Very good, but...

Rating: 8/10 (10 April 2009)

Here's the thing. I really enjoyed "Shakespeare in Love." I am a fan of Shakespeare's works, and even though I know this film is not the least bit historically accurate, I was still fascinated by this concept that Shakespeare's plays could have been inspired by a secret romance such as the one in the film. I loved watching how much his play "Romeo and Juliet" changed throughout the film and his romance evolved the play until it became the one we all know and love. There are great performances in this film, including a best actress Oscar for Gwenyth Palthrow. For me, the most noteworthy performance is Judi Dench, an absolutely flawless and funny performance as the Queen, for which she won a much-deserved supporting actress Academy Award. I do have a few small problems with this film. First, there are a few parts in the movie that come off a bit cheesy to me, such as Shakespeare pretending to be the maid by covering his head with a sheet. Also, what about a man dressed as a woman being mistaken for the woman pretending to be a man? I don't know. It seemed cheesy to me. With things like that in the film, it doesn't seem right that the film should win Best Picture, especially when it was up against two nearly perfect nominees, "Saving Private Ryan" and "Life is Beautiful." All in all, a fun and fascinating film, but not perfect. Had it not won Best Picture, I probably would not critique it so much, but despite that, I recommend it, especially to those interested in Shakespeare.
***1/2 out of ****