Joseph Fiennes, Gwyneth Paltrow, Geoffrey Rush

A young Shakespeare, out of ideas and short of cash, meets his ideal woman and is inspired to write one of his most famous plays.

Flixster Users

76% liked it

202,063 ratings

Critics

93% liked it

101 critics

R, 1 hr. 53 min.

Directed by: John Madden

Release Date: December 25, 1998

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DVD Release Date: August 10, 1999

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Stats: 8,208 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (8,208)


  • November 11, 2009
    Littered with Shakespearean nods and winks, Shakespeare in Love is subtle but not as clever or as entertaining as it has been made out to be.
  • May 2, 2009
    The (fictitious) story of struggling writer William Shakespeare and the events that lead to his writing of Romeo and Juliet is a pleasure for the eyes, ears and the heart. Carried by a beautiful soundtrack the film combines the creme de la creme of British cinema in a script that...( read more) shows all features of Shakespeare's work, full of quotes from his oeuvre and manages to capture his spirit perfectly. The result is funny, dramatic, sad, in short: all around wonderful. And the last five minutes are pure movie magic. A triumph!
  • March 24, 2009
    Excellent rom com. Very funny lines. Shakespeare falls in love with the leading lady who is a pretending to be a boy to get in the play! Judi Dench is excellent. Well deserved Oscar!
  • March 1, 2009
    I never thought it possible, but on the Gwyneth Paltrow's breast front, I have to say it: too much, too soon. I know, I know, it had to be established that this was a passionate love affair, and to the knukcle-dragging boyfriends watching this movie, there had to be a reason to k...( read more)eep watching, but the sex scenes in the early going actually had a negative impact on this one. It got really boring by about the 45-minute mark, with only the lacklustre Joseph Fiennes to invest in and very little going on.

    Thankfully, though, the few plot pieces that were tediously laid down did knit together a great second half, one in which even Ben Affleck did his damnedest to not suck (and more or less succeeded). Gwyneth Paltrow carried the movie in a few spots, balancing her two characters very well. Best Actress-well? The Academy thought so...

    The story is at worst a plausible fiction, and contains many references to Shakespeare's life and work; the best and worst part of these references, however, is that they're playful, sometimes being clever and sometimes dragging the film down into camp. The film feels inauthentic, but it's quite glossy too... I'm not sure that it was better than Saving Private Ryan in 1998, but despite itself it turned out to be a very good film.
  • September 27, 2008
    Saw it in English Lit class, surprisingly good.
  • November 13, 2009
    Best Costume Design 1998 - Best Makeup 1998
  • November 7, 2009
    At first, I thought it's boring. How very wrong I was. Beautiful.
  • October 22, 2009
    cannot find one single thing that I do not like about this film. I like it so much, that when its on television, I am actually willing to sit through the commercials just so I can watch it. love love love it ♥

    ** review to be continued **
  • October 14, 2009
    A passionate, funny, sensitive comedy that effortlessly blends historical facts, fiction och Shakespeare's plays into an enchanting tale. Fantastic acting, with a chemstry between the leads that I have rarely seen. The tortured sweetness of forbidden love shines through in every ...( read more)action, every movement, every stolen glance.
  • October 11, 2009
    Forced to watch this in school. Utter bollocks.

Critic Reviews


January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

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

View more Shakespeare in Love reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • pavacri23
    July 19, 2008
    this movie is well made taking romeo and juliet story
  • estefiop
    March 18, 2008
    I think people liked it because it explains perfectly how where theaters and plays in Sheaksperean times. I personally love it there a lot of excellent actors in it, the story is very cute and come on it is telling us how the master Shakespeare wrote the most acclaimed and famous play of all times, I really like it, I don't if it deserved the oscar it won but i't a very very good movie.
  • aquaboy0221
    November 4, 2007
    overrated romantic-comedy film and lead actress...

    i dont understand why the academy gave her the best actress trophy over cate blanchett, a paltry choice indeed!
  • Laurouski
    October 14, 2007
    A good film, fun to watch, just maybe a bit predictable. I only gave it 3.5 stars because, although it was entertaining, there was nothing about it that was so good that it deserved any more, I don't think.

    But I agree with TheDeathlyHallows - Shakespeare *WAS* gorgeous. <3
  • YLOWBSTARDreturns
    September 19, 2007
    The year this film won BEST PICTURE, every other candidate in the category was better!

    The Thin Red Line?
    Saving Private Ryan??
    Life is Beautiful???
    Elizabeth????
  • ajjudon2020
    September 6, 2007
    its beauty
  • TheDeathlyHallows
    July 5, 2007
    i loved this movie so much, it was awesome, and shakespeare was GORGEOUS
  • edudarko
    March 22, 2007
    wow.. a great movie..
  • mellz1989
    February 20, 2007
    a lovely story. it shows that you'll do anything for love...

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Shakespeare in Love Trivia


  • In which movie was Colin Firth's character named Lord Wessex?  Answer »
  • in this movie gwyneth platrow and joseph fiennes share the leading roles, a comedy about the greatest love story almost never told  Answer »
  • Which actress WON the Oscar for Best Actress in 1998?  Answer »
  • Name the movie in which you can hear this Judi Dench line : "Have a care with my name, you will wear it out."  Answer »

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