This is the year's most original movie.

Rating: Null/10 (1 January 1999)

There's a lot to love in this movie. Gwyneth Paltrow is luminescent, Geoffrey Rush is hilarious, Judi Dench is magnificent in a small role and the script is clever and witty. Rupert Everett and Ben Affleck are under-used, which is a real shame, since they are both so talented and charismatic. It's a literate movie with a lot of "in" jokes. "Shakespeare in Love" is entertaining without being moronic or condescending. What kept the movie from really enthralling me is the lead, Joseph Fiennes. I would have liked a more striking male lead, someone with more subtlety and shading in his acting to match Paltrow's wonderful performance. It is a good movie, but not a great movie.