that I fell madly in love with Shakespeare after watching the film), I came to see how Shakespeare's own words were taken out and seamed together so cleverly and perfectly in the script. And as I re-watch the video, each time I continue to discover something new in the script that I didn't notice before.

Second, the way the Romeo/Juliet and Will/Viola stories intertwines together is just fabulous and done perfectly. The two stories bring each other to life and it's just a very creative and beautiful way of telling a story. The lead to the Twelth Night at the end is totally icing on an already-marvelous cake.

In a word, this movie is a classic.

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