Whimsical what if . . .

Rating: 6/10 (29 December 1998)

Shakespeare in Love is pure fiction that just happens to use historic people as characters. Don't come to this film hoping it will answer your questions about the real Will's private life but it is an imaginative conceit as to how the Bard concocted his plots.
It is also very modern. This is a poor depiction of Elizabethean life. Syntax, make-up, social situations etc. make this less a costume drama than a modern movie set in the late 1600s. But that's okay. Accepting that, Stoppard's allusions to Shakespearean trivia and the evolution of Romeo and Ethel and the Pirate King to the masterpiece we now know was delightful. The scenes between Fiennes and Paltrow tended to slow the march to opening night, er, afternoon, a bit, but the electricity surrounding the premiere made the wait worth it.
I'm surprised no-one has cited Tom Wilkinson's superb performance as the moneyman, Fennyman. He does an excellent job of developing his character from a money-grubbing Shylock to a lover of theater. I thoroughly enjoyed watching his transformation and sensing, through him, that something special was evolving out of the comedy Shakespeare had originally been commissioned to do (according to the movie, that is).