It’s really hard to like a film I know I shouldn’t.
I love Shakespeare. As an aspiring playwright myself, I use the Bard as the standard for not necessarily how a play should be written, but for understanding how theatre can be provocative and daring. (Admittedly, some plays I have trouble finding their appeal as much as others *cough—“The Tempest."
So when a film takes as much, um, liberties with Shakespeare’s life as “Shakespeare in Love” (1999) does, the internal literary nerd in me rolls into a fetal position and cries uncontrollably. The Coen Brothers are infamous for placing at the beginning of, “Fargo” (1996), the words: “This is a true story," which holds the same amount of credibility as saying Columbus discovered America. While “Shakespeare in Love” isn’t quite as heinous as that, anybody watching the film should be aware that it’s closer to a romantic fairy tale than it is rewritten history.
“Shakespeare in Love” is about a writer named William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes: “Elizabeth”) in the late 16th century. Trapped in the midst of writer’s block while trying to write a play, he searches for a muse. He finds it in Viola de Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow: “Iron Man”), a daughter of a wealthy businessman and (reluctantly) arranged to be married to Lord Wessex (Colin Firth: “The King’s Speech). Just like Romeo and Juliet (literally—in the film, Shakespeare bases the play he is writing off of his and Viola’s relationship), the heiress and the writer embark on a scandalous affair. Then, in a “Twelfth Night” fashion, Viola dresses up as a man in order to act in Shakespeare’s play.
A lot of people seem to either love this film or hate it. Part of it is the Oscar controversy surrounding it, as “Shakespeare in Love” beat out the favorite that year, “Saving Private Ryan”. The other part of it is that it borders a fuzzy gray area between clever and hokey.
On one hand, the movie is a sly wink to fans of Shakespeare everywhere, moving in and out of parody/homage to the legendary playwright, as the movie parallels both “Romeo and Juliet” and “Twelfth Night." The screenplay is exceptionally brilliant, as it matches common Shakespearean patterns and utilizes the complex bittersweet ending of a true Shakespearean Romance to perfection.
On the other hand, some of the dialogue is groan-worthy and some of the cheesiest lines I’ve heard. The complete disregard of historical accuracy is, well, unfortunate, and made me feel at times that the movie was doing a disservice to Shakespeare.
Still, “Shakespeare in Love” musters enough wit and charm to keep most Shakespeare enthusiasts entertained. For those who don’t care for the playwright or appreciate his impact on English literature, then is might be the most boring film you’ll ever see.
Rating: B+ | 3 stars
