What? The plot centers around a Shakespeare OUT OF IDEAS????

Rating: Null/10 (9 March 1999)

The movie is flawed from the start with that premise. Yes, we know Shakespeare (probably) suffered in his personal and professional life, but it's unthinkable for this Shakespeare lover that he was 'running dry' before meeting the maiden (Paltrow) that inspired Romeo and Juliet. This movie is an amusing, well done costume drama of the heady, bawdy Elizabethan Era enhanced by glimpses of Paltrow's bare breasts, but the film's contrived hustle and bustle, and the juvenile hi-jinx of the lovers obscured many of The Bard's great lines. For great Shakespeare you MUST see Al Pacino's "Looking for Richard"----Pacino's troupe's faithful, powerful portrayal of the best scenes of Richard III without any distractions to dilute the experience (including, ironically, most of the minor scenes of the play). The aging, intense Pacino is perfect as the embittered and driven King Richard.