Shakespeare - Joseph Fiennes (Elizabeth)

Viola - Gwyneth Paltrow (Seven, Great Expectations, Sliding Doors)

Fennyman – Tom Wilkinson (Full Monty, The Governess)

Ned Alleyn - Ben Affleck (Good Will Hunting)

Lord Wessex – Colin Firth (English Patient, Circle of Friends)

Queen Elizabeth - Dame Judi Dench (Mrs. Brown)

Director: John Madden (Mrs. Brown)

Previews: October Sky, Message In A Bottle, A Walk on the Moon, Playing By Heart

I left the theater in a stunned, speechless silence, in awe of what I had just witnessed and been a part of. It seems indeed ironic that a movie about the writer's block of the greatest user of words in our history would elicit a similar effect on someone like me, who prides himself on his use of the language as well. Is my silence because I could not come up with the words? No, it's different. I could use words like wonderful, magical, fun, captivating etc etc, but they would not do justice to the true power and joy of this film.

How do I love this movie, let me count the ways. It works on so many different levels, all at the same time, that a single viewing may not be enough to capture the effect. It is a story of true romance, and the definition of love through words, thoughts and expressions. This is hammered home, by a scene late in the movie, where perhaps one of history's first if not most adamant believers in female independence, Queen Elizabeth, is taken in by a performance of Romeo and Juliet. Who'd have thought that we'd have two masterful movies, involving Queen Elizabeth, within the span of 2 months?

The smoldering passion between Shakespeare, and Viola (Paltrow), his muse, and inspiration, is evident, without ever being exploited, or forced. Nothing in this movie is ever forced, it has an incredibly smooth, and even pacing, which lulls you under its spell, without you even knowing it. It is like a magnificent puzzle, with each character, each performance, fitting perfectly into place, without really standing out. Fiennes far surpasses his weak character in Elizabeth, to present a soul who was searching for true love, through his gift of language; Paltrow truly breathes the life into the movie from her first appearance. The movie sets up a bit slow in its first few minutes, developing its characters, and setting things up, but when she appears, you are in. When Will and Viola's eyes first meet, Madden has you hooked, completely.

The supporting roles, almost too numerous to pick out, carry this movie along, providing comic relief, scowling villainy, competitiveness, egotism, contempt. They display a range of emotions, which are epitomized in each character. Standing out, Dench, with limited screen time, but stealing every scene with wonderful dialogue and intensity, and Geoffrey Rush proving his versatility, as a self-absorbed theater owner who is the beneficiary of Will’s talent. Most surprising is Ben Affleck, yes, Ben Affleck can act, and even hold his own doing Shakespeare. He does a wonderfully self-mocking role, as an egotistical troupe actor, that rivals Matt Dillon spoof of himself in In & Out

There are predictable scenes, that you want to see, and expect to see, pulled off with such brilliance, that you forget any preconceived notions. The actors doing them and believing in them make them memorable. It all looks, seems, and feels so natural, that again, you feel as if you are a bystander to all these events, rather than a moviegoer

The script of this movie (by Marc Norman (Empire of The Sun, Brazil) and Tom Stoppard) is easily the freshest, smartest, and most original of the year (if Oscar doesn't see this, I may boycott the ceremonies for a while.) Fans of Shakespeare will get so much more out of this experience, for the sheer fact that it mirrors, through the use of the story, and cinematography, his romantic epic, Romeo and Juliet. Several stories are woven together, and along with a brilliant parallel of reality, and the written word, contrast the story of the main characters, with the story being written. This interspersion is at the center of the masterful script. Inside jokes abound, for those true scholars, and are a tribute to the true Shakespearean fan. But even if you've been on an island, and have never heard of him, you will truly walk away from this movie a different, changed person. It makes you believe in the power of love, the power of the human spirit.