Well acted film, good Fiennes, intricate script

Rating: Null/10 (5 February 2009)

This was a film I initially disliked but came around after my second viewing. It still has some problems but I can see why some love it so much. The script is intricate and packed with visual and verbal clues on Elizabethan England. The actors all seem to be enjoying themselves. Joseph Fiennes is a well-cast Shakespeare. Gwyneth Paltrow looks beautiful but I'm not convinced she deserved her Oscar. Geoffery Rush and Tom Wilkinson are old pros who slip into their comic roles comfortably. Judi Dench is solid as always. No one does a bad job. The last one third is devoted to a stage recreation of Romeo and Juliet and drags a bit.
Overall 7/10