Shakespeare in Love (1998)
Ah, Shakespeare in Love, also known as the movie that beat Saving Private Ryan out of Best Picture at the Oscars. It was a huge hit and won Oscars for both Gwyneth Paltrow (for the crowning jewel of her career) and Judi Dench (for eight minutes). If somehow 1998 passed you by, you’ve got to rent it if you’re a Shakespeare fan.
It follows the young playwright as he struggles between plays to find his inspiration. Joseph Fiennes is so convincing, there are moments you think you’re really watching Shakespeare. Then you remember that the real Will wasn’t nearly as cute. Gwyneth Paltrow, who had a very busy year with Sliding Doors, Great Expectations, Hush, and A Perfect Murder, is a wealthy lady who as a secret aspiration to act. Since women aren’t allowed to become actresses, she gets her loyal nurse (Imelda Staunton) to help bind her chest, tie her hair up under a wig, and glue on a mustache. As a boy, she wows Shakespeare with her audition piece and secures a role in his upcoming production. But when he finds out she’s really Gwyneth Paltrow under all that, they just might fall in love.
You’ll see lots of familiar faces in this movie, including Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Rupert Everett, Tom Wilkinson, Simon Callow, and Jim Carter. And while you expect to see those pros in a period piece, you don’t expect to see Ben Affleck. Don’t worry, folks; he doesn’t ruin the movie. You’ll also see lots of cute setups in the plot that reference Shakespeare’s work. He lives out the classic balcony scene with Gwyneth and her nurse, then goes home and writes it into his new play. Those little touches will give you a chuckle.
It’s hard to think of this movie without immediately humming Stephen Warbeck’s lively theme in your head. It’s very cute, and while it doesn’t exactly sound like the Renaissance, like other Shakespeare movies sometimes adopt, it puts you in the mood of a man in search of his destiny. If you can’t conjure the theme on a moment’s notice, you either haven’t seen the movie or haven’t seen it recently enough. Rent it again!
More Judi Dench movies here!
More Gwyneth Paltrow movies here!
It follows the young playwright as he struggles between plays to find his inspiration. Joseph Fiennes is so convincing, there are moments you think you’re really watching Shakespeare. Then you remember that the real Will wasn’t nearly as cute. Gwyneth Paltrow, who had a very busy year with Sliding Doors, Great Expectations, Hush, and A Perfect Murder, is a wealthy lady who as a secret aspiration to act. Since women aren’t allowed to become actresses, she gets her loyal nurse (Imelda Staunton) to help bind her chest, tie her hair up under a wig, and glue on a mustache. As a boy, she wows Shakespeare with her audition piece and secures a role in his upcoming production. But when he finds out she’s really Gwyneth Paltrow under all that, they just might fall in love.
You’ll see lots of familiar faces in this movie, including Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Rupert Everett, Tom Wilkinson, Simon Callow, and Jim Carter. And while you expect to see those pros in a period piece, you don’t expect to see Ben Affleck. Don’t worry, folks; he doesn’t ruin the movie. You’ll also see lots of cute setups in the plot that reference Shakespeare’s work. He lives out the classic balcony scene with Gwyneth and her nurse, then goes home and writes it into his new play. Those little touches will give you a chuckle.
It’s hard to think of this movie without immediately humming Stephen Warbeck’s lively theme in your head. It’s very cute, and while it doesn’t exactly sound like the Renaissance, like other Shakespeare movies sometimes adopt, it puts you in the mood of a man in search of his destiny. If you can’t conjure the theme on a moment’s notice, you either haven’t seen the movie or haven’t seen it recently enough. Rent it again!
More Judi Dench movies here!
More Gwyneth Paltrow movies here!