CAST
Joseph Fiennes-William Shakespeare
Gwyneth Paltrow-Viola De Lesseps
Geffory Rush-Philip Henslowe
Rupert Everett-Christopher Marlowe
Ben Affleck-Ned Alleyn
Judi Dench-Queen Elizabeth
The genre of the romantic comedy is a dangerously uneven one. The truth about most of the movies that can be called a "romantic comedy" are just forgettable escapist fare, something you see with a date one saturday, enjoy it, then forget it immediately afterwards. This is not necessarily a bad thing, just a really unspectacular thing. Most of the reason why these movies aren't all that impressive is that they all really on what is basically the same formula: cute little "boy next door" meets cute little "girl next door", they fall in love, they fall momentarily out of love, then they gloriously fall back in love in a bright little finale. They're all the same, and that's why we never see them as anything really special. But the wonderfully witty new film "Shakespeare in Love", breaks this curse by having the plot driven by great characters, instead of a tired formula.
Perhaps the most interesting character in the movie is the bard himself, William Shakespeare. Most of the reading classes we were forced to go through in high school painted Shakespeare as a larger then life figure who was a sub-genius and way ahead of every single culture on Earth. Whether or not this true is beyond the point. The point is that the script's funniest element comes from the notion that Shakespeare was in fact a neurotic young man, who believed that he was basically a one-hit wonder, who's spark had long since gone away, and he was only left to do stupid comedies like his new one "Romeo and Ethel, The Pirates Daughter". Of course, this play eventually becomes "Romeo and Juliet". This id due to the intervention of a wealthy young lady who wants to be an actress. But in those days, only men could take to the stage, so she disguises herself as a man and acts in the plays. Over the course of the production, they fall in love, hence the title.
"Shakespeare in Love" not only defines the birth of Gwyneth Paltrow as a real actress, not just ex-Mrs. Brad Pitt. She's funny and full of gusto. It's performances like that that help shape this movie into the best romantic comedy of the year. It's charming and wonderfully witty, filled with the kind of movie making that skill that people say Hollywood is running out of ways to generate. Take a date, or go by yourself. Either way you will enjoy one of the best movies of 1998.
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