a movie deserving five stars

Rating: Null/10 (1 February 1999)

I tend to be pretty hard on movies in general, but this is one of the first films in a long time to transport me to a place that I haven't been to. What a delightful experience! Paltrow, whom I have not given much thought to as an actress, and Fiennes did what so few _romantic comedies_ fail to do: provide two characters that I truly believed could fall in love and create an intensity that leaps off the screen and grabs ya. Judi Dench as Queen Elizabeth was delightful, even if it was a bit part. And the flaws mentioned on this site did not detract from my enjoyment of what for me is the best movie of '98