By Kim Morgan
Though too cutesy at times, John Madden's Shakespeare in Love is wonderfully written, tightly directed and well acted.
Shakespeare in Love, cinema's latest attempt at making the Bard more accessible to modern audiences, is entertaining despite its cutesiness. Directed by John Madden (Mrs. Brown), the film stars Joseph Fiennes (Ralph's brother) in the title role. In this version, the young Will Shakespeare is a stunningly handsome playwright who is experiencing writer's block. The film is set in London in 1593 where, despite the theater's popularity, drama houses are closing because of the plague.
A rotten-toothed theater owner named Philip Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush) needs Will to finish writing his latest play--a comedy with the working title Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter--or Henslowe's playhouse, the Rose, will go out of business. Shakespeare has a healthy rivalry with playwright Christopher Marlowe (Rupert Everett), who plays a small role in Will's brainstorming ("What if the best friend of Romeo is killed?" he asks). Still, Will is desperate and searches for a muse to help him complete the play.
Meanwhile, a rich and beautiful maiden named Viola de Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow) is set to marry the snooty Lord Wessex (Colin Firth), an aristocrat to whom Viola's greedy father wishes to pawn her off. The trouble is that Viola loves Will Shakespeare from afar. An ardent admirer of the Bard's plays, as well as poetry and all things of true passion, Viola is a modern woman with a mind of her own. She disguises herself as a boy to try out for Will's latest play (women were not allowed to perform on stage) and wins over the playwright first with her acting skills and then with her enchanting self.
The two begin a steamy affair while Viola's parents are conveniently away for a week, during which Will's play starts writing itself; the loving pair's scenes later become the stuff of Romeo and Juliet. Corny? For sure. Helplessly romantic? Of course. Trite and often stupid? Indeed. But entertaining, clever and well constructed? Thankfully, yes.
Written by playwright Tom Stoppard (who reworked Marc Norman's original script), the picture is easy to follow yet complex enough to keep your attention. Stoppard, who wrote the brilliant play and movie Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, infuses Shakespeare with snippets of near-brilliant prose that neatly tie together the plot and poetically express the passion of the movie. Shakespeare's historical life, plays and legacy, as well as the cultural climate of Elizabethan England, are all woven together seamlessly, though at times the movie is so clever it borders on cutesiness. Its breezy feel helps it to overcome lines that sound more like something from Robin Hood: Men in Tights than As You Like It.
Leads Fiennes and Paltrow are both serviceable and visually appealing. Fiennes is a solid actor who competently polishes a role that, to be fair, seems hard to master. His over-intensity makes him appear slightly foolish, but one would be hard pressed to picture another young actor in this role.
Fiennes achieves the youthful exuberance, sensuality and brilliance necessary to portray the Shakespeare director Madden has in mind. Paltrow, on the other hand, seems somewhat strained, as if she were still auditioning for her role. The rest of the cast is wonderful, including Rush as the obnoxious Henslowe, Judy Dench as Queen Elizabeth and Rupert Everett (who demands more screen time) as Marlowe.
Regardless of its virtues, Shakespeare in Love strives for the knowing laughter of independent film houses and college campuses, and this keeps the film from being the shiny gem it could be. Even Baz Luhrmann's underrated William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, which starred the exceedingly adorable Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes, wasn't this cute.
