Shakespeare in Love

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Shakespeare in Love

R

1998

2h 30m

Romance

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

92%

Tomatometer

147 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

"Shakespeare in Love" is a romantic comedy for the 1990s set in the 1590s. It imaginatively unfolds the witty, sexy and timeless tale behind the creation of the greatest love story ever told. A young Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) is out of cash and ideas, he meets his ideal woman and she inspires him to write one of his most famous plays.

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Critics Consensus

Endlessly witty, visually rapturous, and sweetly romantic, Shakespeare in Love is a delightful romantic comedy that succeeds on nearly every level.

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Wendy Ide

The Times (UK)

11/01/2023

Tom Stoppard’s script is a playful delight; the tone is exuberant and lively.

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Terry Lawson

Detroit Free Press

01/05/2023

4/4

Though set in the Bard's 16th Century, Shakespeare in Love is hipper, smarter and cleverer than any contemporary romantic comedy in recent memory.

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Ella Taylor

L.A. Weekly

01/05/2023

Though weakened by feeble leads, Shakespeare in Love is nicely pepped by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard's malicious script and a slew of great supporting performances.

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Rachel Wagner

Hallmarkies Podcast

Apr 7

A fun movie I enjoy

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Mar 2

3.5/4

While it’s no Saving Private Ryan (which it absurdly beat for the Best Picture Academy Award mainly due to Miramax head Harvey Weinstein’s bullying, Oscar-mongering campaign), it remains a witty romantic comedy.

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Mark Johnson

Awards Daily

06/27/2023

A sweet and whimsical love story

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Aryaman S

@AryamanS 6d

The very epitome of art itself. Brilliantly performed by Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes along with Geoffrey Rush, Tom Wilkinson, Judi Dench and Colin Firth. Wonderfully brought to life by John Madden's direction, Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman's writing, Stephen Warbeck's score, Martin Childs' production design (Steven Lawrence - Art director, Jill Quertier - Set decorator), Sandy Powell's costume design, the Makeup and hairstyling department, David & Gabe Cronnelly's stunt choreography and of course Richard Greatrex' cinematography!

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Alec B

@Alec97 Dec 14

Excessively silly but that's part of the movie's charm. There's so much fun to be had here and Stoppard's contributions to the script elevate the material without being too condescending.

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Mary S

Nov 14

A stunning film with all the wit of the original playwright.

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Ashley R

Nov 9

Clever, funny and in the end poignant. The years will be kind to SiL. One of the greatest of all romantic comedies. Some knowledge of Shakespeares works and words deepens the experience with a seemingly bottomless well of references and in jokes.

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Alexsander F

@Aelxs Jul 2

Terrific! “I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams."

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David D

May 9

One of the most overrated movies ever made. Pretentious, not funny, and full of itself.

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John Madden

Director

Joseph Fiennes

William Shakespeare

Gwyneth Paltrow

Viola De Lesseps

Geoffrey Rush

Philip Henslowe

Judi Dench

Queen Elizabeth

Simon Callow

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Synopsis

"Shakespeare in Love" is a romantic comedy for the 1990s set in the 1590s. It imaginatively unfolds the witty, sexy and timeless tale behind the creation of the greatest love story ever told. A young Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) is out of cash and ideas, he meets his ideal woman and she inspires him to write one of his most famous plays.

Director: John Madden
Producer: Marc Norman, Donna Gigliotti, David Parfitt, Harvey Weinstein, Edward Zwick
Screenwriter: Tom Stoppard, Marc Norman
Distributor: Miramax Films
Production Co: Miramax Films, Bedford Falls Productions, Universal Pictures
Rating: R (Sexuality)
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 25, 1998, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 21, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $100.2M
Runtime: 2h 30m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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